Rebel writer: the Indian author who questioned everything

Indian writer Banu Mushtaq made history in May when she won the International Booker prize for Heart Lamp, a collection of short stories translated from the Kannada language. Not only was this the first short story collection to win the coveted prize, but Banu was the first author writing in Kannada to win, she shared the prize with her translator Deepa Bhasthi. Banu has been breaking stereotypes her whole life. Growing up in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, she was the first girl in her area to learn Kannada in school - a language that, at the time, was taught only to boys. She then chose college over an early marriage, and when she did finally marry, at the age of 26, it was for love, to a man of her choosing, rather than an arranged marriage. Although the early years of marriage were difficult for Banu and she stopped writing, she eventually returned to her passion, combining it with being a reporter, then an activist and eventually a lawyer. She tells Asya Fouks why she's never been afraid to stand up for what she believes in and why she's brought up her three daughters to question everything.

This programme contains references to suicide.

Presenter: Asya Fouks
Producer: June Christie

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(Photo: Banu Mushtaq, winner of the International Booker prize 2025. Credit: Kate Green/Getty Images)