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The Wire
19 hours ago
- General
- The Wire
Banu Mushtaq's Importance Goes Much Beyond the Booker
Menu हिंदी తెలుగు اردو Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion Support independent journalism. Donate Now Top Stories Banu Mushtaq's Importance Goes Much Beyond the Booker Irfan Chowdhury 38 minutes ago Mushtaq's determination and resilience showcases how individuals still continue to fight for greater betterment of society at large. She is a beacon of solidarity. International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq during her felicitation ceremony by the Karnataka Union of Working Journalists, at Gandhi Bhavan, in Bengaluru, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. Photo: PTI/Shailendra Bhojak Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute now Her eight-minute acceptance speech tells it all: No story is ever small, and together we build a world where every voice is heard and every person belongs. A woman with extraordinary desire to express herself in words. But in which language? As a woman from South India's minority Muslim population, it was her family and community that imposed upon her the Dakhini or southern Urdu – somewhat distinct from the varieties spoken in northern places like Allahabad or Lucknow. But her home state Karnataka's native language, which she chose to write it in, is Kannada. Not many with this profile, particularly in her generation, achieve higher education, let alone dream of writing or pursuing a professional life or even choosing their own life partners, as she did. For a Southasian to win a Booker is no novelty. Many luminaries from the region have been awarded this prestigious literary award for the best single work of sustained fiction over the last few decades. Sir Salman Rushdie not only got the Booker for his acclaimed Midnight's Children but also won the Booker of the Booker, a special award that recognised the best of the prize's winners, and Best of the Booker, at the award's 25th and 40th anniversaries respectively. Other Southasian Booker awardees include Arundhati Roy for her The God of Small Things which had made a big storm with a story based in Kerala, Kiran Desai for The Inheritance of Loss, and Aravind Adiga for The White Tiger, just to name a few. Nor is Banu Mushtaq's Heart Lamp the first translation from Southasia to win the prize. Geetanjali Shree won it for her Hindi book translated to English, Tomb of Sand in 2022. So what's so special about Banu Mushtaq? For one, hers an exceptional tale of a spirited human journey overcoming societal taboos and defying cultural, even habitual boundaries put up by generations of practice. It is a triumph of stories that many may imagine but usually do not get a chance to appreciate, pushed aside amid daily grinds of life, or not prioritised due to stereotypes. To appreciate Mushtaq and her work is to celebrate the diversity of Southasian languages, culture and many minorities. Over a century ago, the iconic poet Rabinrantah Tagore won the Nobel for translating his own work from Bengali to English. However, seldom do we take time to explore works in other regional languages, for example, Tamil, Telugu, Assamese or Balochi. Kannada is estimated to be spoken by 65 million in a region of nearly two billion people. Of course, there is a successful South Indian movie industry and its music that many devour. Eminent local literary figures like R.K. Narayan are widely read. But we rarely take time to hear, learn or share the riches of diversity that our region presents. As tasty cuisines from Southasia's diverse regions whet our appetites, there are plenty of unheard stories and views to enrich our souls, and widen our understanding of each other. Stories which could help us see that deep down we are mere human societies trying to overcome mostly common challenges, regardless of what nationalistic politicians may have us believe Banu Mushtaq, translated by Deepa Bhasthi Heart Lamp: Selected Stories Penguin, 2025 Mushtaq's achievements have put a spotlight on significant issues worthy of attention. Her stories contain vital social context, focussing on Muslim and Dalit women and children – showcasing her lifelong dedication and commitment to marginalised voices. Through fiction, she captures the textures of life in southern India's patriarchal Muslim society, which she also experiences first-hand as a lawyer fighting for these women. As an activist, her insights carry both emotional depth and political weight, making Heart Lamp a work of both literary and social importance. In Deepa Bhasthi's translation, Mushtaq's work, spanning over three decades, gains a new international audience — a significant milestone given the linguistic and cultural barriers often faced by regional writers, especially women. This award has come at a time when the region from Bangladesh to Pakistan is embroiled in uncertainty and