Deepa Bhasthi
Deepa Bhasthi (Kannada: ದೀಪಾ ಭಸ್ತಿ) is an Indian writer, translator, and journalist from the southern state of Karnataka. She gained international recognition for her translation of the short story collection Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, for which, in 2025, she became the first translator from India to win the International Booker Prize.[1]
Life
[edit]Deepa Bhasthi was born in Madikeri, Karnataka. She attributes her love for literature to her paternal grandfather, who died six months before she was born and left her an extensive collection of books, including important works of Russian classics.[2]
After finishing school, she initially studied natural sciences but later switched to commerce and graduated with a bachelor's degree from Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa College in Kodagu. She then earned a degree in journalism from Mangalore University and went on to work as a journalist for various print media outlets in Bangalore.[3][4] As a journalist, she has had essays, columns and critiques published in more than 40 Indian and overseas newspapers and magazines.[5]
During her career as a journalist, Bhasthi specialized in arts journalism and eventually became a columnist and founding editor of The Forager magazine, which explores the political significance of food.[2] In 2016, she teamed up with three other creatives to found the Forager Collective, which examines social issues such as economics, politics and culture through the lens of food.[6] After a few years, she returned to her hometown of Madikeri with her husband, artist and farmer Chettira Sujan Nanaiah. There they live a quiet life on a farm with five dogs.[7][4]
Work
[edit]Deepa Bhasthi has gained international recognition for her literary translation work. Her English translation of Banu Mushtaq's short story collection Heart Lamp, which she completed over four months of intensive work, earned her and the author the International Booker Prize in 2025.[7][3] The jury praised the translation as "something genuinely new", a radical translation that "challenges and expands our understanding of translation".[8][9] In her translations, Bhasthi pursues an approach she herself describes as "translating with an accent"; that her texts deliberately retain the cultural and historical characteristics of the original language in order to ensure authenticity.[5][10] In addition to Mushtaq's works, she has also translated important authors such as Kodagina Gowramma, a feminist pioneer of Kannada literature, and Kota Shivarama Karanth.[10][2]
In addition to her work as a translator, Bhasthi is also a children's book author. Her book Champi and the Fig Tree was published in 2025.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "'Radical translation' of Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq wins International Booker priz". The Guardian. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
- ^ a b c "Deepa Bhasthi, translator of Booker winner Heart Lamp, quit journalism for literature". Deccan Herald. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
- ^ a b "From Hridaya Deepa to Heart Lamp: Kodagu's Deepa Bhasthi behind Booker Prize winning English translation". Udayavani Kannada. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
- ^ a b "Just the beginning, says Bhasthi after winning International Booker Prize". The Times of India. 22 May 2025. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
- ^ a b c "'With an accent': How Deepa Bhasthi translated International Booker Prize - shortlisted Heart Lamp". Scroll. 9 April 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ^ "In Conversation: Deepa Bhasthi (Forager Collective)". Delfina Foundation. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
- ^ a b "In their farm with five pet dogs, Booker winner Deepa Bhasthi's husband celebrates in Kodagu". The Hindu. 22 May 2025. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
- ^ "Everything you need to know about Heart Lamp, winner of the International Booker Prize 2025". The Booker Prizes. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ^ "Dr Rajkumar's iconic Kannada song quoted at Booker Prize ceremony. Watch". Hindustan Times. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
- ^ a b "Who Is Deepa Bhasthi?". She The People. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 22 May 2025.