The Superman of Books: Why Anke Gowda’s Library Must Be Saved

BIJU DHARMAPALAN

For most people, books are objects. For a few, they are companions. But for one extraordinary man from Karnataka, books became a lifelong mission, a sacred calling, and ultimately a national service. That man is Anke Gowda, the legendary bibliophile from Pandavapura in Mandya district who was recently honoured with the Padma Shri Award 2026 for his unparalleled contribution to preserving knowledge and promoting literacy.

I recently had the opportunity to visit his remarkable library. As someone who has spent a lifetime in academia, science communication, and education, I have visited many libraries. Yet nothing prepared me for what awaited me at Pustaka Mane — literally, the “House of Books.” It was not merely a library. It was a living monument to human curiosity, perseverance, and the transformative power of reading.

The first feeling one experiences upon entering the premises is awe. Books occupy every available space. Shelves stretch endlessly. Rare volumes, old magazines, dictionaries, manuscripts, literature, science books, religious texts, historical records, and journals stand together like silent witnesses to centuries of human thought. The collection reportedly exceeds two million books and publications, making it one of the largest free-access personal libraries in India.

What makes this achievement even more extraordinary is the story behind it.

Anke Gowda was not born into privilege. He was not a wealthy industrialist or the beneficiary of institutional grants. Born into a farming family in Chinakurli village, he worked as a bus conductor, a security guard, and later as a timekeeper at the Pandavapura Cooperative Sugar Factory. Over decades, he invested much of his earnings and savings in acquiring books. While many people accumulated property, he accumulated knowledge. While others built financial wealth, he built intellectual wealth for society.

His collection is astonishing in both scale and diversity. Thousands of dictionaries, rare foreign publications, magazines from across the world, books on Mahatma Gandhi, the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity, science, technology, literature, and philosophy coexist under one roof. Books in more than twenty languages can be found here. Researchers, students, writers, and knowledge seekers continue to visit this treasure house.

Yet, amid the wonder, one also encounters a painful reality.

The repository has grown far beyond the capacity of one individual to maintain. During my visit, I could sense the enormity of the challenge. A collection of this magnitude requires professional preservation, climate-controlled storage, cataloguing systems, digital archiving, conservation experts, and sustainable financial support. Reports indicate that a significant portion of the collection faces space constraints, with many books at risk of deterioration due to inadequate storage facilities.

This is where the story of Anke Gowda becomes more than the story of one man.

It becomes a question for society.

In an age dominated by scrolling screens, shrinking attention spans, and fleeting digital content, individuals like Anke Gowda remind us of the enduring value of books. Every civilization is remembered not merely for its monuments but for its libraries. The destruction of a library has often symbolized the loss of collective memory. Conversely, preserving a library means preserving a civilization's intellectual heritage.

The Padma Shri is a well-deserved recognition of Anke Gowda's lifelong service. But recognition alone is not enough. The books he has preserved over five decades constitute a cultural asset that belongs not just to Karnataka but to India. They deserve institutional protection and long-term conservation.

There is an urgent need for the Karnataka government, cultural institutions, universities, corporate social responsibility initiatives, philanthropists, and book lovers to come together and create a world-class knowledge centre in Pandavapura. Such a centre could transform the region into a destination for researchers, students, and literary enthusiasts. It could become a model rural knowledge hub that inspires similar initiatives across the country.

Encouragingly, there have been discussions within government circles about providing land, infrastructure, and support for preserving Pustaka Mane. However, the scale of the challenge demands sustained commitment and collective action.

The true measure of a society is not only how it celebrates its heroes but how it safeguards their legacy.

Anke Gowda's life offers a profound lesson. He spent more than fifty years collecting books without expectation of reward, fame, or profit. His library stands as a testament to selfless dedication in an era increasingly driven by commercial interests. He has done his part. The responsibility now rests with us.

When future generations ask whether we valued knowledge, the answer should not be found merely in speeches or policy documents. It should be found in the preservation of places like Pustaka Mane.

For if a man could dedicate his entire life to protecting books, surely society can come together to protect his dream.

The Padma Shri has rightly honoured Anke Gowda. Now it is time for the governments of Karnataka and India to honour the library he built — book by book, sacrifice by sacrifice, over a lifetime, by supporting him in establishing a good library complex.

(Dr.Biju Dharmapalan is  the Dean -Academic Affairs, Garden City University, Bengaluru  and   an adjunct faculty at the National Institute of Advanced Studies,  Bangalore, E-mail: bijudharmapalan@gmail.com)