&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin returns to Kolkata nearly two decades after she was forced to move out: 'Feeling very good to be back'")
Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin received a warm welcome in Kolkata n Friday as she returned to the city after nearly two decades. The writer was forced to leave Kolkata following violent protests over her controversial memoir Dwikhandito back in 2007.
Dressed in a white and red border cotton saree, Taslima arrived at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport from New Delhi, and was greeted warmly by supporters who had gathered at the airport to receive her. Greeting the gathering, Taslima, with folded hands, said, “I'm feeling very good to be back."
Her visit comes ahead of a public programme in Kolkata on August 1, marking her first public appearance in the city since she left in 2007.
Why did Taslima Nasrin leave Kolkata?
Taslima Nasrin was forced to leave Kolkata in November 2007 following violent protests by Islamist groups demanding a ban on Dwikhandito, the Bengali version of her memoir.
The unrest prompted the then West Bengal government to move her out of the state. She was later shifted to Delhi under tight security before eventually moving abroad.
More about Taslima Nasrin
Born in Mymensingh in present-day Bangladesh, Nasrin has lived in exile since 1994 after facing death threats and legal action over her writings, which were deemed controversial. Her novel Lajja, which highlighted the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in India, drew widespread attention and sparked fierce opposition from hardline groups in Bangladesh.
For years, exiled author Taslima Nasrin has openly expressed her wish to return to Kolkata, often calling it her second home. She is known to be a staunch advocate for secularism, women's rights, and the separation of state and religion and her return lands in the middle of ongoing debates surrounding free speech and the treatment of dissident writers in South Asia.
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This trip is not only her first visit to Kolkata in almost 20 years, but it also marks her first public engagement there since leaving in 2007. Briefing reporters at the airport, Nasrin shared her delight at finally returning to the city she holds so close to her heart.
