she felt deeply connected to the festival
International Booker Prize-winning author Banu Mushtaq is at the centre of a political row in Karnataka.
The state’s Congress government announced that Mushtaq would inaugurate the Mysuru Dasara festivities, set to begin later in 2025.
She won the literary award earlier in 2025 for Heart Lamp, a short story collection that made her the first Kannada writer to win the Prize.
Mysuru Dasara, also called Naada Habba, is a ten-day state-run event featuring cultural performances, parades, exhibitions, and fireworks.
Though linked to the Hindu festival of Dussehra, it has long been celebrated as an inclusive festival involving people of all faiths.
Mushtaq said she was honoured to be invited: “Active politicians should have a sense of what to politicise and what not to.”
She added that she felt deeply connected to the festival, having participated as a child.
Despite her statement, criticism quickly followed from leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in opposition in Karnataka. Some objected to a Muslim writer inaugurating a Hindu festival.
Others raised past comments Mushtaq made about Bhuvaneshwari, a Hindu goddess linked with Kannada language and identity.
BJP MP Yaduveer Wadiyar recognised her literary contribution, saying her Booker win brought “great pride” to Kannada writing. But he argued Mysuru Dasara was religious, not cultural, and said Mushtaq should “clarify her reverence” for the Hindu deities associated with it.
BJP leader Pratap Simha echoed this view.
He said it was acceptable for Mushtaq to attend literary festivals but questioned her suitability as chief guest at Dasara. He asked whether she had faith in the deities central to the festival.
A video from January resurfaced online showing Mushtaq questioning the association of Bhuvaneshwari with Kannada identity.
Supporters of Banu Mushtaq argue the backlash reflects a deeper attempt to redefine the character of Mysuru Dasara.
Kannada poet Mamta Sagar said: “Mysuru Dasara is a secular festival and inviting Banu to inaugurate it is one of the best things that can happen to Karnataka.
“Turning this into an issue about religion or Hindutva [Hindu nationalist agenda] is detestable.”
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also defended the decision, stressing the festival’s inclusive nature.
Banu Mushtaq has not stepped back from the invitation, and the government has confirmed she will inaugurate the festival.
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