‘Took me 19 years to say I have returned to Kolkata’: Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin
Nasrin returned to Kolkata after more than 18 years, after she was forced to leave in November 2007 by the then Left Front government.
Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin, who has been living in exile for over 18 years, returned to Kolkata recently. Nasrin, who was forced to leave Kolkata in November 2007 due to the then Left Front government, expressed her emotions during a cultural and felicitation program in Kolkata. She said, "It took me around 19 years to say that I have returned to Kolkata.
In an exiled person's calendar, each passing year is not just a measure of time. Every year is like a closed door, every month is a wait and every day bears the pain of losing her address." After her return, Nasrin feels like coming back to a part of life she left behind. The cultural event, organized by Paschimbonger Jonno, Human Rights Beyond Frontiers, and Secular Mission, celebrated her return.
Nasrin, who has been living in Delhi since 2011 on a long-term resident permit from the BJP government, received felicitation from the event organizers. She was forced to leave Bangladesh in 1994 due to death threats from several Muslim organizations over her writings and the book Lajja (shame). Nasrin has lived in exile in India since 2004.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who attended the program, welcomed Nasrin and acknowledged her experience of the change in West Bengal, inviting her to visit as many times as she desires.
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