On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the British Council in Kolkata, in collaboration with the Kolkata Literary Meet and Seagull Books, invites you to a special evening celebrating the power of women’s voices in translation and publishing.
The featured guest is Deepa Bhasthi, winner of the 2025 International Booker Prize for her English translation of Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq. A writer and literary translator working between Kannada and English, she is the first Indian translator—and the first translator of colour—to receive the honour. Her work reflects a deep commitment to literary exchange, equity, and women-led cultural practice. The conversation will foreground the vital role of women in translation and publishing, positioning translation not merely as craft, but as a feminist act of connection, care, and cultural resistance.
Event details: Saturday 7 March from 6.00 p.m. onwards at British Council, 16 Camac Street, L&T Chambers, Kolkata 700017
Meet the Panel:
Deepa Bhasthi is a writer and International Booker Prize–winning literary translator working between Kannada and English, and the first Indian translator and translator of colour to receive the honour. Her essays and cultural criticism have been widely published in India and internationally.
Sunandini Banerjee is Senior Editor and Senior Graphic Designer at Seagull Books, where she designs the press’s books and catalogues, and her creativity now finds expression in the aesthetic and thought-provoking book covers at Seagull Books.
Shahana Chatterjee, Chief Coordinator of the Kolkata Literary Meet, has worked across India, Bangladesh, and South Africa in community theatre focusing on women’s rights, disability rights, and marginalized communities, alongside performing on stage and in independent screen projects.
For more details, please write to Praveena.Ireland@Britishcouncil.org