Upcoming
VOICES ACROSS BORDERS: WHO GETS REPRESENTED?
When: 20 September, 2026
Time: 2pm – 4pm UK (BST)
Location: Online
Tickets: £3.14 (if in Pakistan) – £6.13
(concessions available; please email hello@lakeermag.com)
A panel discussion and readings by exciting voices in writing and translation from South Asia.
Translations can and should start from home ground itself, with the understanding that they are, already, part of world literature. Chaired by Hammad Rind, South Asian translators and writers Deepa Bhasthi, Gaya Nagahawatta, Eratfa Bintay Redwan, Rishabh Pandit, and Fazal Baloch will talk about the power of translation; what is meant by home ground and global stage; the challenges of translating from underrepresented languages; and the opportunities that can be created.
Poster artwork by Rabia Malik.
DEEPA BHASTHI
Deepa Bhasthi is a writer and literary translator working in Kannada and English. She was the first Indian translator to win the International Booker Prize in 2025. Her essays, columns and journalism have been published extensively in Indian and international publications, anthologies and visual art book projects. She is the author of a children’s book titled Champi and the Fig Tree. Deepa’s published book-length translations from Kannada include works by Kota Shivarama Karanth, Kodagina Gouramma and Banu Mushtaq. She was a National Book Critics Circle Awards finalist, and is a recipient of an EnglishPEN Award.
GAYA NAGAHAWATTA
Gaya Nagahawatta is a Sri Lankan writer, educator, and multidisciplinary artist. She works in Sinhala and English. She has translated and edited acclaimed fiction and plays, and has served on state literary, photography and theatre juries. She has exhibited sculpture and installation in group shows. Her writing has appeared in adda, Literary Shanghai, and SAARC, as well as in books published by Women Unlimited (India), Bloodaxe Books (UK), and leading Sri Lankan presses. Earlier this year, she curated a selection of Sri Lankan writing for “Avaaz,” an online column at Lakeer, and her translation of a state-award-winning Sinhala short story by Piyal Kariyawasam won recognition at Himal Fiction Fest 2026. Find her on Instagram as @gayanagahawatta and at kathakiyanno.org.
ERATFA BINTAY REDWAN
Eratfa Bintay Redwan is an emerging writer, translator, poet, and creative artist. Her literary work is characterized by a deep exploration of love, philosophy, and spirituality. Although her ancestral home is in Chittagong, she was born and raised in Dhaka. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Urdu at the University of Dhaka and is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in the same department while working as a Research Coordinator.
She is the author of Galiber Premaspod [The Lover of Ghalib]. Her translated works include Rumi Daylight. Among her e-books are Ami Juddho Korum, Hridoyer Oti Dure, Ulot-Palot(Sci-fi), Triple Three(Sci-fi), koyekti Nirghum Raat, Rooh-e-Safar Ghalib, etc. Alongside her literary pursuits, she is actively involved in dance, acting, and painting. Through her creative and scholarly endeavors, she continues to contribute to contemporary Bengali literature and translation studies.
RISHABH PANDIT
Rishabh Pandit is a multilingual literary translator, poet, researcher and the founder of a popular digital humanities platform brown_verses on Instagram, dedicated to the translation of South Asian and Persian poetry. His work focuses particularly on translating poetry from the endangered languages of North India, while also exploring the political narratives embedded in poetry across cultures and languages.
FAZAL BALOCH
Fazal Baloch is a writer and translator. His most recent work is a translation of Nazuk, a novel by Sayad Hashumi (Balochistan Academy Turbat, 2026). A part of his translation of Nazuk was shortlisted as one of the finalists at Himal Fiction Fest 2026. He has previously published nine English anthologies and one Urdu collection of his translations. His other works include God and the blind man: short stories by Munir Ahmed Badini (Balochistan Academy of Science and Research, 2020), The Broken Verses: Aphorism and Epigrams by Sayad Hashumi (Balochi Academy Quetta 2021), Rising Stars: English Translations of Selected Balochi Literature by Writers under the Age of Fifty (Pakistan Academy of Letters Islamabad, 2022), Why Does the Moon Look So Beautiful: Why Does The Moon Look So Beautiful: Balochi Short Storiesby Naguman (Balochistan Academy Turbat, revised edition 2024), The Snake by the Sunflower (A Balochi Novelette) by Hanif Sharif (HazkZard Books, 2024), and Every Verse for You: Selected Poetry by Mubarak Qazi (Balochistan Academy Turbat, revised edition 2025).
HAMMAD RIND
Hammad Rind is a Pakistani-born writer and translator based in Cardiff. He is the author of Four Dervishes and Panchven Darvesh ka Qissa. His translations include Uljha Gham, from Knotted Grief by Naveen Kishore, and Nodiadlyfr Bach y Wawr, co-translated with the poet Iestyn Tyne from the Arabic poems of Najwan Darwish into Welsh. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Welsh.
Past events
Lakeer Kahaniyan Lahore at The Last Word
15 February, 2026
An in-person event with readings from an open-mic lineup as well as Lakeer contributors.
Poster artwork by Sarah Khan.
Lakeer Kahaniyan – virtual
16 November, 2025
A virtual event with Lakeer contributors, as well as a random reader draw and Q&A with the writers.
Poster artwork by Maliha Hasan.
Lakeer Kahaniyan at Kitab Ghar Karachi
7 February, 2025
In-person event with Lakeer contributors and an open-mic line up.
Poster artwork by Rabia Malik.
Lakeer Kahaniyan
22 December, 2024
A virtual event celebrating Lakeer contributors.
Poster artwork by Rabia Malik.
Lakeer Kahaniyan
8 June, 2024
A virtual event celebrating Lakeer contributors.
Poster artwork by Rabia Malik.
Mehfil with Rawanee
12 May, 2024
A virtual event in collaboration with Rawanee.