The Telangana Man Who Lives Among Books: 35,000 Volumes And A Million Pages In One House
In a time when most people declutter, Nadamunula RamaRao, for nearly five decades, has turned his rented house into a museum of books and newspapers.
Published : October 24, 2025 at 6:47 PM IST
Husnabad: It is said, “A room without books is like a body without a soul.” And this holds right for Nadamunula Rama Rao, who has lived all his life collecting books, periodicals, magazines and newspapers.
Once you step into his modest rented house in Husnabad, Siddipet district, you might have to struggle to find a place to sit, not because it’s small or congested, but because every inch of space is lined with books. Piles of old newspapers, stacks of magazines, and heavy books from every decade form a massive stock of printed history. Rama Rao started collecting these books and newspapers as a childhood habit that has grown into a lifetime passion now. “It is my love for the language, especially the printed ones,” he says.
An English teacher by profession, Rama Rao, hails from Mandibazar in Warangal. His tryst with books began early in life, influenced by his father Dasharatha Ramaiah and younger brother Ayodhya Ramaiah, both being voracious readers.
“I started collecting books and newspapers when I was in Class 4. I never wanted to throw them away. A few years later, I realised I had unknowingly gotten into the habit which soon became a purpose,” he calmly explains.
That purpose for Rama Rao meant preservation. “Every book felt to me as a fragment of time, and every newspaper a mirror of its day. I did not want to lose that.”
Today, his rented home has transformed into a six-room treasure trove with over 35,000 books, covering literature, art, science, and history, and more than 2 lakh newspapers and magazines, all meticulously stacked and catalogued.
The collection also includes palm-leaf manuscripts on Ayurveda, rare books on music, sculpture, and classical dance, and Chandamama, Balamitra, and Vipula-like magazines. He has also preserved film and literary magazines such as Sitara, Shivaranjani, Filmfare, and English monthlies from India and abroad, some as old as of 1965.
“I have preserved the newspaper printed on the day Pandit Nehru passed away, it is fragile now, but still holds the scent of its time,” he says, carefully unfolding a yellowed broadsheet.
Ironically, Rama Rao does not have a house of his own. “I spend 70 percent of my income on books and magazines. This is the only luxury I have. When people buy gold or land I buy knowledge,” he says matter-of-factly. He still earns a living by giving private lessons.
Rama Rao’s dream is to create a public library someday. “I want children to grow up among books because they can touch history through these pages and be able to understand life better,” he says.
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