By Sushant Agarwal
Published on | May 21, 2025
Banu Mushtaq's 'Heart Lamp' won the International Booker Prize, the first Kannada book to earn this prestigious GBP 50,000 award.
Mushtaq called her win a 'victory for diversity', accepting the prize with Deepa Bhasthi, who translated her Kannada stories into English.
‘Heart Lamp’ has 12 short stories showing wit and resistance of women in patriarchal southern India, told through rich oral traditions.
Written over 30 years (1993–2023), ‘Heart Lamp’ preserves southern India’s multilingual nature by keeping Urdu & Arabic words intact for authenticity.
Judges praised the book’s witty, vivid, and moving style for its powerful portrayal of family dynamics and community tensions.
Mushtaq said, “This book was born from the belief that no story is small; every thread in human experience holds the weight of the whole.”
Bhasthi celebrated the win as a triumph for Kannada language & culture, emphasizing the beauty and uniqueness of the language in the translated work.
The prize money of GBP 50,000 is split equally between Mushtaq and Bhasthi, celebrating both author and translator’s contributions.
Banu Mushtaq is a Kannada writer, activist, and lawyer whose work highlights gender, culture, and resistance, giving voice to marginalized women.
Banu Mushtaq advocates for women’s rights and social justice, using her stories to challenge norms and inspire change beyond just writing.