Submit your Article

Heart Lamp, a collection of short stories by Banu Mushtaq, caught my attention after winning the International Booker Prize in 2025. I acquired a copy—the English translation by Deepa Bhasti—soon after its release in Kathmandu.

As I delved into Mushtaq’s fictional world, I noticed that all the stories feature female protagonists. Though these women are often portrayed as helpless, submissive, and vulnerable, the author skillfully critiques patriarchy, leaving readers to question whether men truly embody only freedom, assertiveness, and power. The stories also serve as a representation of Southern Indian society at the time, exposing its structures, the struggles of Muslim women, and the hollowness of male pride. For instance, in ‘Stone Slabs for Shaista Mahal’, the husband’s performative love—comparing himself to Shah Jahan—is starkly contrasted by his swift remarriage after his wife’s death rituals conclude.

The narratives mock male chauvinism while celebrating feminine resilience. In one story, a mutawalli (custodian) obsesses over a community member’s burial rites and religious formalities, yet remains indifferent to his own son, who lies critically ill in the hospital. This effectively highlights how men often prioritize superficial duties over genuine responsibilities.

The collection also offers insights into Muslim customs, such as khatna (male circumcision), depicted as both a celebrated ritual and, disturbingly, a means for the poor to earn meager rewards through repeated procedures. Similarly, the titular story, ‘Heart Lamp’, portrays a mother’s quiet strength as she resists self-immolation for her children’s sake. Through these intimate family sagas, Mushtaq lays bare the cruelties of patriarchy—its injustices, traumas, and the suffocating burdens of shame and oppression forced upon women.

Heart Lamp immerses readers in the social dynamics of South Indian Muslim communities, revealing how gender roles shape lives both inside and outside the home. The book also holds academic value, offering rich material for sociological and anthropological studies of the region’s cultural practices.

Banana Yoshimoto is the pen name of the author Mahoko Yoshimoto whose father is a famous poet in Japan. I picked up her collection of short stories titled ‘Dead-End Memories’ earlier this year because I was fascinated by the name and also because if I come across a collection of short stories by an author I haven’t read I will definitely pick it up. I had enjoyed the collection of stories about women, who after some painful event in their lives, find comfort in small moments of everyday life. 

I wanted to read more of her works which is why I picked up ‘Kitchen’ during a recent trip to the bookstore. I have been having a reading slump of sorts again and I thought this slim book would be just perfect to get over it. Kitchen comprises two classic tales about mothers, kitchens, love, and tragedy. It was published in 1987 and won two of Ja[an’s most prestigious literary prizes. 

‘The place I like the best in the world is the kitchen’ reads the first line of the book and I was hooked. Throughout the book, you return to the kitchen again and again. It’s almost like the kitchen is the main character. Mirage Sakurai, the protagonist of the slim novel, loves the kitchen. It’s where she finds comfort. But the story isn’t about kitchens or cooking. It’s basically about Mikage’s life, her grief and her sorrows and how she deals with them. 

Mikage lives with her grandmother. Her parents died when she was a young girl. When her grandmother passes away, she finds herself suddenly alone and unable to figure out the ways of the world. Yuichi, someone her grandmother knew, invites her for dinner and then to stay with his family until she finds her footing. There she meets Eriko, Yuichi’s father-turned-mother. The rest of the novel is a story of the three of them and what happens when their lives intertwine. 

Kitchen is a lovely story of finding comfort in unlikely places and the strength you draw from other people’s stories and lives. The writing is smooth and you can probably read the book in one sitting but you also want to take things slow and savor the story. The book deals heavily with loss, loneliness, and mourning but it’s also a hopeful story. You feel sad but you are waiting for the light to appear and things to change. It’s exactly how life feels like and reading the book makes you marvel at the fragility and beauty of life. 

The second story in the book, ‘Moonlight Shadow’ is a shorter read than the titular one. But it’s engaging and surreal. It tells the story of Satsuki, who lost her boyfriend in an accident. Her boyfriend’s brother Hiiragi also lost his girlfriend in the same accident. It’s once again a story about loss and grief, much like Kitchen but it focuses more on getting closure from a relationship before being able to move on in life. Even though it’s shorter than Kitchen, the characters are more fleshed out and the story felt more real despite the magical realism element to it. 

