🖋 عمران قریشی

🖋 عمران قریشی کرناتکه

🔹 In a large building, two million books are available for borrowing and reading by everyone.

This is a legacy gathered over the past 50 years by Onkar Goudha, a retired factory worker from a sugar mill in Karnataka, India. During that time, he assembled an exceptional collection of books and turned it into a public library where access is open to all.

Goudha, 79, became newsworthy when he received the Padma Shri award in recognition of his outstanding role in promoting literacy and a culture of reading—one of the non-military honors the Government of India grants to individuals with distinguished service.

Goudha, whose impressive collection includes rare editions of religious books as well as books on almost every conceivable subject, was raised in a farming family—where having books was considered a luxury.

In an interview with the BBC, he said: “I grew up in a village. We never had books to read, but we were always curious about them. I kept thinking I should read, collect books, and learn knowledge.”

📷 ALPHONSE VIMULRAJ