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Indian Express
3 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
International Booker Prize 2025: How Banu Mushtaq's Heart Lamp insists on dignity, witness and repair
On the day Banu Mushtaq and Deepa Bhasthi win the 2025 International Booker Prize for Heart Lamp (Penguin), the first Kannada book and only the second Indian literary work to win the award, the Supreme Court of India spends over three hours hearing the petitions challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025 on the question of passing interim orders; the after-echoes of hostility between India and Pakistan continue to ricochet off television studios and drawing-room conversations. On stage, however, Mushtaq speaks of a different world, one in which stories make it possible to pause and to listen, to speak and be heard, and most of all, to look differences in the eye and seek rapprochement. 'Tonight isn't an endpoint — it's a torch passed. May it light the way for more stories from unheard corners, more translations that defy borders, and more voices that remind us: the universe fits inside every 'I',' says Mushtaq, 77, in her acceptance speech. A day later, over a telephone call from London, she speaks of why the human ability to overcome adversity drives her conviction in change. 'This rupture is not true only of India, it is playing out across the world. There is no faith. There is no harmony. There are wars. People are suffering. And yet, I feel hopeful. When you turn the pages of history, you see bloodshed, torture, sorrow and mourning. But even then, you know, the sun shines, good sense prevails, people turn to each other in trust. This time will pass and peace will prevail. I am hopeful about it,' she says. A lawyer, activist and writer, through the course of her own life and career in Karnataka's Hassan, Mushtaq has known what it means to be an outlier. Despite her middle-class upbringing and the freedoms that shaped her, she had sensed early on that choice was a privilege not afforded to many women of her religion and class. Since her school days she had wanted to write. 'As a child, I would scribble on the walls and the floor and pretend that there was an audience waiting to read what I had to say. I would tell my father that I have written a story and he would sit with me as I read out whatever I had put together that day,' she says. Through her one novel and six story collections, her Kannada translations of legal texts, she sought to tell the stories of others like her, yet not quite, in the polyphonic cadences of a colloquial Kannada that she made her own. In the aftermath of Heart Lamp's win, a collection of 12 short stories written between 1990 and 2023, and put together by Bhasthi, there have been murmurs on social media about the book's success, its worthiness to garner one of literature's most coveted awards, about the possibility of its journey being eased by the zeitgeist of a fractured world in search of inclusive symbols. To be honest, Heart Lamp is not a seductive read in the traditional sense. It doesn't dazzle with plot twists or offer the slow burn of psychological complexity. Instead, it demands something more uncomfortable from the reader: to sit with pain, to listen to voices that have long been smothered and to recognise that certain stories aren't told to entertain; they are articulated to hold space for grief, for defiance, for survival; that the emotional squalor they portray is so routine, so normalised by its perpetuation that it could almost slip into the terrain of dark comedy. To suggest that Heart Lamp is unworthy of its honour is to disregard the urgency of its demand — for dignity, for equality, for witness. That the very excess that some critics of Heart Lamp find overwrought, the self-sameness of the stories, is, arguably, its point — its most deliberate and political feature. Unlike Geetanjali Shree and Daisy Rockwell's Tomb of Sand (Penguin) — the first Indian novel to win the International Booker Prize in 2022 — whose expansive canvas was Partition, Mushtaq's literary universe deals with the quotidian — the microaggressions, domestic confinements and everyday brutalities that define women's lives. In a deeply stratified social landscape, where class and gender often dictate access and agency, her characters rebel, endure or cave in. They challenge both the mainstream Kannada literary canon and the sanitised narratives of Muslim womanhood. This is literature that does not flatter the elite reader's gaze — it confronts it. Mushtaq says her stories are a consequence of her long association with the Bandaya (rebellion) movement in Karnataka, of which she was one of the few Muslim women participants. She had worked as a journalist with Lankesh Patrike for almost a decade before getting drawn into the cultural upheaval in the state. 'In Karnataka of the late 1970s, there were a lot of social movements that demanded revival and reformation. There were commerce union agitations, besides movements by Dalit sangathan samitis, environmentalists, theatre activists, feminists. Together, there was a movement that was keen on social justice, that dreamed of changing society and its hegemonies. People who were involved in it wrote slogans, poems, essays and moved on to writing stories, novels, plays and other forms of literature. At that time, the situation in Kannada society was such that women, Dalits and backward-caste people were denied education. Even women from high-caste society did not necessarily have access to education. Only high-caste males dominated Kannada literature. But when the movement began, Dalits started writing, women started writing, people from backward-castes started writing, and some Muslims like me, also became involved in it. In the beginning, we were confused — we didn't know what to write, how to write and how to express our solidarity. It so happened that Kannada literature branched out into three segments at the time: Dalit sahitya, women's literature and Muslims involved in these social movements also began writing. Even today, these segments are the prominent branches of Kannada literature,' she says. In that sense, Mushtaq turns her back on the masculine literary tradition and the refinement that has come to symbolise 'good writing' in regional Indian literature. She embraces melodrama, repetition and sentiment — tools that have historically been dismissed as lesser, feminine or unliterary — and uses them as instruments of resistance. Stories like 'Black Cobras' and 'Be a Woman Once, Oh Lord!' showcase this defiance. In the former, a woman finally goes in for a tubectomy after birthing seven children against her husband's long-standing order to the contrary; the latter is a demand for empathy. 'Patriarchy, religion and politics form a powerful centre, a lord, whose only aim is to control women and impose restrictions on them. They have to become sensitised to the suffering of women,' says Mushtaq. In the discomfort that her stories leave behind, Mushtaq's hope remains that something will shift — not loudly, not all at once, but just enough.
New Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Strong, glaring case needed for interim order: SC to petitioners challenging Waqf Amendment Act
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that there was a presumption of constitutional validity in favour of every statute passed by the Centre and told the petitioners that if they want interim relief, then they must make a very strong and glaring case, while hearing a batch of pleas challenging the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025. A bench of the top court was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025 on the question of passing interim orders. During the hearing, the two-judge bench of the apex court, led by Chief Justice of India Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih orally observed that for a stay of the statute, a strong case has to be shown. "There is a presumption of constitutionality in favour of every statute. For interim relief, you have to make out a very strong and glaring case. Otherwise, presumption of constitutionality will be there," CJI Gavai said. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for one of the petitioners, told the apex court that they have a strong prima facie case and asserted that "irreparable injury will be caused if the provisions are activated." The arguments were inconclusive on Tuesday and would continue on Wednesday, when the Centre will argue defending the Waqf amendment act.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Supreme Court to consider question of interim relief in pleas challenging validity of amended Waqf law on May 20
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday said it will consider the question of interim relief on May 20 while hearing pleas against the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025. SC bench led by CJI B R Gavai will consider on May 20 whether interim order is required on three issues: waqf by user , nomination of non-Muslims to Wakf Council and Boards, and identification of government land under waqf. The case was previously being heard by former Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who demitted office on May 13. The Act, notified after receiving President Droupadi Murmu 's assent on April 5, has sparked controversy over key provisions, particularly those concerning waqf by user, the denotification of waqf properties , and the inclusion of non-Muslims in the Central Waqf Council and state Waqf Boards . by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Swing Trading: Get Free Access to Mr. Hemant's Elite Strategy! TradeWise Learn More Undo What happened so far On April 17, the top court recorded an assurance from the Union government that no waqf properties, including those recognised through long-standing usage ("waqf by user"), would be denotified and no appointments would be made to waqf councils or boards until May 5. This assurance came after the Centre urged the court not to stay the law without hearing its side, noting that the Act had been passed by Parliament following "due deliberations." Opposing any interim stay, the Centre had earlier objected to the apex court's proposal to freeze key provisions of the Act, arguing that such a move would amount to judicial overreach into legislative powers. Centre's defence On April 25, the ministry of minority affairs submitted a 1,332-page affidavit defending the law and calling for dismissal of the petitions. The affidavit strongly rejected demands for a "blanket stay" and claimed there was a "mischievous false narrative" surrounding the amendment. The government also countered concerns that the inclusion of non-Muslims could dilute the representation of Muslims in waqf institutions. It justified the provision on waqf by user, warning that judicial intervention could result in a 'legislative regime by judicial order.' Interestingly, the Centre flagged a 116 per cent increase in the number of waqf properties recorded since 2013, calling it "shocking" and indirectly suggesting irregularities or manipulation in the waqf records over the years.
New Indian Express
15-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
‘Constitutional right': SC asks states to frame norms for pedestrian walkways
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed all the states and union territories to frame guidelines to ensure proper footpaths for pedestrians, calling it their constitutional right. A two-judge bench, comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, observed that in the absence of footpaths, the pedestrians were forced to walk on roads, making them vulnerable to risks and accidents. 'Footpaths should be accessible for persons with disabilities, and removing encroachments is mandatory. This court has recognised that the right of pedestrians to use footpaths is guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution,' it said. One S Rajaseekaran has filed a plea in the court, raising concerns about pedestrian safety and emphasising the lack of proper footpaths and encroachments on street roads. Noting the need for proper footpaths, the two-judge bench directed the Centre to record its guidelines for protecting pedestrians' rights within two months. The top court also observed that the safety of pedestrians was of utmost importance. Also in top court Pleas against amended Waqf law The Supreme Court would on Thursday hear pleas against the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025. The matter would be heard by Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih. Former CJI Sanjiv Khanna, whose bench was hearing the matter, demitted office on May 13. On April 17, the SC recorded the Centre's assurance of not denotifying waqf properties or making appointments in the central waqf council or boards till May 5.
