The Hindu On Books newsletter: Booker honour for Banu Mushtaq, Deepa Bhasthi, talking to Bhavika Govil and more
Welcome to this edition of The Hindu on Books Newsletter. Last week was special for Indian literature with Banu Mushtaq winning the International Booker Prize, 2025, for Heart Lamp (And Other Stories/Penguin), translated from the Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi.
From the moment it was shortlisted, readers, especially in India, were rooting for Mushtaq and Bhasthi and their chronicle of Muslim women's lives. This was the first time a collection of short stories was shortlisted, surely that meant it could go all the way? It did, and how.
Jury Chair Max Porter said the stories were 'profoundly exciting' and that the 'radical translation' hit 'viscerally.' In their impassioned speeches, both Mushtaq and Bhasthi heaped praises on the Kannada language, its 'resilience and nuance', talked about their belief that no story is small, and how literature is one of the last sacred spaces 'where we can view each other's minds if only for a few pages.'
They hoped the win would lead to many more stories from unheard corners being written, and more translations from the magical languages of South Asia defying borders and barriers. Mushtaq and Bhasthi's win comes three years after Geetanjali Shree's Booker honour for Tomb of Sand, translated from the Hindi by Daisy Rockwell.
In telling stories of women, and what they are up against — from patriarchal mindsets, religious oppression to gender inequality, suffocating homes and terrifying lack of choices — Mushtaq universalises the experiences faced by a majority of women, at least in the subcontinent. Read The Hindu's review of Heart Lamp; a profile of Banu Mushtaq; an interview with the writer and translator soon after their nomination was announced and The Hindu editorial on what the prize will mean for Indian writing in translation.
In reviews, we read two cricket memoirs by Mohinder Amarnath and Syed Kirmani, Pat Cummins' philosophy of life, a book on birders. We also talk to Bhavika Govil about her new book.
Books of the week
What do athletes want to convey when they write memoirs? Is it often a careful extension of their image? Two recent books by Indian cricketing legends — Fearless (HarperCollins) by Mohinder Amarnath (with Rajender Amarnath) and Stumped (Penguin) by Syed Kirmani (with Debashish Sengupta and Dakshesh Pathak) — lend credence to the argument that they may be honest and forthright in their assessments of their own selves and the eras they played in and lived through, but all of it is bound by the persona the sportspersons want to project.
In his review, N. Sudarshan writes that the stories flow from the cover images. Amarnath's is of him executing the pull without the protection of a helmet, a shot synonymous with the batter and considered among the most daring strokes. The overarching theme in the book is of his many pitched battles against deadly fast bowlers like Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding and Imran Khan, his many selection controversies, the machinations of the higher-ups and his multiple comebacks.
The cover image of Kirmani's book, on the other hand, is a rather sedate and inexpressive photograph of him staidly waiting for the red cherry to nestle in his gloves. It seems like an ode to the book title, the tagline (Life Behind and Beyond the Twenty-Two Yards), and the sad fact that the great wicket-keeper's time in Test whites ended two shy of 200 dismissals.
But says Sudarshan, what both books lack is a compelling picture of the eras Amarnath and Kirmani played their cricket in. 'While the volumes are no doubt windows into their respective sporting lives, they could have also shed more light on the culture of the sport back in the day.'
The Australian spearhead and skipper Pat Cummins' Tested (HarperCollins) is a book on decisions, choices, thoughts and instinct, and the way they all combine to shape and impact lives. Cummins, with the aura he has, could have easily written about himself, writes the reviewer K.C. Vijaya Kumar, but instead he declares: 'I didn't want to focus on myself, as I might with a memoir.'
Divided into 11 chapters, every part is an extended conversation with an expert in their relevant field. The array of luminaries are eclectic, be it former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, cancer researcher Richard Scolyer, producer Ronnie Screwvala, speedster and coach Dennis Lillee, or even the author's spouse Becky. 'The structure is woven around informal questions and the answers are then juxtaposed with how Cummins himself has approached a few critical points, both in his life and in cricket.'
The 12 chapters in The Search for India's Rarest Birds (Indian Pitta/Juggernaut), edited by Shashank Dalvi and Anita Mani, have a selection of birds that have been chosen through different forms of observation: the Pink-headed duck chapter by Aasheesh Pittie talks about how the bird was formally described based on a painting of Indian specimens; art led to science. Ornithologist Pamela Rasmussen studied taxidermied forest owlets in the U.K. and the U.S.; she pursued the bird in the forests of Maharashtra; and a strange taxidermied model led to the rediscovery of the real bird. In her review, Neha Sinha says that when she opened this book, she expected to find historical records of white men and their shikar in South Asia. 'It is enriching to find instead a book that is modern. Most importantly, though the birds are coveted, they are not trophies — each piece wraps fondness and field work for the avian object of affection in a manner that suggests care, not conquest.'
Spotlight
In her debut novel, Hot Water (HarperCollins), Bhavika Govil narrates the story of a single mother and her two young children. Her aim, as she tells Vidhya Anand, is to highlight the lived experiences of different characters. She wanted to explore issues of gender, sexuality, and the inner world of children. 'For instance, can you be a good mother even if you're not a conventional mother?' Govil wanted to analyse how lonely mothers feel, especially single mothers. Asked about her thoughts on the novel with a complex theme, Govil said, 'I think we underestimate the smaller voices in the room, whether they're younger or different. It's important to me with this book to bring them to the fore.' She is also excited about this reaching the right reader, the person 'who's swimming in the dark and is looking for a little bit of light.'
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Kamal Nayan Choubey traces the genesis, historical journey, and the functions of the Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram or VKA, the tribal wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The VKA has been expanding its footprint in tribal areas, trying to bring about changes, he writes in Adivasi or Vanvasi: Tribal India & the Politics of Hindutva (Vintage).
(Vintage). Three historians, Romila Thapar, Kumkum Roy, Preeti Gulati, from three generations reflect on their lives and why they decided to engage with a demanding discipline. From personal experience of Independence and Partition to fractured modern times, they explain the different ways in which women do history in Women Writing History (Zubaan Books).
(Zubaan Books). Rafael Nadal had a mind-boggling 14 French Open titles when he announced his retirement from professional tennis last year. Roland Garros paid a wonderful tribute to the Spanish star with rivals on court and friends off it Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray attending the ceremony in Paris on Sunday (May 25, 2025). This is the perfect time to read about Nadal's journey and legacy in Christopher Clarey's new book, The Warrior: Rafael Nadal and his Kingdom of Clay (Hachette India).
(Hachette India). The Cave of Echoes: Stories about Gods, Animals and Other Strangers (Speaking Tiger) by Wendy Doniger celebrates storytelling, and the rich diversity of myths that people live by. Drawing on Hindu and Greek mythology, Biblical parables, and modern mythologies, Doniger encourages readers to be interested in diverse cultures.
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