Former Bus Conductor Builds 2-Million-Book Free Library

The boy who once traveled miles just to read a single book now runs a library with 2 million of them, free for anyone who walks through the door.

Anke Gowda grew up in a farming family in Karnataka's Mandya district, where books were a luxury most families couldn't afford. As a student, he made long trips to Mysuru just to access reading material. That struggle planted a seed that would grow for the next six decades.

Unable to forget what it felt like to hunger for knowledge with no resources, Gowda began collecting books. But first, he needed to earn a living. He worked as a bus conductor, at a sugar factory, as a milk seller, and later as an insurance agent. No matter how modest his paycheck, books remained his priority.

One book became two. Two became ten. Ten became hundreds. What started as a personal collection slowly took over rooms, shelves, and eventually entire buildings. His family watched as books occupied every corner of their home, but they understood Gowda's vision.

He wasn't building a library for himself. He was creating the resource he wished had existed during his own childhood.

Over decades, Gowda carefully gathered rare manuscripts, dictionaries, magazines, and research materials in multiple languages. His collection eventually became Pustak Mane, a sprawling library that today welcomes everyone from schoolchildren to UPSC aspirants to university researchers.

The library now houses nearly 2 million books, making it one of India's largest free-access collections. Students preparing for competitive exams study there. Teachers find rare resources. Researchers discover materials unavailable anywhere else in the region.

Why This Inspires

Gowda's story reminds us that extraordinary impact doesn't require wealth or privilege. It requires commitment and the memory of what it feels like to go without.

Today, at 79, Gowda lives within the library premises alongside his wife Vijayalakshmi and son Sagar. Together, they care for and preserve the collection, ensuring every visitor can freely access its treasures. This year, his dedication earned him the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors.

But the real recognition comes daily, in the form of students who walk through his doors with the same hunger for knowledge he once felt. For them, Gowda built something more valuable than any building: he built possibility.