United News of Bangladesh

Anke Gowda, a retired sugar factory worker from southern India, has spent five decades assembling what may be one of the country’s most remarkable private libraries, a collection of around two million books that anyone can freely read or borrow. The 79-year-old from Karnataka’s Mandya district was honoured last month with the Padma Shri, one of India’s top civilian awards, recognising his lifelong commitment to literacy and learning, reports BBC. Gowda grew up in a farming family where books were rare, but his curiosity pushed him to seek them out from an early age. As a child, he balanced school with farm work and saved whatever money he could to buy books, often choosing them over food. Stories about Indian freedom fighters and spiritual leaders sparked a passion that never faded. After briefly working as a bus conductor, Gowda returned to education at the urging of a former teacher, eventually earning a postgraduate degree in Kannada. He later joined the Pandavapura sugar factory as a timekeeper, a job he held for 33 years. During that time, he spent most of his modest salary on books, supplementing his income by raising cows, selling milk and working as an insurance agent. Ekushey Book Fair to begin on Feb 20, reaffirms Bangla Academy His collection grew rapidly through purchases and donations, including discounted books from conferences of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat. Finding space soon became a challenge. What began with trunks and home bookshelves eventually overwhelmed his house. A turning point came when businessman Hari Khoday agreed to fund the construction of a dedicated library building after seeing the scale of Gowda’s collection. The library now spans about 15,800 square feet, with additional structures later funded by the state government. Located in Pandavapura town, the library has no formal cataloguing system and no hired librarian. Books are stacked on shelves and floors, while hundreds of thousands more remain packed in sacks outside. Yet regular visitors say Gowda knows exactly where everything is. The library is open every day and draws students, teachers and book lovers from across Karnataka. Gowda, his wife and son live in a corner of the building, making it both a home and a public space for learning. Now, Gowda says his energy is fading and hopes others will carry his work forward. He believes he has done his part, leaving the future of the vast collection in the hands of the public and the authorities.