conflicts. Mistrust among communities and countries are high. At a personal level, Mushtaq's success is far more than just another Booker. Over three decades ago, I lived in Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka, for undergraduate studies in a Muslim neighbourhood, Shivajinagar, just after the demolition of historic Babri Masjid in 1992 and the arrest of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, coinciding with the release of his blockbuster Khal Nayak. Communal tensions ran high, but as a teenager from a Muslim majority Bangladesh, I had the opportunity for casual, unguarded discussions with local Muslims, including over occasional meals at their homes. It was starkly obvious how ostracised ordinary Muslim women were in the glitzy, globalised metropolis Muslim girls in Mushtaq's generation seldom got the chance to finish high school before being married off to begin and look after families. She herself was allowed to attend a Kannada-medium missionary school on condition that she would be able to read and write in Kannada within six months. If this puzzles you, my observation from a long while ago was that Indian Muslims regardless of the regions they were from usually spoke Urdu with varying accents and proficiency as their first tongue, sometimes before the local native languages. There are post-Moghul historical and political reasons for this. What about the situation of Muslim girls in the three decades since? Mushtaq responded to this question from Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed in an English-language video interview for Frontline Magazine, after Heart Lamp was shortlisted for the Booker. She said that there are more Muslim (and other) girls with education and degrees now compared to then, but alas not so for Muslim boys who are accepting jobs, even menial jobs. This discrepancy is probably creating tensions, disharmonious relationships, issues and challenges for women which Mushtaq's work highlights. In fact, listening to Mushtaq in numerous interviews has been truly inspirational. We often hear how successful people overcome unfathomable odds to reach their goals. Mushtaq's obstacles were manifold, they include her own postpartum depression. Her dogged pursuit of raising her voice for marginalised women brought threats and attacks on her. Mushtaq's over three decades-long work encompasses these experiences,portraying the injustices, unfairness and confinement that society subjects girls and women to. Her success is about resilience and defying patriarchy. It is important to realise that Mushtaq would not have achieved her goals, specially the goal of writing, without the help and guidance of her community and wider public – majority non-Muslim. Besides her husband, she mentions a number of local literary societies and her involvement in the Bandaya Sahitya movements in the early 1970s which introduced protest writing by minority communities in the Kannada language, aiming to establish an equal society, without hierarchy – based on caste, creed, gender or languages. While the movement appealed to her as a youngster, Mushtaq struggled not only to choose the language she would write in, but her topics. Workshops and discussions with the Bandaya Sahitya guided her, and she began writing about her own Muslim community and challenging its patriarchy. Recognition of her work should be heartening to all Southasians, helping to remain positive during an uncertain time. Southasian artists, sport personalities have always tried to break the arbitrary boundaries, and the general public also responded positively. Ask many Indians who contributed to Imran Khan's cancer hospital for example. Mushtaq's determination and resilience showcases how individuals still continue to fight for greater betterment of society at large. She is a beacon of solidarity. As she said in her acceptance speech at the Booker award ceremony, 'This moment feels like a thousand fireflies lighting up a single sky – brief, brilliant and utterly collective…' She accepted the honour 'not as an individual but as a voice raised in chorus with so many others.' 'I am happy for the entire world which is full of diversity… this is more than a personal achievement… it is an affirmation that we as individuals and as a global community can try when we embrace diversity, celebrate our differences, and uplift one another… that in the tapestry of human experience every thread holds the weight of the whole… ' Irfan Chowdhury is a public-sector policy analyst and adviser from Bangladesh based in Australia. He writes opinion columns for Bangladeshi dailies and online platforms, like The Daily Star, Dhaka Tribune, Alalodulal, besides Sapan News. This is a Sapan New s syndicated feature. Make a contribution to Independent Journalism Related News The Politics of 'Heart Lamp' Is Profound, Urgent and Reflects the Lived Reality of Millions Banu Mushtaq's 'Heart Lamp' – Translated By Deepa Bhasthi – Is 2025 International Booker Prize Winner Humour, Scepticism and the Realities of the Familial in Banu Mushtaq's 'Heart Lamp' 'Heart Lamp' Wins International Booker: Banu Mushtaq's First Reaction Why Banu Mushtaq and Deepa Bhasthi's International Booker Is a Seminal Moment Adrift in Conscience: 'Small Boat' Navigates Guilt and Apathy, But Finds No Just Shore No Story Is Ever 'Small': Banu Mushtaq's International Booker Acceptance Speech Instances When PM Modi Did Not Congratulate Indians for International Recognition Trump's Drive for Ocean Bed Mining Threatens Law of the Sea View in Desktop Mode About Us Contact Us Support Us © Copyright. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Sen. Cory Booker tours Tijuana River sewage crisis
