Banu Mushtaq's work wins prestigious International Booker Prize 2025
A historic moment for Kannada literature on the global stage
Bengaluru: Renowned author Banu Mushtaq's collection of short stories ' Haseena and Other Stories', translated into English as 'Heart Lamp', has been awarded the prestigious International Booker Prize 2025.
The official announcement was made at a ceremony held in London on May 21. The winner receives a prize of 50,000 pounds, which will be shared between the author and the translator. All shortlisted authors were invited to the event in London.
Six works had reached the final stage of the award. Among them, Banu Mushtaq's work was selected, bringing significant recognition to Kannada literature on the global stage.
Heart Lamp was earlier selected for the longlist.
This collection, translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi, also won the PEN Translates Award last year.
Among the six English translations in the final round, two were from French and one each from Danish, Italian, Kannada, and Japanese.
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UP court rejects plea seeking Rahul Gandhi's voice sample in defamation case
Sultanpur (UP) (PTI): A local MP/MLA court on Saturday rejected a plea seeking a voice sample of Rae Bareli MP Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case filed by a BJP functionary against the Congress leader, and posted the matter for next hearing on May 11.
The plea, filed by BJP leader Vijay Mishra through his counsel Santosh Kumar Pandey, had sought Gandhi's voice sample for a forensic test to compare it with an audio clip.
After the petition was dismissed, Pandey said they would file a revision plea before the sessions court against the order.
The court rejected the plea after hearing the arguments of both sides, including Gandhi's counsel Kashi Prasad Shukla.
The matter dates back to 2018 when Mishra, a local BJP leader, filed a defamation suit over Gandhi’s alleged objectionable remarks targeting Amit Shah while campaigning for the Karnataka Assembly elections.
After five years of legal proceedings, the court issued a warrant against Gandhi in December 2023.
The Rae Bareli MP surrendered before the court in February 2024, and was granted bail on two sureties of Rs 25,000 each by a special magistrate.
On July 26 last year, the Congress leader recorded his statement before the court, claiming innocence and calling the case a political conspiracy.
Earlier this year, multiple hearings were postponed due to a strike by lawyers and the ill-health of Gandhi’s counsel.
