Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin returns to Kolkata after nearly two decades | Today’s news
Bangladeshi-born author Taslima Nasrin will return to Kolkata for the first time in nearly two decades for a literary event on August 1, her first public appearance in the city since 2007, when she was forced to leave following violent protests over her writings.
According to a report in The Telegraph, the event on the theme of opposition to fundamentalism will be held at Rabindra Sadan and is organized by Secular Mission, Human Rights and Bangladesh Freedom Fighters’ Foundation (HRBFF) and Poschimbongyer Jonnyo (For West Bengal).
At the event, Taslima will recite her poems, participate in a discussion on free thought and fundamentalism, and attend a civic reception in her honor.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is likely to attend the reception along with Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta, former BJP state president Tathágata Roy and prominent figures in Bengali literature.
Ensuring security paved the way
Speaking to The Telegraph, Osman Gani Mallick of the Secular Mission said the organizers approached Chief Minister Suvenda Adhikari in late June to invite Nasrin back to Calcutta.
“He said the state government would take care of her security and asked us to arrange the rest,” Mallick said. He added that Taslima will arrive in Kolkata a day before the event and will stay in the city for two days.
Earlier, in an interview with The Indian Express, Mallick said that the author will also talk about her years in exile and the circumstances that forced her to leave Kolkata.
Return after 19 years
Taslima, a doctor turned author, fled Bangladesh in 1994 after receiving death threats over her writings, particularly the 1993 novel Lajja (Shame), which depicts the persecution of a Hindu family in Bangladesh following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.
She later moved to Kolkata after receiving a temporary residence permit from the Government of India in 2004 and lived there until 2007.
However, widespread protests erupted over her autobiographical work Dwikhandito (Split: A Life), which was accused by some groups of hurting religious sentiments.
The then CPM-led Left Front government under Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee banned the book, citing fears of communal tension, though the Calcutta High Court later lifted the ban.
Violent protests in Kolkata in November 2007 eventually forced her to leave the city. After hours of unrest in central Kolkata, the army was called in to restore order. She was first taken to Jaipur and later shifted to Delhi.
Taslima currently resides in Delhi on a long-term resident permit.
Political reactions
West Bengal Minister Agnimitra Paul welcomed Nasrin’s return and criticized previous governments for failing to ensure the author’s safety.
“The Left government failed to ensure the safety of a talented writer like Taslima Nasrin. They practiced politics in the name of Muslims but failed to protect her. As for Mamata Banerjee’s tenure, I don’t even want to go into it. I hear she is coming back and I am a great admirer of her books,” Paul told news agency ANI.
However, former CPM leader and ex-Jadavpur MLA Sujan Chakraborty dismissed the allegation that only the Left government was responsible for Nasrin’s exit.
He told The Telegraph that the decision regarding the stay of foreign nationals rested with the Union government and suggested that Nasrin could have visited Kolkata earlier if the Center allowed it.
Organizers said the aim of the event was to celebrate “mukto chinta ar mukto bhabna” (free thought and free thought) and send a message against religious fundamentalism rather than revisiting past political controversies.
