Banu Mushtaq’s Kannada publisher scrambles to meet demand

Banu Mushtaq won the Booker Prize for ‘Heart Lamp’.

Bookstores across Karnataka have seen a rise in demand for veteran Kannada writer Banu Mushtaq’s Hasina Mattu Itara Kathegalu’, a collection of short stories.

Published by Abhiruchi Prakashana, it is the Kannada original of the recent International Booker Prize-winning book Heart Lamp.

“We have sold about 1,000 copies in the last one week since the book won (the Booker Prize) in London,” Ganesh, the proprietor, told DH.

Ganesh has received orders for close to 3,000 copies from bookstores across the state.

The 776-page revised edition of the book, with 47 short stories, was released on April 30 in Mysuru, a few days after the Booker shortlist was announced. “Since then, the book has been in demand from across the state, especially after the win,” he said.

Ganesh met Banu Mushtaq in Hassan during a protest in 2002. This brief encounter turned into a 23-year-long association between the two. Ganesh initially published two short story collections by Banu — Safira and Badavara Magalu Hennalla.

Banu Mushtaq’s books (also short story collections) Hejje Moodada Haadi, Benki Male and Edeya Hanathe, which were earlier published by different publishing houses, were not available then. He decided to bring all of Banu’s stories together. Hasina Mattu Itara Kathegalu was published in 2013. It was a comprehensive collection of Banu Mushtaq’s five short story collections. In 2023, Ganesh published another short story collection called Hennu Haddina Swayamvara.

“Banu called me at the beginning of this year, asking if I could make another compilation of her stories. That’s when I decided to include the new collection as well in the revised edition of ‘Hasina Mattu Itara Kathegalu’,” Ganesh said.

30-year journey

Abhiruchi Prakashana is a small publishing house nestled in the quiet streets of Saraswathipuram in Mysuru.

Ganesh used to sell Kannada books on a bicycle. The Kannada Pustaka Pradhikara (Kannada Book Authority), under the leadership of noted Kannada author L S Seshagiri Rao, was giving a grant of Rs 25,000 to open Kannada book stores across Karnataka. “The members of the organisation suggested I take this grant to open a bookstore. I was just 18 then,” Ganesh said.

In 1995, he opened the bookstore and called it Abhiruchi Kannada Pustaka Malige. Simultaneously, Ganesh also started the publication.

“Since I had experience in the sale of books, it was easy for me to pick books for publishing,” he added. Ganesh had also learnt proofreading.

“I also had the privilege of the company of many Left-leaning progressive groups, like Dalit Sangharsh Samithi and Raitha Sangha. Rangayana was also just next door. They also became my customers,” he explained.

The publication has published about 438 books so far, including the works of veteran Kannada writers Chaduranga, Devanoor Mahadeva, Baraguru Ramachandrappa, Kum Veerabhadrappa, L Basavaraj, H S Srimati, Krishnamurthy Hannur and O L Nagabhushana Swami.

Abhiruchi Prakashana has also published Poornachandra Tejaswi’s Jugaari Cross in English. Many books published by the publishing house have received the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award. The publishing house is also receiving the Kannada Book Authority’s Best Publication Award for the year 2023, announced this year.