Mandya book lover Annegowda conferred Padma Shri for lifetime dedication to preserving knowledge

Mandya: The Union government on Saturday announced the Padma Awards, one of the country’s highest civilian honours, recognising outstanding contributions across diverse fields. Among the awardees from Karnataka is Mandya’s noted bibliophile Annegowda, whose extraordinary lifelong commitment to collecting and preserving books has earned him the prestigious Padma Shri.

Popularly known as a “walking encyclopaedia” among scholars and book lovers, Annegowda hails from Haralahalli village in Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district. A retired timekeeper from the Pandavapura Sahakara Sakkare Karkhane (PSSK), Annegowda transformed his deep love for books into a mission that has spanned more than five decades.

Driven by the belief that “books are my breath of life and preserving them for future generations is my duty”, Annegowda began collecting books at a young age. Over the years, his personal passion grew into one of the largest private book collections in the country. Just a kilometre away from Pandavapura town, he built what is now famously known as the ‘Book House’, which houses over 20 lakh books in nearly 20 languages.

The collection is remarkable not just for its size but also for its diversity and rarity. It includes books on almost every subject, rare manuscripts, journals, magazines, newspapers dating back to the 1800s, and historical documents from the era of the Mysore rulers. Through the Annegowda Jnana Pratishtana, he has created a massive private library that has become a lifeline for researchers and students.

Annegowda has never charged a fee for access to his library. Hundreds of students and research scholars have completed their PhD studies using resources from his collection. His own house has effectively turned into a library, with books stacked from the courtyard to the kitchen, reflecting a life completely devoted to literature.

Inspired by words spoken by his teachers during his school days, Annegowda chose a path that prioritised knowledge over personal comfort. His ‘Book House’ has already found a place in the Limca Book of Records.

Earlier, Annegowda was honoured with several awards, including the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award. With the Padma Shri, the nation has now recognised an ordinary man’s extraordinary contribution to safeguarding knowledge for generations to come.