Deepa Bhasthi

Deepa Bhasthi (born 1983) is an Indian writer, literary translator and journalist from the southern 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. 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 Russian classics.

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. As a journalist, she has had essays, columns and critiques published in more than 40 Indian and overseas newspapers and magazines.

Bhasthi lives in her hometown of Madikeri with her husband, artist and farmer Nanaiah Chettira, on a farm, along with their five dogs. 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. 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. 2025: International Booker Prize for Heart Lamp, shared with Banu Mushtaq