Taslima Nasrin to return to Kolkata after 19 years for anti-fundamentalism event
Nearly two decades after she was forced to leave Kolkata amid violent protests over her writings, exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin is set to return
Nearly two decades after she was forced to leave Kolkata amid violent protests over her writings, exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin is set to return to the city next month to attend an event, in a politically symbolic moment that the BJP government in West Bengal is projecting as the reversal of what it calls a long-standing capitulation to religious fundamentalism. Nasrin shared a post on social media that she would be in Kolkata on August 1 to participate in an anti-fundamentalism literary event at Rabindra Sadan, where she is expected to recite poetry. The event, organised by a group of secular and anti-fundamentalist organisations, has acquired significance beyond the literary sphere, coming months after the BJP assumed office in West Bengal and amid renewed political debate over freedom of expression, secularism and the state's relationship with religious sensitivities. "It will basically be an event to celebrate her coming to the city after 20 years. She was forced to leave Kolkata on November 21, 2007, after the then Left Front government bowed before fundamentalist forces. This is a new Bengal, and we have decided to honour her. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari himself will be present at the event," said Mohit Roy, one of the convenors, whose organisation Paschimbangar Jonno is among the organisers, told PTI.
When asked if the event is a precursor to her return to the city, Mr. Roy said nothing has been discussed so far. For the BJP, Ms. Nasrin's return represents far more than the homecoming of a controversial writer. "Successive Left Front and TMC governments chose political expediency over free speech by refusing to facilitate her return, despite her repeated appeals to visit Kolkata for literary events and book fairs," a senior state BJP leader said. The issue was brought back into national focus last year when BJP Rajya Sabha MP and current West Bengal party president Samik Bhattacharya urged the Centre in Parliament to facilitate Ms. Nasrin's return to Kolkata, describing her as a rare voice who had consistently challenged Islamist fundamentalism in Bangladesh. At the time, both the then Trinamool Congress government in the State had shown little inclination to act on the proposal, with Ms. Nasrin herself saying she no longer wished to be ‘kicked around like a football’ by changing political dispensations. "I don't want to get kicked around anymore. Instead, it would please me if the governments allow me to travel to Kolkata to attend literature festivals and book fairs," she had then told PTI in an interview. The proposed visit now comes against an altered political backdrop.
The BriefWire