Banu Mushtaq: lawyer, Kannada writer, feminist and now International Booker winner
New Delhi, May 21 (PTI): She's a lawyer, an activist, a feminist. And a writer in Kannada who distils it all in her stories that are deeply reflective of the lives of women around her and the patriarchal systems they fight against.
On Wednesday, Banu Mushtaq became the toast of the literary world when she won the International Booker Prize for her collection of short stories "Heart Lamp", translated from the Kannada "Hridaya Deepa" into English by Deepa Bhasthi.
It is the first Kannada title to win the prestigious literary award and only the second in an Indian language after Geetanjali Shree’s “Tomb of Sand”, translated from Hindi by Daisy Rockwell, in 2022.
Mushtaq's collection of 12 short stories chronicle the everyday lives of women and girls in patriarchal communities in southern India -- the reproductive rights that are often exploited, the dynamics of lives where the power reins are held by men and the everyday oppression of an orthodox society that seldom tolerates women’s autonomy.
The tales in “Heart Lamp”, the first collection of short stories to win the prize, were written by the 77-year-old over 30 years, from 1990 to 2023.
Mushtaq’s portraits of family and community tensions “testify to her years tirelessly championing women’s rights and protesting all forms of caste and religious oppression”, reads the blurb of her book.
The women’s rights activist based in Hassan in Karnataka began writing within the progressive protest literary circles in southwestern India in the 1970s and 1980s as part of the Bandaya Sahitya Movement. She rose to prominence during the rebel literary movement critical of the caste and class system.
Born in Hassan to progressive parents - her father was a senior health inspector and her mother a homemaker - Mushtaq also worked as a journalist with Lankesh Patrike for a while before doing her law degree.
She is still a practicing lawyer with a team working with her from her home in Hassan and regularly goes to court.
“I am not very conscious about it, but I know I am a Muslim woman and how to work under those identities… My parents were liberal and educated. My father wanted all his children to be highly educated. My husband is also very cooperative. My family doesn't impose anything on us," she told PTI after her book was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize.
She said she started writing when she was just seven or eight. “My father brought me a lot of books… Panchatantra, Chandamama. I was a voracious reader. I would read them and I would mash up everything and make stories and tell my father," Mushtaq said.
That early promise was amply met.
Author of six short story collections, a novel, an essay collection and a poetry collection, Mushtaq writes only in Kannada and has won major awards for her literary works, including the Karnataka Sahitya Academy and the Daana Chintamani Attimabbe awards.
One of her stories, "Hasina", was adapted for cinema by director Girish Kasaravalli in 2004 and went on to win multiple National Awards.
In an interview to the International Booker Prize, the author said the “social conditions of Karnataka” shaped her.
“The 1970s was a decade of movements in Karnataka - the Dalit movement, farmers’ movement, language movement, rebellion movement, women’s struggles, environmental activism, and theatre, activities among others, had a profound impact on me. My direct engagement with the lives of marginalised communities, women, and the neglected, along with their expressions, gave me the strength to write,” she said.
Through her characters - the spirited children, the audacious grandmothers, the buffoonish maulvis and thug brothers, the oft-hapless husbands, and the mothers above all, surviving their feelings at great cost - Mushtaq emerges an observer of human nature.
“This book was born from the belief that no story is ever small, that in the tapestry of human experience every thread holds the weight of the whole,” Mushtaq said after the glittering award ceremony on Tuesday night at London’s Tate Modern.
“In a world that often tries to divide us, literature remains one of the lost sacred spaces where we can live inside each other's minds, if only for a few pages,” she said.
The International Booker celebrates the best works of long-form fiction or collections of short stories translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland. It is different from the Booker Prize that was earlier confined to Commonwealth writers and is now open to all writers in English.
With the award, Mushtaq’s works have found a whole new audience beyond her Kannada readers and also beyond India to the globe.
The stories in “Heart Lamp” "were selected and curated by Bhasthi, who was keen to preserve the multilingual nature of southern India. When the characters use Urdu or Arabic words in conversation, these are left in the original, reproducing the unique rhythms of spoken language. A translation of Mushtaq’s stories by Bhasthi also won the English PEN’s PEN Translates award in 2024.
“Heart Lamp” is the first book-length translation of Mushtaq’s work into English.
Max Porter, International Booker Prize 2025 chair of judges, described the winning title as something genuinely new for English readers.
“A radical translation which ruffles language, to create new textures in a plurality of Englishes. It challenges and expands our understanding of translation,” he said.
The accolades were fulsome, from friends, family and a host of authors and political leaders.
Her husband Mushtaq Moinuddin and son Tahir Mushtaq were thrilled.
“We are very happy with this news. It has brought glory to India and Karnataka. It is not a prize only for us, it is not personal, it is a matter of great joy for the whole of Karnataka,” said the proud husband.
“It's a very exciting, momentous and joyous event for all of us, not just for us as a family but for all the Kannadigas… we are very happy that a Kannada work has won and touched readers across the globe,” added her son Tahir.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said she has raised the flag of Kannada's greatness at an international level.