I enjoyed Yoshimoto’s short story collection but I would definitely recommend those reading her for the first time to start with Kitchen first as it’s simple yet thought-provoking. 

Kitchen

Banana Yoshimoto

Translated from the Japanese by Meghan Backus

Published: 1994

Publisher: Faber & Faber Limited

Pages: 150, paperback

Yuddha Yuddha Nai Huncha

Ubaraj Adhikari

Published: June 2025

Publisher: Indigo Ink

Pages: 86, Paperback

‘Yuddha Yuddha Nai Huncha’ (A War is a War), an anthology of 33 poetry by Ubaraj Adhikari, reflects on the social, political, and personal struggles faced by individuals in Nepal, capturing a wide array of emotions and philosophical depth. There is a keen observation of various societal issues as well as a powerful resilience of the human spirit of commoners who have been obliged to live in harsh times and circumstances.

In doing so, Adhikari explores the themes of rebellion, nationality, love, compassion, and hope ultimately advocating universal humanism. Similarly, critique of corruption, valorization of resilience, and struggle for dignity are some of the essential features of his poetry.  

Some of his poems including ‘Prithivi ko Sankalpa’ (Resolution of the Earth) portray the powerful rebellion against oppression. The poet asserts that change is possible by the effort of a single brave soul and one person is enough to shatter ignorance and tyranny. ‘One storm is enough,’ he says, and ‘the resolution of the earth is enough.’  Here, the storm and earth are personified. Through these natural images, the author is appealing for resistance against those in power. The title of the collection, Yuddha Yuddha Nai Huncha, reflects his in-depth understanding of conflict, not merely in physical terms but also in regards to mental and emotional realms. For Adhikari, war is an inevitable response to oppression, and war is not just fought with weapons, but also with the rebellion of the heart and mind.

In the anthology, Adhikari has dealt with different themes. For example, the poems including ‘Aama’  (Mother), ‘Janmaghar’ (Birthplace) and ‘Mero Priya Fuchche’ (My Dear Fuchche) bring a more personal and intimate tone to the author. Adhikari celebrates the maternal figures as the center of a family, ethos, and civilization. He has confessed his deep compassion, feelings, and attachment to his mother, birthplace, and pet ‘Fuchche’ and shown that universal humanism is at the center of his poems.

Adhikari is a keen observer of political and social consequences. His poem ‘Jindabaad ra Murdabaad ko Saharma Kohi Aaune Chha’ (Someone Will Come to this City of Nasty Slogans) depicts a dark picture of societal collapse where disease, starvation, and nasty political slogans take over human life. Adhikari critiques the inhumanity of modern society by highlighting the suffering of working-class people. Here, we see that the people are suffering but politicians are involved in hollow rhetorics. While depicting the suffering of common people, Adhikari isn’t pessimistic which gives the readers a sense of hope. The references to brave people like Veer Balabhadra Kuwar and Bhakti Thapa and phrases like ‘someone will come with the light of the dawn’ mark that there is a possibility of hope and resistance even in this critical circumstance. 

Similarly, some of the poems including ‘Manchhe ra Satya’ (The Man and the Truth) and ‘Jiunda Manchheharu’ (Alive People) are based on the themes of heroism and individual roles in the transformation of society and nation. However, this individuality, for Adhikari, is always connected to patriarchal feelings and nationality. He advocates that the bravery of a citizen should be harnessed for the sake of the nation. In poems such as ‘Desh’ (Nation) and ‘Aama ko Aanshu’  (A Mother’s Tear,) Adhikari strongly raises the theme of nationalism. For him, our nation has been built due to the sacrifices of our ancestors. 

The poetry collection is an amazing one and I believe it must reach more readers. Adhikari has written beautifully, highlighting the different issues of contemporary life. In Yuddha Yuddha Nai Huncha, Adhikari not only advocates for a massive socio-political transformation with ultimate social justice but also equally appeals to the readers to be aware of nationalism and identity.
 

We live in an increasingly polarized world and feminist literature has never been as important as it is today. It’s our only hope of a better, more inclusive world as reading about diverse cultures and experiences can make us more receptive to ideas that we might not necessarily agree with. I have seen staunch people change their views on gender and sexuality because they read or watched something that triggered an emotional response in them. It doesn’t happen overnight but there’s a chance that even people with strict traditional moral values might change their minds and be open to new ideas if they find works that resonate with them. This week, I’m recommending five of my favorite feminist reads that I think everyone, especially men, should read. 

