From Bus Conductor to Padma Shri Hero | The Man Who Built India’s Largest Free Library 📚

Описание: Born in a small farming village of Karnataka, Anke Gowda M. transformed personal hardship into a national legacy. From working as a bus conductor and factory timekeeper to building one of India’s largest free-access private libraries, his life proves that one person’s passion can change millions of lives.

Awarded the Padma Shri 2026 under the “Unsung Heroes” category, Anke Gowda dedicated over five decades—and nearly 80% of his lifetime earnings—to collecting books so that future generations would never face the “intellectual poverty” he once did.

His creation, Pustaka Mane (Book House) in Haralahalli village, today holds nearly 20 lakh (2 million) books across 20+ languages, including rare manuscripts from 1832, thousands of dictionaries, half a million foreign publications, and specialised collections on Mahatma Gandhi and the Bhagavad Gita.

Open completely free of cost, this rural library welcomes everyone—from village children and UPSC aspirants to PhD scholars and Supreme Court judges.

Living a life of radical simplicity, Anke Gowda and his family sleep on the floor inside the library itself, dedicating every possible resource to preserving knowledge. Even at 75, he personally cleans and organises the books daily.

This is not just a story about books.
It is a story about sacrifice, service, and the quiet power of education.

Watch this inspiring journey of a man who sold his own home to build a sanctuary of knowledge for the nation.