Episode Details
Back to EpisodesStories from India: Former bus conductor Anke Gowda wins Padma Shri for creating a library of 2 million books
Published 6 months, 3 weeks ago
Description
Anke Gowda, who began collecting books at the age of 20, was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honours, in 2026. Once a bus conductor, Gowda now runs Pustak Mane (House of Books) in Haralhalli village, Karnataka, which has a collection of more than 2 million books. Today it is regarded as one of the largest private libraries in the country and offers free reading facilities to the public.