Who Is Anke Gowda? Meet the Padma Shri 2026 Winner Behind Karnataka’s Legendary Library

Bengaluru

oi-Madhuri Adnal

In
a
modest
house
in
Haralahalli,
a
small
village
near
Pandavapura
in
Karnataka,
75-year-old
Anke
Gowda,
a
Padma
Award
winner
(2026),
has
built
one
of
the
most
extraordinary
private
libraries
in
India-housing
nearly
two
million
books.
What
began
as
a
personal
passion
has
grown
into
an
open
public
reading
space
that
draws
researchers,
students,
writers,
civil
service
aspirants,
and
even
Supreme
Court
judges.

The
Haralahalli
library
has
become
a
major
scholarly
hub,
boasting
around
five
lakh
rare
foreign
books
and
nearly
5,000
dictionaries
across
multiple
languages.
Its
vast
and
diverse
collection
has
made
the
village
an
unexpected
destination
for
serious
academic
research,
particularly
in
Kannada
literature
and
humanities.

Gowda’s
journey
is
as
remarkable
as
his
collection.
He
began
collecting
books
at
the
age
of
20
while
working
as
a
bus
conductor.
Later,
he
quit
his
job,
earned
a
master’s
degree
in
Kannada
literature,
and
spent
three
decades
working
in
a
sugar
factory.
Most
of
his
earnings-and
even
property
he
owned
in
Mysuru-were
invested
in
buying
books.
Throughout
this
journey,
he
has
received
unwavering
support
from
his
wife
Vijayalakshmi
and
son
Sagar.

Speaking
to
media,
Gowda
said
that
the
library
primarily
serves
researchers
and
students,
but
civil
service
aspirants
and
senior
members
of
the
judiciary
have
also
visited.
Importantly,
the
library
charges
no
fees-anyone
is
free
to
walk
in,
read,
and
learn.

Despite
financial
constraints,
Gowda
continues
to
expand
the
collection
whenever
possible.
Now
nationally
recognised
with
a
Padma
Award
in
2026,
his
lifelong
dedication
to
knowledge
has
brought
pride
not
only
to
Haralahalli
but
to
Karnataka
and
the
country
at
large.