Mysore/Mysuru, Aug. 25 -- Following Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's announcement that International Booker Prize-winning author Banu Mushtaq would inaugurate this year's Mysuru Dasara festival, a video of her 2023 address at the 'Jana Sahitya Sammelana' in Bengaluru has resurfaced and gone viral on social media.

In the clip, Mushtaq is heard saying, "You've smeared turmeric and vermilion on Kannada and turned it into Bhuvaneshwari with a red and yellow flag. Where am I supposed to stand now? What should I see? How should I be involved? The conspiracy to oust me hasn't begun today - it's been unfolding for a long time."

The statement, drawn from a deeply personal account, reflecting her sense of linguistic and cultural marginalisation, has...