NEW DELHI: Over three decades spent chronicling the everyday lives of women in India, International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq says she cannot live without writing as it is like breathing for her.

Mushtaq's short story collection "Heart Lamp", translated by Deepa Bhasthi from Kannada to English, became the first Kannada title to receive the prestigious literary award on May 21.

The writer, who returned to India on Tuesday, reflected on her career as a lawyer, women's rights activist, a reporter, and a writer in an interview with PTI.

"I had to make a lot of effort. I had to write and I had to work hard, I have done all of that. There are many challenges in it. Writing is not that easy, there are many difficulties and challenges in it, I had to face that too. I never thought that I would not write. Every day I believe that I have to write. I cannot live without writing, writing is like breathing for me, that is why I had to write and move forward," Mushtaq said.

The winning collection of 12 short stories chronicles the resilience, resistance, wit, and sisterhood of everyday women struggling in patriarchal setup in southern India. Mushtaq and Bhasthi competed against five other international titles for the coveted GBP 50,000 prize.

It was a moment of disbelief for Mushtaq, who called her win "a miraculous thing".

"The jury chairman delivered his speech. My children and I were watching what he was going to say, when finally the 'Heart Lamp' was announced, our happiness knew no bounds, I became numb for two minutes. I could not understand what I was hearing," the 77-year-old said.

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