The keeper of the books
For Anke Gowda, reading was a dream. He grew up in a village in a farming family where books were a luxury. He spent his childhood juggling school and helping his father with farm work. He would often ask his parents and elder sister for money to buy books and when he finally read, he got hooked.“When you start reading, it’s addictive, like tasting candy,” he said to the BBC in an interview. “We never got books to read, but I was always curious about them. I kept thinking that I should read, gather books and gain knowledge,” he added.When he began reading, he wanted to collect all kinds of books which would “help our village children study for competitive exams.” However, no dream is realized without hard work and patience, and Gowda had to practice both.
A look behind the books
Inspired by a teacher, he began building his own small collection so that other students from the rural areas could also read. He often used the money given to him by his parents for food to buy books.“I had to collect money from home. My sister and other relatives would also pitch in. I would collect tips, I began with very small amounts,” he revealed.Soon after finishing school, he started working as a bus conductor. About 10 months into the job, he bumped into his former teacher who was shocked to know that he had quit studying. He insisted that Gowda resign and go to college.Gowda followed his advice and went on to get a postgraduate degree in Kannada, before joining a local sugar factory as a timekeeper. He would spend two-thirds of his salary on books and use the remaining money for his family.Over the 33 years he worked at the factory, he attended numerous conferences of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat, a non-profit dedicated to developing local language and literature and would often buy discounted books from them. To further his dream, he raised cows and sold milk while also working as an insurance agent.The next task on the roster was finding the space to house the books. “I started keeping the books in trunks (large metal boxes). Then I installed bookshelves in my house. But at one point, there was no place left,” he said while adding that at the time he had around 50,000 books.Help arrived in the form of Hari Khoday, the late liquor baron who was building a temple in the area. He agreed and paid for the construction of a huge building which is a part of Gowda’s sprawling library stretching across 15,800 sq ft. Some years later, two more structures were added to the first one with the help of then Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy.Currently, Gowda, with his wife and son live in a corner of the library, which is open every day of the week for long hours.
Anke Gowda’s Pustaka Mane
When you look at the library, it lacks the rigid organization that is typically associated with the institution. Gowda is his own librarian and books there are stacked on shelves and piled on the floor in a haphazard manner. Outside the building, sacks filled with an estimated 800,000 books are still waiting to be unpacked.The library is visited by students, parents, teachers and book lovers alike. While regular visitors have learned to find their way around the shelves and piles, others receive help from Gowda to find anything.“It’s not organized, but it’s a huge ocean of books,” said Shilpashree Haranu, an associate professor and frequent library user to the outlet. “For us it’s messy, but Anke Gowda knows exactly where a particular book is kept,” she added.Recently, in January 2026, he was awarded Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honor, in the field of Literature and Education.In the future, Gowda says it’s up to others to take his legacy forward. “I have fulfilled my responsibility. But I don’t have the energy anymore. Maybe the government and the public can take over now? I have done my best, now it is up to others.”