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — High-profile federal officials have been stopping by the sewage river separating the United States and Mexico. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey is the latest politician to experience the foul and hazardous environment in person. 'The air conditioning in our car did not stop the stench from coming through, it did not, we were smelling this all the way down the road,' Booker said about the toxic Tijuana River. One of the highest-ranking Democrats in the country visited the U.S.-Mexico border with Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre to see for himself what the environmental disaster looks like. 'I am extremely concerned about the health effects and what those long-term health effects. So, that's why are calling yet again on our president to declare a state of emergency, so that we can expedite the necessary fixes to this unacceptable emergency,' Aguirre said. This is not the first high-ranking federal officials to tour the Tijuana River Valley looking for a solution. The secretary of the Environmental Protection Agency Lee Zeldin has also been weighing in on the crisis that seems to be becoming more bipartisan by the week. When asked why other constituents from across the U.S. should care about spending money in California, Booker replied, 'It's not sending money to California to me, it's sending money to rescue Americans from an environmental disaster.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Cowboys 1st-round replacement for Hall of Famer snubbed in All-Rookie Team projections
Cowboys 1st-round replacement for Hall of Famer snubbed in All-Rookie Team projections Despite being the top guard selected, Booker was overlooked while 3 other interior players made the cut. The Dallas Cowboys had what, in currently available context, many would consider a successful 2025 draft. Draft analysts near and far lauded their nine-player haul from late April, as they eschewed glaring needs and instead did what annually-competitive organizations do and drafted the best talent available, regardless of whether or not it met their most pressing needs. That all started with their first-round selection. After future Hall of Famer Zack Martin retired this offseason, the club spent a large chunk of their free-agency efforts in an effort to shore up the right guard position, beginning with re-signing RFA Brock Hoffmann who acquitted himself well in several games of relief for an injured Martin in 2024. They also went out and signed Robert Jones, a 16-game starter for the Miami Dolphins, as well as Saahdiq Charles and Hakeem Adeniji. But they were all put on backup status when the club used the No. 12 overall pick to select Tyler Booker out of Alabama. But despite being the first guard taken in the draft, Booker was not among the three guards projected to be on the All-Rookie Team by Draft Wire. Instead, somewhat surprise first-round selection Grey Zabel, along with Donovan Jackson, were the two guards projected to make the end-of-year team. To make matters worse, without a projected starting center from this year's class, a third guard was selected for the team as an "interior offensive lineman". That guy also wasn't Booker, but instead the honor went to second-round pick Jonah Savaiinaea. Zabel, taken by Seattle at No. 18, and Jackson, selected by Minnesota at No. 24, are going to teams projected to finish better than the Cowboys in 2025. However Savaiinaea went to the Miami Dolphins, who finished below the Cowboys in ESPN's recently released FPI ratings. Here's what Draft Wire thought of the prospects taken after Booker. Offensive guard - Donovan Jackson, Minnesota Vikings Getting Jackson at No. 24 was a huge bargain for the Vikings. He's such a powerful, athletic interior offensive lineman and plays with such a head about himself for the game, he just can't fail. Offensive guard - Grey Zabel, Seattle Seahawks There are so many good guards in this draft, it was tough making this second pick but we love the fit of Zabel at left guard with the Seahawks scheme. He's going to be the guy Kenneth Walker wants to run behind. IOL - Jonah Savaiinaea, Miami Dolphins We don't have any rookie centers projected to start right now so instead we opt for Jonah Savaiinaea who is already the best interior offensive lineman on the Dolphins. Booker isn't currently the best interior offensive lineman for the Cowboys, that honor goes to All-Pro Tyler Smith. He is, however, going to start for a team that made a concerted effort to maximize their offensive line, with new OC Klayton Adams a former line coach, and the addition of Kansas State OL guru Connor Riley to coach up that unit in Dallas. Time will tell whether or not Draft Wire got it wrong, or whether the Cowboys' front office did, as they've identified Booker's premiere leadership qualities as the mitigating factor to why he was picked over other interior options.