Banu Mushtaq, a prolific writer from Hassan, Karnataka, has been shortlisted for the 2025 International Booker Prize for her collection of Kannada short stories titled Heart Lamp, translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi. Mushtaq, who grew up in a large middle-class family and faced conservative restrictions as a young married Muslim woman, used her struggles to empower herself and help victims of gender violence, reflecting these experiences in her writing. With a career spanning over five decades, Mushtaq’s work focuses on the everyday lives of women in Muslim families.
Her evolution as a writer has been influenced by societal events, such as the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992. While she initially challenged gender practices within the Muslim community, she later shifted her focus to address communalism and violence faced by Muslims. Despite facing criticism from both Muslim and Hindu fanatics, Mushtaq continues to write about taboo subjects within the Muslim community in an effort to bridge gaps and support marginalized groups.
Mushtaq’s recognition on the International Booker Prize shortlist is a milestone for Indian language storytelling. She emphasizes the importance of translations in sharing Indian culture and literature with the world. While most of her works have only been translated into Malayalam and Punjabi, Mushtaq hopes for more translations to showcase the power of Indian language storytelling to a wider audience. The nomination of Heart Lamp signifies the strength and diversity of Indian storytelling, with its unique blend of colloquial language and cultural nuances.
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