Petals and thorns: India's Booker prize author Banu Mushtaq
Mushtaq, who won the coveted literature prize as the first author writing in Kannada, said the author's responsibility is to reflect the truth.
"You cannot simply write describing a rose," said the 77-year-old, who is also a lawyer and activist.
"You cannot say it has got such a fragrance, such petals, such colour. You have to write about the thorns also. It is your responsibility, and you have to do it," Mushtaq added.
Her book "Heart Lamp", a collection of 12 powerful short stories, is also her first book translated into English, with the prize shared with her translator Deepa Bhasthi.
Critics praised the collection for its dry and gentle humour, and its searing commentary on the patriarchy, caste and religion.
Mushtaq has carved an alternative path in life, challenging societal restrictions and perceptions. As a young girl worried about her future, she said she started writing to improve her "chances of marriage."
Born into a Muslim family in 1948, she studied in Kannada rather than Urdu, the language of Islamic texts in India and which most Muslim girls learnt. She attended college, and worked as a journalist and also as a high school teacher.
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