Anke Gowda M., who was awarded the Padma Shri, is an unsung hero who is making literacy accessible one book at a time.
The sleepy village of Haralahalli near Srirangapatna in Mandya district is seemingly nondescript, but if you dig deeper, you will find one of India’s largest free libraries, Pustaka Mane, with a collection that exceeds 20 lakhs here.
His tryst with books began much earlier, especially as he always struggled to find books when he was studying. “I was always interested in reading books, so I started reading Ramakrishna Ashram’s books. One of my teachers, K. Ananthramu, told me three things – never take a bribe, be respectful to others, and cultivate a habit that will help society.” The last advice stayed with him, and he decided to start collecting books.
Since the last 50 years, he consciously spent 70 per cent of his salary on buying books, to the extent that his home was full of books. Due to tight finances, he bought four cows and used to sell milk. He also became an LIC agent for a while, but money was an issue. That’s when he sold his land in Mysore and used that money also to buy more books.
Read the full story that first appeared in The New Indian Express dated May 31, 2026 here:
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