THE GRAMMAR OF CONTROL

HEART LAMP—BANU MUSHTAQ’S INTERNATIONAL BOOKER: SHORTLISTED COLLECTION OF STORIES— BURNS BRIGHT WITH DEFIANCE

- Aditya Mani Jha

In 'Stone Slabs for Shaista Mahal', the opening story from Banu Mushtaq's short story collection Heart Lamp (translated from Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi), there's a passage where the female narrator is struggling with how to introduce her husband to readers. "Mujahid is my home person.

LITERARY PARTNERS Banu Mushtaq (left) with translator Deepa Bhasthi at the Bengaluru Litfest, 2024

HEART LAMP Selected Stories By Banu Mushtaq Translated from the Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi PENGUIN ₹399;224 pages

Oh. That sounds odd. A wife is usually the one who stays at home, so that makes her the home person.