Literary Milestone: Banu Mushtaq’s ‘Heart Lamp’ Puts Kannada in the Global Limelight

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Kannada author, lawyer, and activist Banu Mushtaq has etched her name in literary history by winning the prestigious International Booker Prize 2025 for her short story collection, Heart Lamp. This marks the first time a Kannada work—and the first short story collection—has ever claimed the honor, spotlighting the depth and diversity of Indian regional literature on the global stage.

Key Highlights:

Trailblazing Win: Heart Lamp, translated from Kannada to English by Deepa Bhasthi, triumphed over five other international finalists. The collection, spanning 12 stories written over 30 years, vividly captures the everyday resilience, humor, and struggles of Muslim women in Karnataka’s patriarchal communities.
Historic Firsts: Mushtaq is the first Kannada author and Bhasthi the first Indian translator to win the International Booker since its current format began in 2016. The duo will share the £50,000 prize, each receiving a trophy and international acclaim.
Judges’ Praise: Chair Max Porter hailed the book as “something genuinely new for English readers,” commending its “radical translation” and the way it weaves Kannada roots with diverse socio-political dialects, challenging and enriching the global literary landscape.
Author’s Journey: Banu Mushtaq, 77, began her writing journey in middle school and has been a fierce advocate for women’s rights, caste equity, and social justice throughout her career. She described the win as “a recognition of teamwork” and a testament to the potential of Kannada literature.
Cultural Impact: The win is being celebrated as a victory for diversity and for Indian literature, following in the footsteps of Geetanjali Shree’s Tomb of Sand (2022). Mushtaq’s stories, rooted in the Bandaya (rebel) tradition, explore faith, power, oppression, and the lived realities of women, resonating with readers worldwide.
Translator’s Triumph: Deepa Bhasthi’s translation was lauded for preserving the multilingual and oral storytelling richness of southern India, making her the first Indian translator to win the prize.

Banu Mushtaq’s Heart Lamp not only shines a light on the lived experiences of women in southern India but also ignites new possibilities for Indian languages in world literature.

Source: Times of India, Hindustan Times, India Today