Two million books, housed across a sprawling building, free for anyone to borrow and read.
That's the wealth that Anke Gowda, a retired sugar factory worker from India's southern Karnataka state, has accumulated over the past five decades.
The 79-year-old made headlines last month when he received the Padma Shri - a civilian honour awarded by the federal government - for his extraordinary contribution to promoting literacy and learning.
Gowda - whose eye-popping collection includes rare editions of the Bible, along with books on every subject imaginable - comes from a farming family where books were a luxury.
"I grew up in a village. We never got books to read, but I was always curious about them. I kept thinking that I should read, gather books and gain knowledge," he told the BBC.
