London, May 21 -- First Kannada title to win prestigious prize

In a historic moment for Indian literature, Heart Lamp, a short story collection by writer, activist and lawyer Banu Mushtaq, has become the first Kannada title to win the prestigious GBP 50,000 (Rs. 57.42 lakh) International Booker Prize.

The award was announced at a ceremony last night at London's Tate Modern, where Mushtaq accepted the honour alongside her translator, Deepa Bhasthi, who translated Mushtaq's Kannada book Haseena Mattu Itare Kathegalu to English, titled Heart Lamp.

According to the report, the collection, comprising 12 short stories, powerfully portrays the resilience, resistance, humour and solidarity of women in patriarchal communities in southern India....