‘Even if a gun is pointed at me, I have to write': Banu Mushtaq opens up about mental health struggles, next literary piece

Indian Express

4 days ago

Speaking about her mental health struggles over the last two years, Banu Mushtaq, who won the International Booker Prize 2025 for Heart Lamp in May, said her next literary piece, an autobiography, would be published towards the end of the year.
'There was a lot of backlash for what I wrote and my views. I had to face a lot of testing times. So many people tried to prevent me from writing even a single word, and I faced it all. Also, within the last two years, I suffered so much – a huge loss, about which I cannot tell you right now because all of it is written in my autobiography that is about to be published in December,' she said at a panel discussion on Heart Lamp at Kiran Nadar Museum in New Delhi on Monday.
'After these two years – with the help of a psychiatrist – I regained my mental health, came out of my fears, got a lot of courage, and started writing once again,' Mushtaq said. The panel, chaired by Penguin India editor Moutushi Mukherjee, also included Deepa Bhasthi, who translated the book from Kannada.
Banu Mushtaq, who delved deep into the socio-political realities of Muslim communities in southern India, used melodrama, simple language, and culturally significant Urdu terms, concepts and beliefs in her stories, to outline the plight of oppressed women, marginalised communities and question the deeply ingrained patriarchal hegemony in society.
By detailing the subtle power structures working within domestic spaces and scrutinising the gaping emotional scars inflicted on the downtrodden by patriarchy, lack of education and empathy, Mushtaq's stories provide a cathartic realisation to readers.
But Mushtaq, being a lawyer and activist, is also deeply aware of the discontent and disagreements that may arise from different sections of the country due to her writings and fight for justice. She said: 'It is India wherein communal tensions are prevailing. With my writings, I might offend a Muslim or a Hindu. To both of them, I am responsible for all the backlash that they can cast against me. I am 77 now, my children are all settled and I am in such a state of mind that if at all they point a knife or gun at me, even then, I have to write. I have to be the voice of the marginalised; I have to tell the truth to this society.'
Mushtaq believes that justice is served in two tiers in India. One is through the courts of law and the other through social justice. As society is ruled by patriarchy, women don't get any relief from social justice. She pointed out examples such as the jama'at, gram panchayat and even homes where justice is not given. However, women receive justice in courts.
She said: 'There is a big difference between our social norms and constitutional values. Constitutional values guarantee equal rights, liberty and a right to be heard, whereas social justice denies all these things to a woman.'
Deepa Bhasthi said that even though Heart Lamp contains a lot of references to Islamic laws, Ramayana and so forth, not adding footnotes or glossary was a conscious decision while translating: 'The whole point is to not cater to the Western audience. I don't see why we have to do that. We have never been catered to. When we read Western books, whether it is in translation or written in English, we have had to learn their references and popular culture elements. Now that there is Google, they can learn too.'
Mehrun, who attempts suicide but finds the will to live again for the sake of her children in the story 'Heart Lamp'; Ashraf, who suffers grave injustice not only from the community but also from the jama'at, and loses her daughter Munni as a result of her husband Yakub's cruelty in 'Black Cobra'; and the mutawalli saheb in 'Fire Rain', who denies his sisters their property rights and kicks his wife Arifa for sleeping in the hall. These are all testimonies of Mushtaq's consciousness that is profoundly sensitive to the unjust treatment received by women, and also her attempts to awaken humanity to the dark realities around them.
While concluding the discussion, Mushtaq compared the condition of Indian society in her teenage years and the present, saying, 'The present situation is far worse than my younger days. Now patriarchy is getting institutionalised. Even though women are allowed to read, go for higher studies, get jobs and are having good earnings, the society which dictates and directs them, which subjugates them, is highly patriarchal. The khap panchayat, jama'at, and even the entire society says, 'You should be an obedient servant. Nothing should go out of your home. Keep the secrecy.' Patriarchy is even more powerful today, and it must be properly addressed with the help of civil society.'
Aishwarya Khosla is a journalist currently serving as Deputy Copy Editor at The Indian Express. Her writings examine the interplay of culture, identity, and politics.
She began her career at the Hindustan Times, where she covered books, theatre, culture, and the Punjabi diaspora. Her editorial expertise spans the Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Punjab and Online desks.
She was the recipient of the The Nehru Fellowship in Politics and Elections, where she studied political campaigns, policy research, political strategy and communications for a year.
She pens The Indian Express newsletter, Meanwhile, Back Home.
Write to her at [e-mail] or [e-mail]. You can follow her on Instagram: @ink_and_ideology, and X: @KhoslaAishwarya. ... Read More