Banu Mushtaq's 'Heart Lamp'
In 'Stone Slabs for Shaista Mahal', the opening story from Banu Mushtaq's short story collection Heart Lamp (translated from Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi), there's a passage where the female narrator is struggling with how to introduce her husband to readers. 'Mujahid is my home person. Oh. That sounds odd. A wife is usually the one who stays at home, so that makes her the home person. Perhaps then Mujahid is my office person. Che! I have made a mistake again. The office is not mine, after all. How else can I say this? If I use the term yajamana and call him owner, then I will have to be a servant, as if I am an animal or a dog.'
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Time of India
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- Time of India
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Hindustan Times
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The Hindu
3 days ago
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