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{{Short description|Indian writer and translator (born 1983)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Deepa Bhasthi
| image = Deepa Bhasthi.jpg
| caption = Bhasthi at the Bengaluru Literature Festival 2025
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1983}}
| birth_place = [[Madikeri]], Karnataka, India
| occupation = Writer, translator, journalist
| language = English, Kannada
| nationality =
| notable_works = ''[[Heart Lamp: Selected Stories | Heart Lamp]]''
| awards = International Booker Prize (2025), PEN Translates Award (2024)
| website = {{URL|https://deepabhasthi.com}}
}}
'''Deepa Bhasthi''' (born 1983) is an Indian writer, literary translator and journalist from the southern [[state (India)|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]].<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |title='Radical translation' of ''Heart Lamp'' by Banu Mushtaq wins International Booker priz |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/may/20/radical-translation-of-heart-lamp-by-banu-mushtaq-wins-international-booker-prize |access-date=22 May 2025 |work=The Guardian |date=20 May 2025}}</ref> She is also the first translator of colour to win the International Booker Prize.

==Life==
Deepa Bhasthi was born in [[Madikeri]], Karnataka, in 1983. 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.<ref name="deccan">{{cite news |title=Deepa Bhasthi, translator of Booker winner ''Heart Lamp'', quit journalism for literature |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/deepa-bhasthi-translator-of-booker-winner-heart-lamp-quit-journalism-for-literature-3552026 |access-date=22 May 2025 |work=Deccan Herald |date=21 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Rajagopalan |first1=Sudha |title=Soviet books, geopolitical imagination and eclectic solidarities in India |url=https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/154823713/10.4324_9781003196334-14_chapterpdf.pdf |access-date=23 May 2025 |page=208 |date=2024}}</ref>

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]].<ref name=udayavani>{{cite news |title=From ''Hridaya Deepa'' to ''Heart Lamp'': Kodagu's Deepa Bhasthi behind Booker Prize winning English translation |url=https://www.udayavani.com/english-news/from-hridaya-deepa-to-heart-lamp-kodagus-deepa-bhasthi-behind-booker-prize-winning-english-translation |access-date=22 May 2025 |work=Udayavani Kannada |date=21 May 2025}}</ref><ref name=toi>{{cite news |title=Just the beginning, says Bhasthi after winning International Booker Prize |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/just-the-beginning-says-bhasthi-after-winning-international-booker-prize/articleshow/121322992.cms |access-date=22 May 2025 |work=The Times of India |date=22 May 2025}}</ref>
As a journalist, she has had essays, columns and critiques published in more than 40 Indian and overseas newspapers and magazines.<ref name=scroll/>

During her career as a journalist, Bhasthi specialised in arts journalism and eventually became a columnist and founding editor of ''The Forager'' magazine, which explores the political significance of food.<ref name="deccan"/> 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=In Conversation: Deepa Bhasthi (Forager Collective) |url=https://www.delfinafoundation.com/platform/in-conversation-deepa-bhasthi-forager-collective/ |publisher=Delfina Foundation |access-date=22 May 2025}}</ref>

Bhasthi lives in her hometown of Madikeri with her husband, artist and farmer Nanaiah Chettira, on a farm, along with their five dogs.<ref name=hindu>{{cite news |title=In their farm with five pet dogs, Booker winner Deepa Bhasthi's husband celebrates in Kodagu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/in-his-farm-with-six-pet-dogs-booker-winner-deepa-bhasthis-husband-celebrates-in-kodagu/article69600936.ece |access-date=22 May 2025 |work=The Hindu |date=22 May 2025}}</ref><ref name=toi/>

==Work==
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 three years of work, earned her and the author the [[International Booker Prize]] in 2025.<ref name=hindu/><ref name=udayavani/>
The jury praised the translation as "something genuinely new", a radical translation that "challenges and expands our understanding of translation".<ref>{{cite web |title=Everything you need to know about ''Heart Lamp'', winner of the International Booker Prize 2025 |url=https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/everything-to-know-heart-lamp-winner-international-booker-prize-2025 |publisher=The Booker Prizes |access-date=23 May 2025 |date=20 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Dr Rajkumar's iconic Kannada song quoted at Booker Prize ceremony. Watch |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/bengaluru-news/banu-mushtaq-deepa-bhasthi-quotes-dr-rajkumar-s-iconic-kannada-song-at-booker-prize-ceremony-watch-101747813874830.html |access-date=22 May 2025 |work=Hindustan Times |date=21 May 2025}}</ref>
In her translations, Bhasthi pursues an approach she herself describes as "translating with an accent", whereby her texts deliberately retain the cultural and historical characteristics of the original language in order to ensure authenticity.<ref name=scroll>{{cite news |title='With an accent': How Deepa Bhasthi translated International Booker Prize–shortlisted ''Heart Lamp'' |url=https://scroll.in/article/1081107/with-an-accent-how-deepa-bhasthi-translated-international-booker-prize-shortlisted-heart-lamp |access-date=23 May 2025 |work=Scroll |date=9 April 2025}}</ref><ref name="shethepeople">{{cite web |title=Who Is Deepa Bhasthi? |url=https://www.shethepeople.tv/womens-firsts/deepa-bhasthi-heart-lamp-international-booker-prize-9089572 |website=She The People |access-date=22 May 2025 |date=21 May 2025}}</ref>
In addition to Mushtaq's works, she has also translated prominent authors such as [[Kodagina Gowramma]], a feminist pioneer of [[Kannada literature]], and [[Kota Shivarama Karanth]].<ref name=shethepeople/><ref name="deccan"/>

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.<ref name=scroll/>

== Awards and recognition ==
* 2024: [[English PEN|PEN English Translate Award]], for her translation of Banu Mushtaq's ''Haseena and Other Stories''<ref>{{cite web |title=PEN Translates winners announced |url=https://www.englishpen.org/posts/news/pen-translates-winners-announced-5/ |publisher=English PEN |access-date=23 May 2025 |date=18 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=18 July 2024 |title=Collection of Banu Mushtaq's short stories translated into English wins PEN English Translate award |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/collection-of-banu-mushtaqs-short-stories-translated-into-english-wins-pen-english-translate-award/article68418815.ece |access-date=27 March 2025 |work=[[The Hindu]] |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>
* 2025: [[International Booker Prize]] for ''Heart Lamp'', shared with Banu Mushtaq<ref>{{cite news |last1=Marshall |first1=Alex |title=International Booker Prize Shortlist: 6 Books to Talk About |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/books/international-booker-prize-shortlist.html |access-date=8 April 2025 |work=New York Times |date=8 April 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Booker Prize for Banu Mushtaq: Celebrations in Hassan as Kannada Author Wins Prestigious Award |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/celebrations-at-banu-mushtaqs-home-in-hassan-after-international-booker-prize-win-3550660 |access-date=21 May 2025 |website=Deccan Herald |language=en|first=Gayathri V |last=Raj |date=21 May 2025}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*{{cite web |title=www.deepabhasthi.com |url=http://www.deepabhasthi.com |publisher=Personal web page}}
*{{cite web |title=Onion Hill |publisher=Short fiction by Deepa Bhasthi |url=https://www.thealephreview.com/post/onion-hill |website=The Aleph Review|date=14 April 2024 }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhasthi, Deepa}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1983 births]]
[[Category:Indian translators]]
[[Category:Women writers from Karnataka]]
[[Category:Journalists from Karnataka]]

Deepa Bhasthi - Revision history

HymanGumm776 at 02:06, 10 March 2026