Banu Mushtaq, an Indian writer, lawyer, and activist, has become the first author writing in Kannada to win the prestigious International Booker Prize for her short story collection Heart Lamp.
The book was selected from six international finalists and praised for its "witty, vivid, colloquial, moving and excoriating" storytelling.
Here's a look at her journey
Born and raised in a small town in Karnataka, Banu Mushtaq grew up in a Muslim neighbourhood where she initially studied the Quran.
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At the age of eight, her father, a government employee, enrolled her in a convent school, where the medium of instruction was Kannada.
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Ms Mushtaq eventually became fluent in Kannada, which later became the language of her literary expression.
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She began writing while still in school and chose to pursue higher education, even as many of her peers got married and raised children.
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It took several years before her work was published. Her first short story appeared in a local magazine when she was 27.
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Her early years of marriage were marked by emotional struggle.
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In her book Heart Lamp, the women characters reflect the same resilience she lived through.
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By age 29, she was a mother grappling with postpartum depression.
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Ms Mushtaq later worked as a reporter for a popular local tabloid, using journalism to amplify stories of social concern. After a decade in journalism, she switched to a career in law, supporting her family while continuing to write.
Her work has earned her several honours, including the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award and the Daana Chintamani Attimabbe Award.
