International Booker Prize Winner Banu Mushtaq Inaugurates Mysuru Dasara Festival Amid Row Over Invite
The inauguration by Mushtaq comes after the Supreme Court dismissed a plea challenging the Karnataka government's decision to invite the International Booker Prize winner to inaugurate Mysuru Dasara.
International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq inaugurated the Mysuru Dasara festival on Moday, kicking off the annual celebrations involving plethora of religious and cultural events in the city and palaces. The festival is held each year to keep up the tradition of Navaratri festival that began in 1610.
The inauguration of the festivities was done during the auspicious "Vrushchika Lagna". Mushtaq showered flowers on the idol of goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of Mysuru and its royals, amid chanting of Vedic hymns by priests, at the premises of Chamundeshwari temple atop the Chamundi Hills in Mysuru.
Celebrated as ''Nada Habba'' (state festival), this year's festivities are expected to be a grand affair that will go on eleven-days, till 'Vijayadashami' on October 2, based on the lunar calendar.
Mushtaq was honoured by the Mysuru district administration. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and several state cabinet ministers were also present.
#WATCH | Mysuru, Karnataka: Booker prize-winning author Banu Mushtaq, who inaugurated Mysuru Dasara, is being honoured by the Mysuru district administration. pic.twitter.com/kycNvUkFDq
— ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2025
Row Over Invitation To Mushtaq
The inauguration by Mushtaq comes after the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea challenging the Karnataka government's decision to invite the International Booker Prize winner to inaugurate Mysuru Dasara this year.
A row erupted after the state government decided to invite Mushtaq to inaugurate this year's Mysuru Dasara. Critics argued that inviting her for the inauguration, which traditionally begins with Vedic rituals and floral offerings to the diety, is disrespectful to the religious sentiments and age-old traditions.
BJP leaders also criticised the idea, especially after an old video surfaced on the internet and went viral, wherein she expressed reservations about worshipping the Kannada language as "Goddess Bhuvaneshwari". However, when the top court refused to intervene in the matter, all decks were cleared for the schedule of events.
Following the controversy over the alleged video, Mushtaq said that her statement was distorted and that selective parts of her old speech were shared, which went viral on social media.
Top Headlines
