Padma Awards 2026: Meet 75-yr old Anke Gowda, a bus conductor who built a library of 2 million books

In a moving tribute to a lifetime of quiet sacrifice, 75-year-old Anke Gowda has been officially recognised in the 2026 Padma Awards for his inclusion in the "Unsung Heroes" category. This prestigious Padma Shri honours a man who transitioned from the routine of a bus conductor to the architect of a monumental literary legacy.

For over fifty years, Gowda channelled his passion into Pustak Mane, a vast, free-access library built on the foundation of incredible personal cost. To fund this sanctuary for knowledge, he funnelled approximately 80% of his career earnings into book acquisitions and even made the ultimate sacrifice of selling his family home.

Who is Anke Gowda?

Born into a farming family in Mandya district, he had limited access to books during his childhood. His love of reading began at the age of 20 when his college professor inspired him to start collecting books while he was working as a bus conductor. 

After this, Anke Gowda began collecting books while working as a bus conductor. He left his job to pursue a master's degree in Kannada literature before working for around 3 decades in a sugar factory.

He set up the world's largest free-access library — Pustak Mane — housing more than 2 million books in 20 languages, along with rare manuscripts. It also has around 5 lakh rare foreign books, and roughly 5,000 dictionaries across multiple languages.

The library is accessible to all -- local students to Supreme Court judges-- with no membership fees. 

To maintain the collection, Gowda and his wife Vijayalakshmi live within the library. Gowda manages the library along with their son, Sagar, and is working to formally organise it under the Anke Gowda Jnana Pratishthana Foundation as his collection continues to expand. 

"Researchers and students mainly come to me. Even civil service aspirants and Supreme Court judges have come to refer to the books here. There is no membership fee or admission charge. Anyone can come, read, and gain knowledge," he said in a conversation with Mathrubhumi News.