Indian Express
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Today in Politics: Waqf hearing resumes; BJP's damage control after MP minister row
On Thursday, the Supreme Court will resume hearing pleas against the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025. The matter would be heard by Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih. Former CJI Sanjiv Khanna, whose bench was hearing the matter, demitted office on May 13. On April 17, The Supreme Court indicated it is considering staying the operation of certain parts of the contentious Waqf Act, 2025 which include the concept of 'waqf-by-user', representation of non-Muslims on waqf boards, and the powers of the Collector to change the status of disputed waqf land. 'We do not stay a legislation normally at this stage of the challenge unless in exceptional circumstances. This appears to be an exception. Our concern is that if waqf-by-user is de-notified, there could be huge consequences,' Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna had said in an oral observation. The bench also comprised Justices P V Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan. The 2025 Waqf law does away with the concept of waqf-by-user. Waqf-by-user is land used for Muslim religious or charitable purpose for a long period of time – it is deemed to be a waqf even if it was not registered as such. This could potentially raise questions on the status of several such waqf properties. 'As far as waqf-by-user is concerned, it will be very difficult to register. So, there is ambiguity there. You may argue that waqf-by-user is also being misused. You have a point there… You may have a point that's being misused also, but at the same time, there is genuine waqf-by-user also. You can't say that there is no genuine waqf-by-user either,' CJI Khanna had said. MP minister row On Wednesday, the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered an FIR against state Tribal Affairs Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah. This came a day after his remarks were seen as directed against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who was part of the daily briefings during India's military face-off with Pakistan. The rap from the HC left the BJP scampering for damage control. Shah's comments alluding to Qureshi as 'a sister of terrorists' who carried out the Pahalgam attack were 'cancerous and dangerous', the High Court said in a suo motu order, directing that an FIR be filed against the minister by Wednesday evening. A Division Bench comprising Justices Atul Sreedharan and Anuradha Shukla added that prima facie, Shah's statement 'encourages feelings of separatist activities, which thereby endangers the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India'. On Wednesday, the BJP rushed a senior leader to the house of Qureshi's relatives in Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh, though the party said this was a congratulatory visit to commend the family on the Colonel's role. The BJP is aware of the blowback from the row as the choice of Qureshi for the briefings on the India-Pakistan conflict which followed the Pahalgam terror attack was deliberate – part of the messaging by the Modi government that the terrorists' bid to stoke communal tensions by targeting Hindu men had failed. Sources said that on Tuesday evening, hours after Shah's speech at an event near Mhow the previous day went viral, CM Yadav pulled up Shah, with advice on 'how to conduct himself in public'. Sources said that the atmosphere at the meeting was 'tense'. 'This was not the first time Shah had made loose comments and he was told by the CM to not repeat this and to not speak about sensitive issues surrounding Operation Sindoor at a public platform,' a senior BJP functionary said. Shah was summoned next to the BJP state headquarters, where party general secretary (organisation) Hitanand Sharma met him. 'He was asked to maintain party discipline and not give a chance to the Opposition to attack the BJP,' said a senior leader. Shah was also called by BJP state president V D Sharma to his home and reprimanded. Sharma told the media later: 'The BJP leadership is very sensitive about such matters… The party has conveyed its message to Vijay Shah. No one has the right to disrespect Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who has made the country proud.' In his speech on Monday, Shah had said: 'India taught a lesson to those responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack using a sister from their own community (unki samaaj ki behen ke zariye).' He repeated the same thrice, without mentioning Qureshi's name. Emerging from the BJP headquarters Tuesday evening, Shah shouted slogans of Bharat Mata ki Jai and said: 'I belong to a family of martyrs and Armymen. I was emotional due to the Pahalgam incident. I am apologising if my words hurt someone and any community. Colonel Sofiya Qureshi is the pride of the nation and she is like my sister.' Shah added: 'Sister Sofiya has brought glory to India by rising above caste and religion. She is more respected than our own sister… We cannot think of insulting her even in our dreams. Still, if my words have hurt society and any religion, I am ready to apologise ten times.' — With PTI inputs
