The Government of India has honoured 75-year-old Anke Gowda, founder of Karnataka’s Pustaka Mane, with the Padma Shri 2026 under the ‘Unsung Heroes’ category for his lifelong contribution to promoting literacy and public access to knowledge.
A former bus conductor and retired sugar factory timekeeper from Mandya district, Gowda has spent more than five decades building one of India’s largest free-access personal libraries, housing over 20 lakh books in more than 20 languages, including rare publications dating back to 1832.
The library, built largely through his personal savings and sacrifices, serves students, researchers and civil service aspirants across the country. Officials, including Mandya Deputy Commissioner Kumara, have hailed the recognition as a matter of pride for Karnataka, while Gowda reiterated that his mission has always been to make knowledge freely accessible to everyone.
A Lifetime Built Around Books
Anke Gowda’s remarkable journey began in rural Karnataka, where his fascination with books started during his school days after reading the works of Swami Vivekananda. Later, while pursuing his master’s degree in Kannada at Maharaja’s College, Mysuru, a simple piece of advice from his professor,
K. Anantharamu, shaped the course of his life. The professor urged students to cultivate a meaningful habit alongside leading honest lives, inspiring Gowda to take book collecting seriously. Over the next five decades, while working first as a bus conductor and later for nearly 30 years as a timekeeper at the Pandavapura Cooperative Sugar Factory, he invested much of his salary and retirement savings in acquiring books.
He even sold his residential property in Mysuru for ₹6 lakh and reinvested the entire amount into expanding his collection. Today, Pustaka Mane in Mandya houses over 20 lakh books, 5 lakh rare foreign publications, 5,000 multilingual dictionaries, 35,000 international magazines, 2,500 Kannada magazines, and thousands of books on Mahatma Gandhi, the Bhagavad Gita, science, philosophy, mythology and world religions.
The collection also includes rare manuscripts and publications nearly two centuries old. Gowda and his wife, Vijayalakshmi, continue to live simply within a corner of the library, dedicating almost every available space to preserving literature rather than personal comfort. “My only goal has always been to make information accessible to everyone,” Gowda said after receiving the honour.
A Library That Serves the Nation
What began as one man’s personal passion has evolved into a nationally recognised centre for learning. Located in Pandavapura municipality in Karnataka’s Mandya district, Pustaka Mane welcomes students, researchers, artists and civil service aspirants from across India who rely on its vast collection of books and archival material. The library’s rare resources have supported academic research, historical documentation and creative projects, including artist Shivanand Basavanthappa’s work for the Life and Art of MTV Acharya exhibition in 2025.
Recognised by the Limca Book of Records in 2016 for the country’s largest personal book collection, Gowda has also received the G.P. Rajarathnam Sahitya Paricharaka Award (2009), Alva’s Nudisiri Award (2011) and the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award (2014). His latest recognition, the Padma Shri 2026, honours his extraordinary contribution to preserving knowledge and promoting literacy without institutional funding.
Mandya Deputy Commissioner Kumara described the recognition as a proud moment for the district, stating that Gowda’s selfless efforts had placed Haralahalli and Mandya on the national and global map of scholarship. The award also highlights the often-overlooked role of individuals who quietly strengthen India’s educational and cultural landscape through personal commitment.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
At The Logical Indian, we believe Anke Gowda’s story reminds us that meaningful change does not always begin with wealth, influence or institutions, it often begins with one person’s unwavering commitment to serving society. At a time when access to quality education and knowledge remains unequal for many, Gowda’s lifelong decision to share rather than accumulate offers a powerful lesson in generosity, empathy and social responsibility.
His library stands not only as a repository of books but also as a symbol of what ordinary citizens can achieve through perseverance and public spirit. As India celebrates changemakers like Anke Gowda, perhaps the greatest tribute we can pay is by strengthening our own libraries, supporting community learning spaces and encouraging a culture of reading.
What steps do you think communities and governments should take to ensure that knowledge remains freely accessible to everyone?
Also read: Forced to Quit School in 2012, Satyendra Pal Now Educates Hundreds of Slum Children for Free
