No language as tolerant as Kannada: Banu Mushtaq

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, felicitating the International Booker Prize winners Banu Mushtaq and Deepa Bhasthi, at a felicitation function organised by the Department of Kannada and Culture, at Vidhana Soudha, in Bengaluru on June 02, 2025. | Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR

International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq said on Monday that people have misunderstood Kannada and Kannadigas.

Speaking at a felicitation organised by the Karnataka government at the Vidhana Soudha on Monday, she said she was often asked by national media outlets as to why there is “intolerance” towards other languages in Karnataka.

“And I tell them... Your understanding of Kannada is incorrect. There’s no language as tolerant as Kannada. It is a language that has given a platform to many others,” she said. The writer also said that Kannada holds the rare distinction of winning eight Jnanpith awards and one Booker Prize.

₹10 lakh reward

At the function, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a cash reward of ₹ 10 lakh each for Ms. Mushtaq and the translator of her work Heart Lamp, Deepa Bhasthi. He also declared that the government would support translation of her further works from Kannada into other languages.

He observed that Ms. Mushtaq had the courage to write against superstition and as the voice of Muslim women. Mr. Siddaramaiah said that literature has the power to build bridges in society and writers should strive to unite people rather than create divisions, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar described Ms. Mushtaq and Ms. Bhasthi as the global ambassadors of Kannada who lit the “Kannada lamp” at world stage by winning the Booker Prize.

(With PTI inputs)

Published - June 02, 2025 10:10 pm IST