Heart Lamp: Selected Stories () is a collection of short stories by Indian writer Banu Mushtaq, originally written in Kannada between 1990 and 2023 and translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi. Published by And Other Stories in the UK on 10 September 2024, the collection comprises 12 stories exploring the lives of Muslim women in southern India, focusing on themes of patriarchy, gender inequality, and resilience. The book won the International Booker Prize in 2025: the first Kannada-language work and the first collection of short stories to receive this award.
Contents Heart Lamp: Selected Stories consists of 12 short stories written by Banu Mushtaq over three decades, translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi. The stories focus on the experiences of Muslim women in southern India, addressing themes of gender inequality, faith, and societal pressures, often with dry humour and emotional depth.
Key stories include "Stone Slabs for Shaista Mahal" and "A Decision of the Heart", which explore gender roles and societal expectations. The title story reflects an incident in Mushtaq's own life when, struggling with marriage, motherhood, and domesticity, she doused herself in kerosene. In the story, the protagonist's children intervene, reminding her that she is loved and understood.
The collection is part of the Bandaya Sahitya movement, a Kannada literary tradition critiquing caste, class, and religious oppression. The translation retains Kannada, Urdu, and Arabic words to preserve cultural authenticity.
The compilation comprises the following stories: "Stone Slabs for Shaista Mahal" "Fire Rain" "Black Cobras" "A Decision of the Heart" "Red Lungi" "Heart Lamp" "High-Heeled Shoe" "Soft Whispers" "A Taste of Heaven" "The Shroud" "The Arabic Teacher and Gobi Manchuri" "Be a Woman Once, Oh Lord"
Plot Summary "Stone Slabs for Shaista Mahal" The story is narrated by Zeenat, a young, educated Muslim woman who moves with her husband, Mujahid, from a crowded city to government quarters near the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) dam after his job transfer. Zeenat enjoys the peaceful surroundings and the garden at their new home, although she often feels lonely because Mujahid is busy with his work. Their life changes when Mujahid's colleague, Iftikhar Ahmed, invites them to his house in Belagola. At Iftikhar's home, Zeenat meets his wife, Shaista, and their six children, including their eldest daughter, Asifa.
Shaista appears cheerful and affectionate, while Iftikhar frequently declares his deep love for her. He proudly shows Zeenat and Mujahid the garden he created for Shaista and claims that, if he were an emperor, he would build a palace called 'Shaista Mahal' for her, greater than the Taj Mahal. However, Zeenat also observes tensions within the family, particularly about Asifa's future. Shaista wishes her daughter to continue her education, but Iftikhar believes that girls do not need much education and plans to marry her off early.
Zeenat gradually becomes close to Shaista and often visits her house, spending time with the children. Shaista expresses concern about her repeated pregnancies and discusses the possibility of undergoing a sterilisation operation after the birth of her next child. Shortly afterwards, Shaista gives birth to a baby boy. Although she is weak after delivery, she soon resumes normal activities. Soon after these events, Zeenat receives news that her own mother is seriously ill. She and Mujahid travel to their village, where her mother dies after a heart attack. They remain there for a period of mourning before returning to their home near KRS.
When Zeenat later visits Shaista's house with gifts for the newborn child, she finds the household strangely quiet and neglected. Inside the house, she encounters a very young woman dressed like a newlywed bride. Iftikhar then reveals that Shaista has died unexpectedly, soon after childbirth. He has already married the young woman, explaining that he needed someone to look after the children. Zeenat is shocked by how quickly Iftikhar has replaced Shaista, especially after his earlier declarations of eternal love for her. As she leaves the house, she sees Asifa caring for her younger siblings and holding the infant. The story ends with the suggestion that, despite her youth, Asifa has taken on the responsibilities of a mother, echoing Shaista's earlier remark that her daughter was 'like her mother.'
"Fire Rain" The story centres on Usman Saheb, the influential mutawalli (caretaker and leader) of a mosque committee in a small town. One morning, after the call to prayer, he wakes up irritated and restless. His anger arises from a dispute the previous night with his youngest sister, Jameela, who had demanded her rightful share of their late father's property according to Islamic law. Usman refuses to consider the request seriously, resenting the idea of dividing the family wealth. Although his wife, Arifa, quietly supports Jameela's claim and reminds him that daughters have legal inheritance rights, he dismisses her advice.
The following morning, several people gathered at Usman's house seeking help. Among them is his widowed sister Sakeena, who beseeches him to help her son obtain a minor job. Others approach him with personal problems, such as medical expenses or wedding costs. Despite presenting himself as a community leader who assists the poor, Usman internally calculates his responses and often acts out of pride and self-interest.
During this time, his associate Dawood brings disturbing news: the body of Nisar, a Muslim man who had been missing, was mistakenly buried in a Hindu cemetery by the police. The incident quickly becomes a matter of religious outrage within the local Muslim community. Usman sees an opportunity to increase his prestige and influence. He mobilises the community, meets government officials, and leads a campaign demanding that the body be exhumed and given proper Islamic burial rites.
