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Time of India
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Heart Lamp's 12 stories to be published separately in Kannada
Mysuru: The 12 short stories featured in 'Heart Lamp', which won the International Booker Prize 2025, will be published as a book in Kannada. Abhiruchi Ganesh of the city-based Abhiruchi Prakashana, who originally published 'Haseena Mattu Itara Kathegalu', the Kannada story collection of acclaimed writer Banu Mushtaq where these stories were first published, said he will publish the 12 short stories in 'Heart Lamp' separately. These stories include Black Cobras, Be a Woman Once, Oh Lord, and Heart Lamp (Edeya Hanate). Meanwhile, the demand for 'Haseena Mattu Itara Kathegalu', which brought Booker laurels to Kannada, has skyrocketed with 450 copies sold on May 21, hours after the announcement of the award. Around 700 copies of this book were sold in two days. According to Ganesh, the Kannada short story collection, a 584-page book, was first published in 2013. Ganesh, who came to the publishing industry as per the advice of the late activist and Kannada professor K Ramdas, said he did 17 odd jobs before becoming a publisher. "I took this responsibility to support the progressive movements in Karnataka," he explained to TOI. "Banu Mushtaq's work was first published in 2013 with 1,000 copies. A few weeks ago, we published the second edition with 1,000 copies. As all copies sold in 15 days, the third edition is coming out this Wednesday. In this edition, we are printing 2,000 copies. But the demand is for over 3,500 copies. So, a fourth edition will also come," he explained. Ganesh explained that a few more books of Banu are also lined up in the coming days. "The latest edition will also include her latest story collection Hennu Haddina Svayamvara. The book will have 776 pages," he explained.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
From fatwa to fame: Banu Mushtaq's stand on Muslim women's rights earns global honour
Bengaluru: A trailblazing writer and activist from Hassan district in Karnataka, is a multifaceted personality who has left her imprint across journalism, law, politics and women's rights activism. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now But it is her powerful storytelling rooted in resistance, gender justice and social reform that has now earned global recognition. Mushtaq is a prominent voice of the (rebel literature) movement, which challenged patriarchal and feudal structures through its sharp and socially conscious writing in the 1980s and 1990s. As the state convener of the Bandaya Sahitya Sanghatane, she authored six influential short story collections that expanded the boundaries of . A fearless advocate for women's rights within the Muslim community, Mushtaq was among the earliest voices to demand the right for women to offer namaz in mosques — decades before the hijab debate made national headlines. Her campaign in the 1990s invited a fatwa and social boycott, but she stood firm. "I was only making a point that even in Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia, women are allowed to pray alongside men," she said in an interview. "But my argument earned the wrath of the community. It led to mental distress. I recovered only because of the support of family and solace I drew from my writing." Before entering law and politics, Mushtaq began her career in journalism with Lankesh Patrike, where her first report exposed a fatwa against a Muslim girl in Bijapur for watching a movie. She took up the cause, sparking what became known as the Najma Bagi controversy. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now She denounces the triple talaq system as un-Islamic and continues to push for internal reform within the community. "Change must come from within," she insists, "free from external political influence." Her acclaimed short story Kari Nagaragalu (Black Cobras), featured in her award-winning collection Heart Lamp, was adapted into a national award-winning film 'Hasina' by director Girish Kasaravalli. "I have read many stories by Banu Mushtaq. They are all rich with literary value and powerful in expressing the anguish of oppressed women in the Muslim community," said Kasaravalli. "I'm surprised she hasn't won recognition in the Kannada literary field so far. The International Booker Prize may serve as an eye opener for those who ignored her."
New Indian Express
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Banu Mushtaq's 'Heart Lamp' makes history with International Booker win
The moment Max Poter, chair of judges for the 2025 International Booker Prize, said, 'Our winning book shifts our perspective, teaches us to listen, and gives voice to the voiceless,' a die was cast." It was clear to the audience at London's Tate Modern and the hundreds watching via Instagram livestream that the winner was Banu Mushtaq's Heart Lamp, a collection of her fearless Kannada short stories, translated by Deepa Bhasthi. The collection features 12 short stories written between 1990 and 2023, revolving around the lives of ordinary girls and women in South India's Muslim communities. It paints a vivid picture of familial and communal tensions. Readers may be familiar with the story Black Cobras or Kari Nagaragalu, which was adapted into the film Hasina by Girish Kasaravalli. With this win, it became the first Kannada title and the first collection of short stories to win The International Booker Prize. The prize comes with a £50,000 cash reward, split equally between the writer and the translator. "This moment feels like a thousand fireflies lighting up a single sky," said Banu Mushtaq, accepting her long-deserved award. She added, "This story is a love letter to my belief that no story is local, that a tale born under the banyan tree in my village can cast a shadow as far as this stage tonight… You have made my Kannada language a shared home, a language that sings of resilience and nuance. To write in Kannada is to inherit a legacy of cosmic wonder."