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Cory Booker Blames Both Trump and New Jersey for Newark Airport Chaos
Perhaps surprisingly, New Jersey senator Cory Booker isn't just blaming Donald Trump for the recent problems at Newark International Airport. During a recent interview on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!,' the politician pointed to both infrastructure failures and Trump for the much mocked airport. 'So you're telling me that it's not necessarily Trump's fault, this situation we have in Newark?' Kimmel asked the New Jersey politician. 'I'm telling you candidly, it's both,' Booker said. 'We have deferred infrastructure improvements that we should not have. But when Trump came in and DOGE and Elon Musk began firing key safety officials for the FAA, began laying off key personnel — one of the biggest issues right now is a personnel issue in addition to the technology issue.' Earlier this months, hundreds of flight cancelations and delays at Newark caused Democratic Minority Leader of the Senate Chuck Schumer to call for an investigation into the cause. It was eventually found that several compounding issues led to the widely mocked delays, including staffing shortages when it came to air traffic controllers, aging technology, the airport closing its busiest runways and bad weather. While on Kimmel's show, Booker also noted that the infrastructure for U.S. airports is the same technology that was used when his grandparents were alive. 'This is the president who said he was going to keep us safe by firing health officials, by firing FAA officials, by firing the people who inspect our food,' Booker continued. 'This man has patently made us less safe as a nation. And this is an example he contributed.' That was far from the only shot Booker took at Trump on Wednesday night. The senator also called the president 'the greatest grifter to ever be in the White House' and appeared shocked that Trump is 'doing it out in the open.' 'He has made billions of dollars since he's been in office by grifting off of that public position, and it's disgusting. There's very little accountability if Congress won't do what Congress was designed to do, which is to offer checks and balances to the presidency,' Booker said. Watch the full ABC interview above. The post Cory Booker Blames Both Trump and New Jersey for Newark Airport Chaos | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
CNET
2 days ago
- Business
- CNET
Gamers Can Score the Premium DualSense Edge PS5 Controller With 15% Off if You're Quick
PlayStation Days of Play is back again this year, and it's bringing with it a huge number of excellent deals on all things PlayStation. While it's easy to look towards consoles and games, we think that one of the best things you can do is treat yourself to something you'll use just as much as the console itself. Well, if you want to try and upgrade how you play games on your PS5, then the DualSense Edge is a great way to start. Thanks to a deal on Amazon right now, you can currently get this powerful controller for $169, which is 15% off the usual price. Act fast though, as it's not likely to last long. In his review of it, CNET expert Sean Booker said that, "The DualSense Edge fills a hole that was missing from PlayStation's portfolio. Small additions like the textured grip and the grooves on the triggers are appreciated. And being able to adjust deadzone and completely replace an analog stick gives this controller a much longer life." Booker didn't love the battery life though, so keep make sure you've got a decently long cable to help offset that. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. If you're happy you've got a new controller but don't know what to play next, then we recommend making the most of some really solid discounts with the best PlayStation Plus deals. The highest tier can be a little over 50% off, so it's definitely worth checking out. Why this deal matters The DualSense Edge is one heck of a controller, but there's no denying that the price tag is a hard thing to deal with for most people. So, a deal like this that makes it more affordable, albeit still pricey, is a good one to check out and make the most of if you can afford it.
