School auctions mango on its land, gets Rs 5 lakh

Way back in 1965, Chikkasiddappa of Avalakuppa village in Kolar district, perhaps with an eye on giving back to society, donated a 10-acre field to the Govt Lower Primary School. He had just planted mango saplings on the plot and over the years, it has been a gift that keeps on giving.

Come mango season, the school has been raking in a tidy sum by auctioning the yield from what has now turned into a mango grove. This year's auction fetched the school a neat Rs 5.2 lakh.

The school keeps one third of the amount - Rs 1.7 lakh this year - and the rest goes to the person taking care of the grove.

When he parted with the land, Chikkasiddappa had done the paperwork too, handing over a 'dana patra' (gift deed) drafted in the name of the school. One Narayanappa looked after the mango grove, grooming the plants until 1990. Now, his son Mulavagilappa (52) tends the grove.

Headmaster Shankar said the produce is auctioned in the presence of education department officials and the villagers. This year, 11 bidders took part in the auction, and one Ramcharan called the final bid.

The school has 12 students from class 1 to 5 on its rolls. Previously, the strength was far higher but owing to various reasons including mushrooming of private schools in the neighbourhood, the school's strength has fallen, said Shankar.

He said the school's portion of the auction sum is kept in a joint bank account of the president of SDMC and the headmaster. It is used to provide books, uniforms and other essentials for schoolchildren and to take them on an excursion. The account now has about Rs 4 lakh.

Legal wrinkle

Despite the title being clear, some 20 years ago, RC Amarnath of the village filed a suit in court claiming ownership of the land. He claimed to be the 'adopted son' of Chikkasiddappa.

While two courts have ruled in favour of the education department, Amarnath has appealed in a higher court where the matter is pending.

However, the courts have not stopped departmental authorities from auctioning the crop, Shankar said.


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