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Kannada Podcast Starts at 00:32:51
🎙️ Welcome back to Revise and Resubmit — this is your weekend stop for stories that matter, ideas that stir, and words that won’t let go. You’re tuned into our special segment called "Weekend Book Review", and oh boy... do we have a luminous tale to share with you today. 📚✨
Today’s book is not just a collection of stories. It’s a revolution in 12 chapters.
It's called Heart Lamp, written by Banu Mushtaq and translated from Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi — and it just won the International Booker Prize 2025. 💥🏆
Now, let me set the stage.
Banu Mushtaq isn’t just an author. She’s a lawyer, a fighter, and a voice from the heartlands of Karnataka. Since the 70s, she’s been writing with fire — through the Bandaya movement, she stood tall against caste, patriarchy, and silence. Her pen? Always sharp. Always honest. ✊🖊️
And then comes Deepa Bhasthi, the translator who brings these Kannada stories to the global stage. Based in Kodagu, Deepa doesn’t just convert words. She carries cultures, rescues nuance, and builds bridges between worlds with her translations. 🌏🪄
Together, they’ve given us Heart Lamp — the first Kannada book ever to win the International Booker, and the first short story collection to do so. That’s not just history. That’s her-story. 💡📖
This collection brings us voices we rarely hear — Muslim women navigating life, love, injustice, laughter, and loss in southern India. From stone slabs for Shaista Mahal to high-heeled shoes and gobi manchurian teachers, every page glows with something raw and real.
There’s grief. There’s grit.
There’s poetry in pain, and protest in the quietest corners.
And at the heart of it all, there’s a lamp.
Burning. Unflinching. Guiding. ❤️‍🔥
As I read these stories, I kept wondering…
đź‘€ When the margins speak this powerfully, why do we keep turning to the center?
🌟 Huge thanks to Banu Mushtaq and Deepa Bhasthi for this incandescent collection. You’ve gifted the world something unforgettable.
🙏 If this episode moved you even a little, don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast on Spotify. Check out our full reviews, author chats, and visual essays on our YouTube channel Weekend Researcher.
And hey — we’re also streaming on Amazon Prime Music and Apple Podcast. So no excuses — the revolution is just a click away. 🎧🔥📲
I’m signing off now... but before I go —
Just ask yourself this:
🕯️ What’s the story you’ve been keeping in the dark… and when will you let it shine?
Reference
Mushtaq, B. & Bhasthi, D. (March 14, 2025). Heart Lamp: Selected Stories. And Other Stories Publications (Also Penguin). https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/prize-years/international/2025
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