Indian author, lawyer, and activist Banu Mushtaq just made history—and in the best way possible. She’s bagged the International Booker Prize for her short story collection Heart Lamp , making it the very first time a work in Kannada has ever won the coveted award. The stories, originally written in Kannada and beautifully translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi , span over 30 years and shine a powerful light on the everyday struggles of Muslim women in southern India.
Mushtaq grew up in Karnataka, and her dual education in Urdu and Kannada helped shape her unique literary voice. She started writing back in her school days, pushing past social norms to go for higher education and follow her creative instincts. Her personal life—especially the emotional upheavals of an early marriage and dealing with postpartum depression—deeply colors her storytelling, making her characters all the more raw and relatable.
She’s not just a writer either. Mushtaq has worn many hats—journalist, lawyer, and active voice in the Bandaya movement, which uses literature as a form of protest against social and economic injustice. Her fearless take on women's rights hasn’t always been well-received—she’s faced threats and even a fatwa. But none of that has stopped her. She continues to write with fierce honesty, always circling back to themes of survival, strength, and standing tall.
Heart Lamp has been earning rave reviews for how gently and powerfully it captures lives pushed to the margins. Her win comes not long after Geetanjali Shree’s 2022 Booker triumph with Tomb of Sand, and together they’re proof that Indian regional literature is finally getting the global spotlight it deserves.