Indian translator makes history with International Booker shortlist

Deepa Bhasthi's rendering of Banu Mushtaq's 'Heart Lamp' 'speaks truth to power'

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Deepa Bhasthi's English translation of "Heart Lamp" is the first work by an Indian translator to make the shortlist for the International Booker Prize. (All photos courtesy of Penguin India)

MYTHILY RAMACHANDRAN

May 16, 2025 08:00 JST

This year's International Booker Prize, one of the world's most prestigious literary awards, shines a unique spotlight on Kannada, the official language of the southern Indian state of Karnataka, in the form of Deepa Bhasthi's English translation of "Heart Lamp," a collection of 12 stories by the Indian writer Banu Mushtaq.