‘Women expected to be silent, obedient…’ Banu Mushtaq on her fight against patriarchy and communalism
Booker-winner Banu Mushtaq has said she often faced harassment and violence for challenging patriarchy and communalism. She was speaking at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2026
Kannada writer Banu Mushtaq, whose collection of short stories on the lives of Muslim women won her the International Booker Prize, has said she had to face years of harassment and violence including an attempted knife attack.
Mushtaq told a packed house in her keynote address at the Jaipur Literature Festival that she, along with her family, was often targeted for standing up to patriarchy, communalism, caste and class hierarchies.
“A woman is expected to be silent, obedient, and peaceful,” Mushtaq said. “But I am not that type. I challenged everything. I challenged patriarchy, I challenged caste hierarchy, I challenged power.”
She also recounted an incident in which an attacker came for her with a long knife. “Somehow, I was saved at the last minute, and an attempted murder case was registered,” she said.
Trolled over Mysuru Dasara festival controversy
The writer, activist and lawyer — who won the 2025 International Booker Prize for her book Heart Lamp — had in October faced protests from groups which opposed the state government’s invitation to her to inaugurate its Mysuru Dasara festival celebrations.
“They trolled me continuously for one and a half months,” she said, adding that people “barged” into her home and demanded she withdraw, after which the state government assigned her a security detail which remains with her to this day.
She also recounted an incident in which an attacker came for her with a long knife. (Photo: JLF)
The protesters moved the state High Court and the Supreme Court to prevent a Muslim woman from inaugurating what they termed a Hindu celebration, but the courts dismissed the petitions and she inaugurated the festival under heavy security.
“It was a fight with unseen people and unseen power,” she said, terming it a period of “mental harassment”.
Did not want to “globalise” Heart Lamp
Heart Lamp captures the everyday lives of women in Muslim communities in southern Karnataka. Mushtaq said it captures glimpses from her own life in some of its stories.
Mushtaq said her political consciousness developed during protest movements in Karnataka in the 1970s. “I was walking along with them in the street and shouting slogans,” she said. “Even facing lathi charge from the administration and getting arrested.”
Asked why she retained many Kannada and Dakhani words without footnotes in her English translation of Heart Lamp she said the translator Deepa Bhasthi wanted to give the work a “different colour, different reflections”.
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Mushtaq said the duo “did not want to globalise Heart Lamp. We wanted it to be what it was.”
Mushtaq’s keynote opened five days of discussions at the Jaipur Literature Festival, which runs from January 15 to 19.
Aishwarya Khosla is a key editorial figure at The Indian Express, where she spearheads and manages the Books & Literature and Puzzles & Games sections, driving content strategy and execution. Aishwarya's specialty lies in book reviews, literary criticism and cultural commentary. She also pens long-form feature articles where she focuses on the complex interplay of culture, identity, and politics.
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She also recounted an incident in which an attacker came for her with a long knife. (Photo: JLF)
