India
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Taslima Nasreen returns to Kolkata after nineteen years
The Hindu··31 Jul
Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin returned to Kolkata on July 31 after nearly 19 years, calling it an emotional homecoming. She is scheduled to recite poetry at an anti fundamentalism event at Rabindra Sadan with West Bengal government security support. Nasrin left Kolkata in November 2007 after violent protests over her memoir Dwikhandito following exile from Bangladesh.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Kolkata readers can attend Taslima Nasrin's July 31 anti fundamentalism literary programme at Rabindra Sadan where she is scheduled to recite poetry.
- Writers and activists tracking freedom of expression may note her first visit since November 2007 when protests forced her departure from the city.
- Anyone following Bengal politics should know the BJP presents her return as correcting earlier Left and Trinamool handling of religious pressure on authors.
What's Happening
- Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin returned to Kolkata on July 31 after nearly 19 years, calling the visit an emotional homecoming to a city she considers her own.
- She is set to appear at an anti fundamentalism literary event at Rabindra Sadan and thanked organisers and the West Bengal government for security arrangements.
- Nasrin fled Bangladesh in the 1990s after threats over writings on women's rights and left Kolkata in November 2007 following violent protests over her memoir Dwikhandito.
From Lajja Exile To Rabindra Sadan
- Nasrin settled in Kolkata in 2004 after fleeing death threats over her novel Lajja but was asked to leave in 2007 amid protests over banned memoir portions.
- Her visit comes months after the BJP formed government in West Bengal amid renewed debate on secularism and freedom of expression.
- She has lived abroad for decades while India periodically renewed her visa, often restricting her stay to Delhi rather than Bengal.
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