A story of Padma Shri Anke Gowda

In an era when mobile phones have replaced books as the preferred companions of many, one man from rural Karnataka has spent more than half a century proving that the printed word still matters. That man is Anke Gowda, the legendary bibliophile from Pandavapura in Mandya district, who was recently honoured with the Padma Shri for his extraordinary contributions to preserving knowledge and promoting a reading culture. I recently had the privilege of visiting his famed library, popularly known as Pusthakada Mane (House of Books). As someone who has spent a lifetime in education, research, and science communication, I have visited many libraries across India and abroad.

Yet nothing prepared me for the overwhelming sight that greeted me there. It was not merely a collection of books; it was a monument to human curiosity, perseverance, and selfless service. The moment one enters the premises, one is struck by the sheer magnitude of the collection. Books occupy every available space. Shelves rise from floor to ceiling. Rare volumes, old magazines, encyclopaedias, dictionaries, manuscripts, religious texts, science books, historical records, literary classics, and journals from around the world stand together like silent custodians of human civilization. An anonymous saying displayed at the

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library reads: “A library is the hospital for a mind.” Never has that statement felt more appropriate. If there were ever a candidate for the “eighth wonder of the world” among repositories of knowledge, Anke Gowda’s library would surely deserve consideration. The collection reportedly contains over a million books and publications gathered under a single roof. A Life Dedicated to Books What makes this achievement truly remarkable is the man behind it. Anke Gowda was not born into privilege. He did not inherit wealth or receive institutional grants. Born into a farming family, he worked in a sugar factory and led a modest life. Yet he possessed an extraordinary passion: collecting books.

Over the years, he spent nearly 80 per cent of his income purchasing books, often sacrificing personal comforts to expand his collection. When his salary was insufficient to sustain his growing passion, he took voluntary retirement and later worked as an LIC agent. Much of the income earned thereafter was again channelled into building what can only be described as a Kingdom of Books. This was never a hobby in the conventional sense. It was a mission. Over fifty years, Gowda travelled across Karnataka and beyond, purchasing books whose prices ranged from a few rupees to several thousand. While many people invest in property or gold, he invested in knowledge.

A Collection Beyond Imagination The scale and diversity of the collection are breathtaking. The library houses thousands of copies of the Bhagavad Gita, Vedas, Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and books on Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity, and other faith traditions. It contains extensive collections on medicine, science, psychology, archaeology, philosophy, geography, economics, and Indian history. There are books by Nobel laureates, world-famous thinkers, Indian English writers, and literary works in multiple Indian languages. The collection includes: More than 25,000 books on Vedas, Puranas, Ramayana, and Mahabharata. Thousands of books on Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Basavanna, Ambedkar, Buddha, and Mahavira.

Rare atlases and geographical works. Extensive collections on science and medicine. Thousands of children’s books. National and international magazines collected over decades. Rare literary works spanning several languages. The library is, in effect, a people’s university. More Than Books What surprised me even more was that the collection extends beyond books.Anke Gowda has assembled nearly 2,000 coins from different countries, some dating back several centuries. Alongside them are around 20,000 postage stamps from across the world, making the library a valuable resource for numismatists and philatelists alike. In many countries, such collections would have become part of a museum or a state-supported archive.

In Pandavapura, they remain the result of one man’s passion and perseverance. Perhaps the most inspiring aspect of Anke Gowda’s journey is his refusal to commercialise knowledge. Over the years, he reportedly received several offers to convert the library into a commercial venture. He declined them all. His conviction remained unchanged: books should be available to ordinary people, especially students who cannot afford them. Even today, Pusthakada Mane welcomes visitors and readers. The doors remain open to anyone seeking knowledge. At a time when education is increasingly viewed through a commercial lens, Gowda’s philosophy offers a refreshing reminder that knowledge is a public good. A National Treasure in Need of Rescue Yet amid the admiration lies a painful reality.

The collection has grown far beyond the capacity of a single individual to maintain. During my visit, I could see both the grandeur and the challenge. Books were stacked in every available corner. Thousands of volumes await systematic arrangement and preservation. According to available estimates, more than seven lakh books still need to be catalogued, numbered, digitised, and organised. Experts estimate that nearly �5 crore would be required to systematically preserve and modernise this vast repository. The challenges are not limited to cataloguing.

The library lacks many basic facilities expected of a public institution. Visitor amenities are inadequate, and the infrastructure required for long-term preservation remains insufficient. This should concern all of us. If neglected, valuable books collected over five decades could deteriorate. Rare publications may disappear forever. A unique cultural archive painstakingly assembled by one individual could be lost. The Padma Shri is a fitting recognition of Anke Gowda’s extraordinary contribution. Yet the award should be viewed not as the culmination of his journey but as the beginning of a larger societal responsibility. Governments routinely invest crores in infrastructure projects. Surely, preserving one of India’s most remarkable private libraries deserves equal attention. Karnataka has long celebrated its literary heritage.

Supporting Anke Gowda’s dream would be a meaningful continuation of that legacy. The Karnataka G overnment, universities, public libraries, corporate CSR initiatives, philanthropists, and book lovers must come together to establish a world-class knowledge centre in Pandavapura. Such a centre could include: A professionally managed library building. Digital archiving and cataloguing facilities. Conservation laboratories for rare books. Research and reading spaces. Museum sections for coins, stamps, and historical collections. Facilities for students, scholars, and visitors. Such an initiative would transform Pandavapura into a national destination for learning and research. The Legacy We Choose What moved me most during my visit was not the number of books but the spirit behind them.

Here is a man who spent most of his earnings on books, sacrificed personal comforts, refused commercial temptations, and opened his collection freely to the public. He built this extraordinary repository not for fame or financial gain but because he believed that knowledge should be preserved and shared. In a society increasingly disconnected from reading, Anke Gowda reminds us that books are not relics of the past. They are bridges between generations. The Padma Shri has rightly honoured the man. Now it is time for the government of Karnataka and India to honour his life’s work. If we fail to preserve this library, we risk losing far more than books. We risk losing a living testament to the values of curiosity, learning, generosity, and cultural memory.

THE WRITER IS THE DEAN -ACADEMIC AFFAIRS, GARDEN CITY UNIVERSITY, BENGALURU AND AN ADJUNCT FACULTY AT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED STUDIES, BANGALORE.IMAGE.JPEG