'Heart Lamp' is the Booker Prize winning book by Banu Mushtaq, activist, lawyer, writer. She was a writer within progressive protest literary circles in the 70s-80s and was critical of the caste system. She has six short story collections, a novel, essays, poetry and has won the Karnataka Sahitya Academy award and other awards. Deepa Bhasthi is a writer, translator based in Kodagu.
Heart Lamp is a collection of 12 stories, each so vivid that they remained in my mind long after I read them. 'Stones for Sahista Mahal' is about a husband who professes his love for his wife and wants to build her a Mahal but does not care enough for her health as she becomes pregnant again and again until she dies. In 'Fire Rain' there is a religious man, a Mutawalli of a mosque, who is sitting judgement over the whole community while his own family is suffering, until he is forced to open his eyes to the sufferings of his own family. 'Black Cobras' is about the rights of a wife who has been neglected by her husband who has taken another wife - she is supposed to get equal treatment - and when the wife dies, he is cursed by everyone. In another story a wife is jealous of the love of her husband for his mother and forces him to get the mother married off - bringing upon herself a dire curse form her husband of similar treatment from her own children.
'Red Lungi' is unforgettable because of the symbolism - its about circumcision and how a rich family sponsors circumcision for a bunch of poor kids through a rather crude ritual conducted by a barber while their own kids get it done by a surgeon - surprisingly their own children suffer longest while the other kids recover fast. Faith, belief, who knows. 'Heart Lamp' is about a lady who suffers a straying husband and almost kills herself until she is stopped by her daughter who says she must live for them and not die for her husband. 'High Heeled Shoe' is a beautiful metaphor of how we can can enamored by things we don't need and almost kill ourselves - it climaxes beautifully.
'Soft Whisper' is a subtle story about a well off lady who meets a religious man and reminisces how when they were young, the mischievous boy had actually kissed her - but now he does not even dare to look at her. 'Taste of Heaven' is about an old help in the family who gets upset over some small slight and withdraws. Her only joy comes from Pepsi - which has been introduced by the children to her as a heavenly drink - and she lives out her life in this little joy. 'The Shroud' is about a rich woman who goers for the Haj and forgets to bring back a kafan for her maid who had paid her for it, and when asked returns her money and said she should go with any kafan - and pretty much dies of guilt after that. 'Arabic Teacher' is a story about a nitpicking Arabic teacher who has this craving for Gobi Manchurian which messes up his life at various stages. The book ends with a poignant story 'Be a Woman Once Oh God' - another story of a woman and her children left by her abusive husband for another woman.
Every story has so much insight into the life of the Muslim community especially from South of India and more from Karnataka. All characters are real and you feel for them. Unlike most short stories which I cannot understand - these are proper stories where characters move in real settings from point A to B and experience emotions I could identify with.
Loved it.
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