Banu Mushtaq’s Invitation to Inaugurate Mysuru Dasara Sparks Political Row

Lately, International Booker Prize-winning author Banu Mushtaq has found herself in the midst of controversy. On August 22, the author was invited as the chief guest to this year's Dasara festivities in Mysuru. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, describing her as a "progressive thinker," invited her to inaugurate the flagship 10-day cultural festival, held annually in Mysuru and commencing with a puja at the Chamundi Hill Temple. However, leaders of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reportedly expressed their disapproval of the Muslim author inaugurating a Hindu festival. 

Banu Mushtaq Dasara row

Also known as Nada Habba (state festival), Dasara is a decades-old 10-day celebration marked by elaborate rituals, processions, and cultural showcases. Thousands of devotees gather to immerse themselves in the festivities. Organised by the Karnataka government, the festival sees cultural performances, elephant parades, fireworks, and exhibitions. 

Mushtaq, who had earlier shared her personal connection to Dasara, having participated in it as a child, described the invitation as an honour. However, the controversy has persisted, fueled by political leaders who objected to some of her past remarks about Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, revered as the embodiment of the Kannada identity. 

A video of a speech Mushtaq delivered in January has resurfaced online, in which she allegedly questioned the practice of equating the Kannada language with a Hindu deity, arguing that it excluded non-Hindus in the state. The author has stated that her remarks were distorted, with selective portions of her speech being circulated on social media.

Expelled BJP leader and Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal told The News Minute, "I personally hold respect for Bhanu Mushtaq madam as a writer and activist. However, her inaugurating Dasara by offering flowers and lighting the lamp to Goddess Chamundeshwari seems to be in conflict with her own religious beliefs. Madam needs to clarify whether she continues to follow Islam, which emphasises belief in only one God and one holy book, or whether she now believes that all paths ultimately lead to the same moksha."

CM Siddaramaiah strongly defended the invitation, calling those opposing the decision "bigots who don't know history," according to NDTV. "It is a secular festival, so I decided that the International Booker Prize winner should be invited. There is no reason that it should be inaugurated only by people belonging to a certain religion. Nada Habba means a festival for everyone - Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and Jains. This is the festival for everyone," the Chief Minister told reporters. 

Mushtaq won the International Booker Prize for her book, Heart Lamp (translated from Kannada by Deepa Basthi) in May this year. The book includes short stories that trace the lives of women from Muslim and other minority communities in southern India. Notably, Mushtaq is not the only non-Hindu chosen to inaugurate Dasara. In 2017, KS Nisar Ahmed, a revered Kannada poet and author, was given the same honour.