Bengaluru: Books are a treasure trove, aren’t they? 

To own books and read them is a noble act, indeed!

Times of India reports that a man had donated thousands of books to the South Goa district library in Navelim. 

The name of the person we are talking about is Shankar Chaphadkar, a Goan who had settled in Belagavi, Karnataka. 

“Chaphadkar’s collection covers a wide range of topics. He held a unique collection of books on defence, sociology, economy, history, etc. His effort at building his personal library is so diverse that it is difficult to find a collection in Goa to match its standards. What is interesting to note that he has left bookmarks in every book on pages that have subjects of interest,” said librarian Mohandas Naik, as quoted by the website.

It is important to note that Naik further said that although two other libraries from Belagavi and one in Kolhapur had requested for his collection, it was donated to the South Goa district library instead.

The website adds that he had worked in the Border Security Force. He had travelled and lived in various parts of India. Following his retirement, he chose to settle down in Goodshed road, Belagavi. His cousin, Vaijayanti Garge, said that it was only after his retirement that he began collecting books and managed to build a personal library.

Chaphadkar passed away in July 2017 at the age of 78 years after suffering a cardiac arrest. Following his death, his family in Goa travelled to Belagavi and brought his books to Goa to be donated to the library, the website adds.