Banu Mushtaq: Storytelling, Activism, and the Power of Voices from Karnataka

In this episode, Banu Mushtaq — journalist, activist, and the first Kannada-language author to win the International Booker Prize (2025) for her short-story collection Heart Lamp — reflects on a lifetime of writing rooted in justice, identity, and lived experience. She shares what moved her toward short stories as her primary form, how she balances activism with literary imagination, and how global recognition has reshaped her understanding of audience and craft. Banu discusses why she gravitates toward short fiction, the space it creates for nuance, and its power to amplify the voices of Muslim women, Dalit women, and marginalized communities in Karnataka. She also offers insight for Gulf-region publishers and translators as demand for South Asian literature grows, while revealing the themes and formats she hopes to explore next. Listen to #Pulse95Radio in the UAE by tuning in on 95.00 FM or online at www.pulse95radio.net Follow us on social media: @Pulse95Radio #SharjahInternationalBookFair #SIBF2025 #BanuMushtaq #HeartLamp #KannadaLiterature #InternationalBookerPrize #SouthAsianVoices #Pulse95Radio