After many efforts, permission was granted. Nisar's decomposed body is exhumed and reburied with ceremony in the Muslim cemetery, with Usman at the head of the funeral procession. However, during the procession, a drunken man appears in the street, and several people recognise him as Nisar himself. This shocking moment reveals that the corpse being buried may not actually be Nisar's body. Despite realising the mistake, no one in the procession speaks out, and the burial continues in silence.
When Usman returns home after the funeral, exhausted and shaken, he learns that his young son, Ansar, has been seriously ill for many days with meningitis and has been taken to the hospital by Arifa. The news overwhelms him. As he sits in distress, the voices of those who had sought justice or help from him echo in his mind—his sister demanding her rightful share, the widow asking for assistance, and the warnings about the suffering caused when the rights of others are denied. Usman is confronting the consequences of his arrogance and moral blindness.
"Black Cobras" A poor Muslim woman, Aashraf, whose husband, Yakub, abandons her and their three daughters because she has not given birth to a son, faces injustice. Yakub later marries another woman and refuses to support Aashraf or their children. Aashraf struggles to survive, working as a domestic labourer for Zulekha Begum, and trying desperately to obtain money for the treatment of her sick infant daughter, Munni. Zulekha Begum, an educated woman, encourages Aashraf to submit petitions to the local mosque committee asking them to intervene and force Yakub to provide financial support. According to Islamic law, a man who marries more than one wife must treat all wives equally and fulfil his responsibilities toward them. However, the mosque’s mutawalli, Abdul Khader Saheb, ignores her petitions and repeatedly delays taking action. He misuses religious authority to justify Yakub's behaviour instead of ensuring justice.
One night, Aashraf waits in the mosque compound with her three children in the cold rain, hoping that the mosque authorities will finally hear her complaint. While she waits, her sick child Munni becomes weaker. Meanwhile, the mutawalli spends the evening eating and enjoying himself with Yakub instead of addressing the issue. When they eventually arrive at the mosque, Yakub insults Aashraf and violently kicks her during the confrontation. As she falls, Munni slips from her arms and later dies shortly.
The tragedy shocks the community, particularly the women who witness the incident. Munni's death exposes the cruelty, negligence, and hypocrisy of the male authorities who failed to protect Aashraf's rights. The women of the neighbourhood openly condemn the mutawalli and Yakub through sarcasm, curses, and symbolic insults. Their reactions represent a form of moral judgement against the injustice that led to the child’s death. The mutawalli feels deep guilt and humiliation as the community's women express their anger. At the same time, his own wife Amina decides to leave home to undergo a sterilisation operation, rejecting the control he has exercised over her body and life.
"A Decision of the Heart" Yusuf, a diligent fruit vendor who must choose between two emotional allegiances: his widowed mother, Mehaboob Bi and his wife, Akhila. His house is physically divided so that his wife and mother live separately. Although Yusuf has a deep love for both women, Akhila is always envious of the care he provides for his mother. Frequent arguments, taunts, and public outbursts result from this jealousy.
Mehaboob Bi is frequently accused by Akhila of acting like a rival wife and of stealing her husband's affection. Yusuf gets upset when Akhila insults his mother, whom he respects and feels obligated to for raising him with such sacrifice following the death of his father. Over time, their disputes worsen. Akhila challenges Yusuf during a furious argument, making fun of him when he promises to honour his mother and even arrange for her to be remarried again. Yusuf accepts the challenge out of rage and chooses to set Mehaboob Bi up for marriage.
Initially, Yusuf's choice is partially motivated by retaliation against his wife and an effort to ease the ongoing conflict between the two women. He starts looking diligently for his mother's ideal husband. He rejects a number of proposals because he wants a respectable person who will take good care of her. He eventually locates Abdul Ghaffar, a respectable widower, and meticulously arranges the wedding, including making jewellery and other details.
Akhila feels scared and ashamed when she realises that the marriage is actually going to take place. She gathers neighbours and community members to step in after realising that her actions are to blame. She acknowledges her errors in front of them and pledges to treat Mehaboob Bi with decency and consideration going forward.
This abrupt change has deeply wounded and perplexed Yusuf. Because of his wife's pressure, he is concerned that his mother might believe he set up the marriage. Mehaboob Bi, however, unexpectedly accepts the circumstance with dignity. She invites everyone to the wedding and states that there is nothing wrong with her second marriage. Her decision is driven by her desire to calm her son's troubled life rather than by personal desire. Yusuf continues the wedding arrangements while Akhila realises the seriousness of her actions and breaks down in regret.
"Red Lungi" When many relatives' kids congregate at Razia's house over the summer break, she feels overburdened. She gets a lot of headaches and irritation from the eighteen kids' constant fighting, games, and noise. Razia, unable to put up with the mayhem, chooses to limit the kids' activities by getting the family's eligible boys circumcised (khatna), which will force them to recuperate.