Reading is a journey of the mind. In that journey we meet many people and different life situations. For many, reading is like a magic wand that relieves their grief. Previously, if we visit anyone's home, we can find a large collection of books. But as the world shifts to 'e-books' in today's digital age, many are abandoning such habits. But even today, 72-year-old Anke Gowda still does not want to give up the habit. He is probably one of the most book-owning people in the world.
His library has more than 70,000 books. His remarkable achievement helped him earn a place in the Limca Book of Records for keeping the 'largest personal book collection' in 2016.
Born into a poor family, Gowda had no money to buy and read books as a child. At the same time, when his teachers encouraged the desire to read, it became a hobby. As the years passed, it became a madness. After graduating from the University of Mysore, he joined a sugar factory in Mandya. Still, his passion for collecting books did not diminish. "I would buy books wherever I went," he said proudly. The natives of Mandya often mocked him for saying this. Wife Vijayalakshmi remembers that her husband, who once went to buy household items, bought the book with that money! He was motivated by his unquenchable love for books and his desire to impart knowledge to others.
But that desire has made him one of the greatest book collectors in India today. Over the past 50 years he has collected a wide variety of books, including religious books, encyclopedias, dictionaries, fiction, non-fiction, and classics. It includes 22 different Indian languages and eight foreign languages. He has exhibited his books at his 'Book House' in Mandya, Karnataka. It contains 65,000 international books and magazines, 2,500 titles by Mahatma Gandhi and 2,500 books on the Bhagavad Gita. Even research students visit this 'book man' for referral material or to learn more.
Although there are thousands of books, the building does not have fire, dust, or mites. His wife Vijayalakshmi and son Sagar are dusting and cleaning the books as they do not have money to keep an assistant. He spent the entire retirement benefit he received without even buying a piece of land of his own. One of William Shakespeare's most valuable books is his collection of eight volumes of 1832 volumes. Someone once offered $ 110,000 for it. Gowda, however, turned down the offer. He buys books worth Rs 10,000 every month. In addition, Gowda collects a variety of invitations, wedding cards and greeting cards. This collection from 1975 now has more than 5,000 different types of cards. He has won several awards, including the Rajyotsava Award in 2014 and the GP Rajaratnam Sahitya Parichari Award in 2009 by the Kannada Book Authority.
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