Taslima Nasreen's stage invite to poet Joy Goswami sparks protest at Kolkata event
A brief commotion broke out at a cultural programme in Kolkata on Saturday after exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen invited Bengali poet Joy Goswami to
A brief commotion broke out at a cultural programme in Kolkata on Saturday after exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen invited Bengali poet Joy Goswami to join her on stage. Protests from a section of the audience briefly interrupted her address during an event marking her return to the city after nearly two decades. As Goswami got up from his seat and began walking towards the dais, loud shouting erupted from part of the audience, forcing him to turn back and sit down. The disruption paused the programme for several minutes before Nasreen appealed for calm and resumed her speech. Read Full Story The incident took place soon after Nasreen was invited to speak.
She asked Goswami, who was seated in the audience, to come up to the stage. When he responded, the auditorium reverberated with slogans and loud voices. Organisers repeatedly appealed to the audience to remain calm, but the commotion continued for some time. Nasreen then broke her silence and said, "Shall I speak? Then please calm down and take your seats," after which order was restored. The disruption reflected lingering emotions over Goswami's perceived silence during the years Nasreen remained in exile and his proximity to former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, which appeared to have fuelled resentment among some in the audience. The reaction came despite Goswami having publicly expressed regret in the past over Nasreen's long exile, saying he considered himself "guilty" for not doing enough when she was forced to leave Kolkata in 2007 amid violent protests over her writings.
Many in the audience, however, appeared unwilling to see him share the stage with Nasreen during what was billed as her symbolic homecoming. The programme was held hours after Suvendu Adhikari accorded Nasreen a civic reception at a hall in the state secretariat complex. It marked her first visit to Kolkata in 19 years. In her speech, Nasreen said her return was like coming back to "a part of life" she had left behind. She said her homecoming showed that "injustice can be long but cannot be permanent", and expressed hope that one day no writer would be forced into exile for exercising the right to free expression.
Nasreen had left Kolkata in November 2007 after violent protests over her presence in the city. She was first moved to Jaipur and later to New Delhi under central security before eventually leaving India. Saturday's visit, marked by both welcome and disruption, was her first return to Kolkata since then. Ends
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