In Haralahalli, Karnataka, 75-year-old Anke Gowda has devoted over five decades to building Pustaka Mane, a monumental library housing nearly two million books.
In Haralahalli, Karnataka, 75-year-old Anke Gowda has devoted over five decades to building Pustaka Mane, a monumental library housing nearly two million books. Open to all who cherish knowledge, it boasts rare manuscripts, multilingual dictionaries, and literary treasures that celebrate India’s profound love for reading.
Gowda’s journey began as a young bus conductor, he saved every spare rupee while pursuing a master’s degree in Kannada literature. “A professor introduced me to the world of books,” he recalls, “and that spark became a lifelong passion for learning.” What began as a personal fascination grew into a mission — a home built not of bricks, but of words.
Gowda’s devotion to books, poured every rupee into his collection, often forsaking personal comforts. Eventually, he sold his Mysuru home to live amid the volumes he cherished most. Today, he resides within Pustaka Mane itself, alongside his wife Vijayalakshmi and son Sagar, both devoted custodians of this extraordinary archive.
A treasure open to all
Pustaka Mane is not merely a private sanctuary — it is a gift to the world. The library welcomes schoolchildren, research scholars, civil service aspirants, writers, and even Supreme Court judges, all drawn to its vast reservoirs of knowledge.
Its shelves boast books in over 20 languages, encompassing Indian vernaculars and foreign tongues alike. The collection ranges from classical literature, ancient philosophy, and science, to technology, poetry, and rare manuscripts. Among the crown jewels are 500,000 rare foreign titles and more than 5,000 multilingual dictionaries, some dating back to the early 19th century.
In its infancy, the growing collection was scattered in bags and corners of rooms. Support from well-wishers, including industrialist Sri Hari Khoday, eventually enabled the construction of a larger, permanent structure — ensuring that this treasure trove could be preserved and shared for generations.
Beyond walls and shelves
For Gowda, collecting books is not the ultimate goal. His vision is grander: to transform Pustaka Mane into a living centre of learning, a space where curiosity reigns and ideas flourish, untainted by commercial interests. At 75, he still personally cleans, organizes, and catalogues books, thousands of which await sorting.
(This article has been curated with the help of AI)