Dharwad: “Every Kannadiga should take pride in Kannada, the land, and their culture. People of the state must sincerely teach their children and future generations about Karnataka’s ancient literature, culture, and language. With the intention of making all the knowledge of the world available under one roof, I have been collecting books for the past 54 years and will continue this work with utmost dedication and commitment until the end of my life,” said Padma Shri awardee and founder of ‘Pusthak Mane’, M Anke Gowda.He was speaking at an interaction programme organised by the GB Joshi Memorial Trust at the premises of Manohara Grantha Mala in Dharwad. “So far, more than 20 lakh books have been collected at the ‘Book House’ in Haralahalli. Thousands of people have visited the library and admired its invaluable collection. Many have read and benefited from the books. Research scholars, book lovers, and schoolchildren visit regularly, making the ‘Book House’ a sacred place of learning and a home of Goddess Saraswati,” he said.He emphasised that children should develop a reading habit, as books help them understand culture and values. “If we neglect our children, preserving the Kannada language will become difficult. Let us learn other languages too, but we must never forget our mother tongue,” he added.Anke Gowda said that protecting books is everyone’s responsibility and appealed for support from donors to preserve valuable collections. “If anyone wishes to donate books, I am ready to accept them. Arrangements can always be made to store them. I need nothing for myself or my family; all assistance should be directed towards preserving books,” he said.He further noted that the Book House currently contains 2,500 editions of the Bhagavad Gita, 3,500 editions of the Ramayana, 2,500 books on Mahatma Gandhi, and 10,000 books that are over 100 years old. The collection includes not only Kannada books but also rare works in various languages.
