Writer Banu Mushtaq affirms respect for Dasara festival amid row over inauguration invite

International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq, who has been invited to inaugurate the world-famous 'Mysuru Dasara-2025' celebrations, has affirmed her respect for the festival and Goddess Chamundeshwari.

Reacting to objections raised by some BJP leaders and others, to the state government's decision to invite her to inaugurate the Dasara festivities, citing her reservations to alleged personification of Kannada language as 'Goddess Bhuvaneshwari', Mushtaq said active politicians should have sense as to which issue should be politicised and which should not be.

She also claimed that her statement has been distorted and a handful of people were trying to project her relationship with Kannada with a sense of ''suspicion'', by ''manipulating'' things.

Several BJP leaders, including its state President B Y Vijayendra and Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, also the scion of the erstwhile royal family, had on Monday asked Mushtaq to clarify her reverence towards Goddess Chamundeshwari before consenting to inaugurate the Dasara.

The controversy stems from an old video, in which she has reportedly expressed reservations about worshipping the Kannada language as ''Goddess Bhuvaneshwari'', and has stated that it was exclusionary to people like her (minorities).

Dasara is traditionally inaugurated by showering flowers on the idol of goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of Mysuru and its royals, amid chanting of Vedic hymns, at the premises of Chamundeshwari temple atop the Chamundi Hills in Mysuru.

''It (invitation to inaugurate Dasara) is definitely a happy thing. We can see this in various ways. You call Chamundeshwari Taayi (mother Chamundeshwari), I respect your feelings. Many call it Naada Habba (state festival), I respect that too,'' Mushtaq said, after receiving a bagina (traditional offering) from a Bengaluru-based organisation 'Ammana Madilu' on Monday.

She said, ''calling Dasara as Naada Habba or calling goddess Chamundeshwari Taayi (mother) with a lot of affection and love, all these are part of our culture and this state. So this festival is something that I too like and respect, and participate with affection.'' ''As a child, I had been to Dasara with my parents to witness 'Jamboo Savari' (a march of about a dozen caparisoned elephants as part of the procession on Vijayadashami). This time I have got the invitation to inaugurate the Dasara, it is extremely a happy thing for me,'' Mushtaq added.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, after receiving felicitation from the Hassan District Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Mushtaq said her statement has been distorted by making selective parts of her old speech viral.

Thanking the state government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for extending her the invitation to inaugurate Dasara, she said it seems as though the Goddess Chamundeshwari is wanting her to come to Mysuru, as last time during her visit to the city, she could not pay a visit to the temple along with her friend, who had prayed to Goddess for her International Booker Prize win.

To a question on opposition to her inaugurating Dasara, Mushtaq said, ''crores of Kannadigas are showing love and affection towards me, why should I react to one or two persons' negativity? There is no need for it. People will react, there is no need for me to react.'' Noting that there should be politics, and there should be ruling and opposition parties, she said, ''but active politicians should have the sense, as to on which issue politics should be done, and on which issue they shouldn't. I expect more people like Yaduveer in the BJP, as he has in a balanced way approached the issue and has made his statement without room for any confusion. Such a thing is possible from cultured and educated minds.'' Clarifying that only select portion of her speech at the 2023 'Jana Sahitya Sammelana' have been made viral on social media, Mushtaq said, ''that conference was a counter to keeping away Muslim literary person from Kannada Sahitya Sammelana held at Haveri earlier, and speaking as the President of the conference, I had to speak there as the voice of Muslims, minorities, Dalits, oppressed communities and women.'' ''I had said at that event that, instead of using Kannada as a language, it is being treated emotionally, by making it a Goddess. When a language is considered a language, all of us will read it and let's use it as our language....I had tried to instill confidence among Kannada writers from minority communities who were kept away, by telling them not to feel abandoned and come closer,'' she explained.

Mushtaq further said, there is no need to distort her statement and that what she had said should be understood in full context, with an open mind.

''I want to tell a very few handful of people who are projecting the relationship between me and Kannda with a sense of suspicion, by manipulating things -- love and use Kannada as much as I do. Take Kannada to an international level, as much as I have. I have made people speak about Kannada there (abroad), I'm reading Kannada in front of people there.'' ''If you achieve this much you will have the right to throw mud at me, if not there won't be any value to what you say. I'm evidence to prove that Kannada will never let down those who believe in it,'' she added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)