Kannada writer and activist Banu Mushtaq, who recently scripted history by becoming the first Kannada author to win the International Booker Prize, has been chosen to inaugurate the famous Mysuru Dasara Mahotsava in Karnataka this year.
The 77-year-old awardee from Hassan will declare the festivities open on September 22, 2025, with Vijayadashami scheduled for October 2.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s government announced Mushtaq as the chief guest, recognising her literary achievement. Her short story collection Heart Lamp, translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi, won the prestigious prize earlier this year for its poignant portrayal of Muslim women’s struggles in Karnataka across three decades.
However, the decision has triggered a political row. Expelled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, in a post on X, said while he respected Mushtaq as a writer and activist, her role in inaugurating the festival’s religious ceremony, by offering flowers and lighting a lamp to Goddess Chamundeshwari, was “in conflict with her own religious beliefs.”
“Madam needs to clarify whether she continues to follow Islam, which emphasizes belief in only one God and one holy book, or whether she now believes that all paths ultimately lead to the same moksha. Without such clarity, it does not appear appropriate for her to inaugurate Dasara,” Yatnal wrote.
He added that Mushtaq could certainly inaugurate cultural or literary events within the Dasara festivities but should refrain from presiding over the religious inauguration itself.
Mushtaq, a lawyer by training, has authored multiple short story collections, a novel, essays, and poetry. In interviews, she has credited her writing to the social and political movements she witnessed growing up in Karnataka, including Dalit, women’s, and farmers’ struggles.
The Mysuru Dasara Mahotsava traditionally begins with the offering of prayers to Goddess Chamundeshwari in the Chamundi Hills, followed by ten days of cultural and religious events that culminate in Vijayadashami.
This year’s choice of chief guest, honouring one of Karnataka’s most celebrated literary voices, has now become the centre of a debate over faith, tradition, and inclusivity.
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