“This is a time to celebrate Kannada, Kannadigas and Karnataka…I wish she would continue to write meaningfully for many more years and spread the vibe of Kannada to the world,” the CM posted on X.
“On behalf of all Kannadigas, I would also like to congratulate the talented author Deepa Bhasti, who has translated her Booker Prize-winning work 'Hridaya Deepa' into English,” he added.
Each shortlisted title is awarded a prize of GBP 5,000, shared between the author and translator. The winning prize money of GBP 50,000 will be split between Mushtaq and Bhasthi.
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Jammu and Kashmir enter maiden Ranji Trophy final; Bengal left stunned
Kalyani (West Bengal) (PTI): Sixty seven years after their maiden appearance, Jammu and Kashmir stormed into the Ranji Trophy finals for the first time on Wednesday, upstaging two-time former champions Bengal by six wickets in the semifinals here to add another historic chapter to a fairytale season so far.
Auqib Nabi's stunning nine-wicket match haul and their IPL star Abdul Samad's fearless strokeplay ensured that the side once labelled "perennial underachievers" now stands one step away from the title.
Chasing a modest 126 at the Bengal Cricket Academy ground, J&K rode on Samad's unbeaten 30 off 27 balls (3x6, 1x4) and rookie Vanshaj Sharma's composed 43 not out off 83 ball (4x4) as the pair stitched an unbroken 55-run stand for the fourth wicket to seal history on the fourth and penultimate day of the semifinal.
In a heartwarming gesture, Samad, who had done the bulk of the damage, allowed the 22-year-old Vanshaj to finish it in style and the youngster launched Mukesh Kumar over long-on for six to spark wild celebrations in the visiting camp.
From strugglers to history-makers
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Jammu and Kashmir had played 334 Ranji matches before this season, winning only 45. It took them 44 years to register their first victory, against Services in 1982-83.
Knockout appearances were rare. A breakthrough came in 2013-14 when they edged Goa on net run rate to reach the quarterfinals, and in 2015-16 they stunned Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium under state icon Parveez Rasool.
But consistency eluded them for decades as this season, under coach Ajay Sharma and captain Paras Dogra, they transformed belief into results.
After an opening loss to Mumbai, they bounced back with innings wins over Rajasthan and key victories against Delhi and Hyderabad to enter the knockouts.
A dramatic 56-run win over Madhya Pradesh in the quarterfinal, powered by Nabi’s 12/110, brought them to the semifinals for the first time.
Bengal's big names, bigger letdown
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With four India internationals in Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar and Shahbaz Ahmed, and India A star batter Abhimanyu Easwran along with home advantage to boot, this was Bengal's game to lose.
They did exactly that after folding for 99 in 25.1 overs on day three that set Jammu and Kashmir a paltry 126 to win.
Resuming at 43/2 on the penultimate day, J&K lost an early wicket but Bengal failed to sustain pressure despite Akash Deep's relentless 15-over morning spell (3/46) and Shami's probing 1/24 from 24 overs.
There were anxious moments when Shubham Pundir was cleaned up and Dogra edged behind -- a low diving catch by Abishek Porel off Akash Deep eventually upheld after review.
But Bengal looked fatigued and short of ideas once Samad counterattacked. The IPL batter, retained by Lucknow Super Giants, turned the tide in a single over against Akash Deep that fetched 18 runs.
He did not spare Shahbaz either, dancing down the track to deposit him over mid-wicket and then through covers as J&K crossed the 100-run mark.
From there, shoulders dropped in the Bengal camp.
The introduction of part-time options and a visible dip in intensity underlined a campaign that promised much but fizzled when it mattered most.
Nabi's season for the ages
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The foundations of Jammu and Kashmir's win, however, were laid by Nabi.
"Last time we missed it in the quarters but we did all the hard work and we deserved it," said Nabi after winning the man-of-the-match.
The 29-year-old pacer followed his 12-wicket match haul in the quarterfinal against Madhya Pradesh with another devastating effort, finishing with nine wickets in the match, including a five-for in the first innings, to take his season's tally to 55 wickets at an average of under 13.
Nabi had also contributed with the bat playing a decisive knock at No.9.
J&K had posted 302 in their first innings, reducing the deficit to 26, thanks to Dogra's gritty 58 (112 balls), Samad's counterattacking 82 (85 balls) and a crucial late surge from Nabi (42 off 54) and Yudhvir Singh (33) in a 64-run last-wicket stand.
Dogra's milestone
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For 41-year-old captain Paras Dogra, it was a week of personal and collective milestones.
In a career spanning 24 years across Himachal Pradesh, Pondicherry and now J&K, Dogra also became only the second batter after Wasim Jaffer to score 10,000 Ranji Trophy runs.
Introduced to the game by his father Kultar, Dogra's journey has been one of endurance and quiet steel.
"It's a big achievement, never thought about it. I enjoyed the journey full of ups and downs. The game makes you a strong human being," Dogra said.
His resolute half-century in a 143-run partnership with Samad in the first innings set the tone for the side's resilience.
