bahrainthismonth.com | AUGUST 2025 INDIA IN BAHRAIN 66 An Inspring Victory Banu Mushtaq has been awarded the 2025 International Booker Prize for her short‑story collection Heart Lamp: Selected Stories, translated from Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi. In another detail of resonance, her daughter, Lubna, lives in Bahrain, a personal connection that underscores the far‑reaching impact of an achievement rooted in Karnataka. Ms. Mushtaq, now 77, is a lawyer, activist and writer whose work spans six decades and multiple genres. Heart Lamp, comprising 12 stories written between 1990 and 2023, explores the everyday lives of Muslim women in patriarchal southern India. The book marks the first time the International Booker has been awarded to a short‑story collection or a work translated from Kannada, a language spoken by an estimated 65 million people Ms. Mushtaq’s storytelling is rooted in her legal and activist background. Away from the page, she has advocated tirelessly for women’s rights; in the early 2000s she endured threats, a social boycott and even a fatwa when she supported Muslim women’s right to enter mosques, a campaign that deeply informed her writing voice The translation by Deepa Bhasthi is described by judges as “radical” and “genuinely new for English readers”. Ms. Bhasthi becomes the first Indian translator to receive the prize, and she elected to preserve a “Kannada hum” in the English text by retaining regional linguistic textures and multilingual elements Ms. Mushtaq herself has framed the win as much more than personal recognition. She called it a collective victory for literature, women and secular Muslims in an India she sees as increasingly divided Judges chair Max Porter praised the collection for its emotional richness and the subtle yet forceful portrayal of resistance within domestic lives. He noted that although the stories are political, above all they remain beautiful accounts of ordinary existence The selection process spanned six hours of debate before the jury unanimously chose Heart Lamp, highlighting its political and aesthetic originality. The £50,000 prize, divided equally between Ms. Mushtaq and Ms. Bhasthi, was presented at London’s Tate Modern on May 20. Literary figures across Karnataka hailed the award as a historic milestone, celebrating Kannada as a language of global literature and Ms. Mushtaq as an inspiration. Prominent voices including Sudha Murthy, Devanura Mahadeva and local cultural leaders praised the translation’s vital role in the book’s success abroad. Heart Lamp offers a textured exploration of gender, caste, faith and power, often with dry humour and tender empathy. The book has been widely praised for the emotional depth and cultural precision of its narrative style. In every sense, Ms. Mushtaq’s Booker Prize win ignites a new spotlight for Kannada literature, Muslim women’s narratives and the art of deeply resonant translation.
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