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo

I first heard about this book from a BookTuber I follow. She spoke so highly of it that I wanted to get a copy as soon as I could. And I wanted a physical copy of the book because I was a little in love with its gorgeous, well thought out cover. ‘Three Women’ is a non-fiction book by Lisa Taddeo. It’s her debut novel and it follows the sexual and emotional lives of three women from different backgrounds and regions in the United States. Taddeo interviewed these three women and their families and friends over the course of eight long years. What I especially enjoyed about the book is that it reads like fiction rather than non-fiction. There’s almost a thriller element to it. The book details women’s complex emotions on desire and power and sheds light on how most women are the victims of misogyny even when it might not be obvious. I think it’s a must read for women of all ages and it’s an even more important work for men to pick up. 

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This slim book by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was published in 2014 and talks about the meaning of feminism and its importance in the 21st century. Adichie draws from her own life experiences and things that she has been told by other women. The main argument of the essay is, like the title suggests, everyone should be a feminist and Adichie shows how we can do better so that there is gender equality in the world. She urges readers to challenge old beliefs on gender that promote inequality between men and women. I read the book every six months or so because it’s short and the ideas presented in it make me think in different ways with every read. I also enjoy Adichie’s writing. Her novel ‘Purple Hibiscus’ is one of my absolute favorites. In ‘We Should All Be Feminists’, her voice rings loud and clear, inspiring you to do whatever you can to break free from cultural and social constructs that tell you that you are less than a man. I also tend to carry this book in my bag and dip in and out whenever I have some free time. Even if I read just a few lines, I find my mind becomes alert and I like how that feels. 

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

I didn’t read this book for the longest time because it was everywhere and I felt I knew everything there was to know about it without even owning a copy. ‘The Color Purple’, which was published in 1982, won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Everyone I knew, even those who didn’t read a lot, had read this book and I kind of felt left out so I finally gave in and bought a copy. The book has been targeted by censors many times, mainly for the explicit content so I also wanted to find out what the fuss was all about. The book has been adapted into feature films, musicals and even a radio series. The protagonist of the novel is sexually abused by her father and then her husband and the book details her journey of finding herself despite her circumstances. I must admit that it’s a difficult novel to read but it’s also an essential read as it makes you aware of the atrocities women suffer at the hands of men and why it’s important to speak up about gender equality and sexuality. 

A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

I have multiple copies of Virginia Woolf’s ‘A Room of One’s Own’ as it’s a book I keep lending out and people keep forgetting to return it and I always like having a copy at hand. One of my friends recently gifted me a special edition of the book that has become one of my prized possessions. It’s an extended essay based on two lectures that Woolf delivered in 1928 at women’s colleges. The idea of the work is basically that for women to achieve greatness and come up with good literary work, they must have two things and that both of these are non-negotiable: financial resources, and time and space in the form of ‘a room of one’s own’. You get the sense of how important financial freedom is, especially for women. It gives them independence and agency besides allowing them to pursue what they love. It’s narrated by an unnamed female character, making you feel like it could very well be you telling your story. There’s a television adaptation of the book that compliments it really well. But I suggest you read the book first and then watch it on screen for maximum impact. 

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

I believe there is a right time to read ‘The Awakening’ by Kate Chopin. Otherwise, it can come across as boring. I had almost given up on it after multiple tries when I picked it up on whim one day and really enjoyed it. It’s considered a landmark work of early feminist literature as it depicts female sexuality with brutal honesty and challenges traditional gender roles. It was originally titled ‘A Solitary Soul’ and depicts a young mother’s struggle to achieve sexual and personal freedom. When it was first published in 1899, it was criticized for its portrayal of marital infidelity. It has also been described as a case study of 19th century feminism as the theme of the novel is women’s bodily autonomy—the right to have control over one’s body and identity. Feminists back then argued that the only way a woman could gain freedom was by refusing men’s control over their bodies. They focused on a wife’s right to say no to sexual advances from her husband. The novel is laced with symbolism and thus feels a little heavy so I suggest you read it when you are in the right frame of mind for it as it will keep you up at night.