Taslima Nasrin likely to return to Kolkata after 20 years for August 1 event
The author has been invited by Secular Mission and the Human Rights and Bangladesh Freedom Fighters Foundation (HRBFF). The organisers said the invitation is in recognition of her long-standing stand against fundamentalism and her advocacy of freedom of expression.
Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin is set to return to Kolkata after nearly two decades. She is scheduled to attend an event organised by anti-fundamentalist poets and writers at Rabindra Sadan on August 1, a development she announced on social media.
This time, she has been invited by Secular Mission and the Human Rights and Bangladesh Freedom Fighters Foundation (HRBFF). The organisers said the invitation is in recognition of her long-standing stand against fundamentalism and her advocacy of freedom of expression.
Her proposed visit has sparked fresh discussions in literary and cultural circles, given her long and turbulent association with the city.
Nasrin left Kolkata in 2007 during the Left Front government's tenure after violent protests over her writings led to a deterioration in the law and order situation. Since then, several attempts to facilitate her return were unsuccessful, with events being cancelled over security concerns.
Nasrin has often described Kolkata as the city closest to her heart. However, opposition from religious fundamentalist groups and recurring security concerns kept her away from the city for almost 20 years.
Known for her outspoken views on women's rights, secularism and freedom of expression, Nasrin has drawn both international acclaim and controversy. Her criticism of conservative interpretations of Islam has triggered protests in the past and forced her into exile.
UNCERTAINTY AMID EXILE IN INDIA
Nasrin has been living in exile for three decades after leaving Bangladesh in 1994, when a fatwa was issued against her over her writings.
After spending several years in Europe, she eventually moved to India, where she lived in Kolkata between 2004 and 2007 before being forced to leave following violent protests by fundamentalist groups. During that period, her book Dwikhandito was banned in West Bengal.
She later stayed briefly in Jaipur before settling in Delhi in 2011 on a long-term residence permit, which has since been renewed annually. Nasrin holds Swedish citizenship.
In September 2024, Nasrin had expressed concern over her future in India after her residence permit expired in July and was not immediately renewed. At the time, she also voiced anxiety over the political turmoil in Bangladesh following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
She had said she was unable to get clarity from officials on the status of her application and that the online portal continued to show her request as "updating". Her residence permit was subsequently renewed following the intervention of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.