Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin returned to Kolkata after a gap of 19 years on Friday, describing the moment as the recovery of “a chapter of my lost life” while delivering a forceful defence of free speech, secularism, women’s rights and the right to criticise religious ideologies.
The event, attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, marked Nasrin’s first public address in Kolkata since leaving the city in 2007. During her speech, she thanked Adhikari and the West Bengal government for ensuring her security, while stressing that her gratitude should not be mistaken for political allegiance.
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Speaking at a public event in Kolkata, Nasrin reflected on decades of exile from both Bangladesh and West Bengal, saying her return was more than a personal milestone. She called it a reminder that “closed doors do not remain closed forever” and said the day represented a victory of free thought over fear and censorship.
“I have not just returned to a city. I have returned to a chapter of my lost life,” she said, adding that she was overwhelmed by the welcome she received after nearly two decades away from Kolkata.
Nasrin thanked Secular Mission chairman Osman Gani Mallick for inviting her to the city and expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari for facilitating her return and ensuring her security.
“I have not come here to speak for any political party. I have come to speak for equal rights of women, human rights, secularism, rationality, free thought and freedom of speech,” she said.
RECALLING YEARS OF EXILE
The author recounted how she was forced to leave Bangladesh on August 8, 1994, after facing threats over her writings, and later had to leave Kolkata in 2007 despite not being convicted of any crime.
Describing exile as both a personal and political experience, she said the state had failed to protect writers from extremist threats.
“The state removed me from the country, but it could not remove the country from within me,” she said, describing the Bengali language as her “portable homeland.”
Nasrin recalled discovering Kolkata through literature, radio broadcasts and correspondence long before she first visited the city. She said poetry and literature had connected the two Bengals even when political borders divided them.
She also spoke about finding a home in Kolkata during her years in exile before being forced to leave in 2007 following threats from fundamentalist groups.
‘FREEDOM OF SPEECH BELONGS TO EVERYONE’
A major part of Nasrin’s address focused on freedom of expression and the dangers of governments yielding to threats from extremist groups.
She argued that exiling writers does not create lasting peace but instead strengthens those who seek to silence dissent.
“In a civilised society, the answer to one argument is another argument, the answer to a book is another book,” she said, urging people to challenge ideas through debate rather than violence or censorship.
Nasrin said freedom of speech must extend even to unpopular opinions, arguing that the strength of a democracy is reflected in how safely dissenting voices can express themselves.
She also expressed hope that writers would one day no longer require police protection simply to attend events or publish their work.
CRITICISM OF RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISM
Nasrin reiterated her long-held criticism of religious fundamentalism, saying she opposed all forms of extremism but had spoken most extensively about Islamic fundamentalism because it was the ideology she had experienced firsthand.
She rejected the suggestion that criticism of Islam amounted to hatred of Muslims, arguing that people deserve protection while ideologies should remain open to scrutiny.
According to Nasrin, reform within Muslim societies requires open discussion on issues including women’s rights, freedom of belief and equal citizenship.
She also criticised governments that, in her view, prioritise religious pressure over constitutional rights and warned that compromising with threats only emboldens extremists.
CALLS FOR EQUALITY AND SECULARISM
The author devoted a significant portion of her speech to advocating equal rights for women and a secular state.
She argued that no religious law should deny women equality and called for legal systems to be guided by constitutional values rather than religious identity.
Nasrin also supported the idea of a common civil code based on human rights and gender equality rather than the principles of any particular religion.
She maintained that true secularism requires separating religion from state institutions, politics and education while ensuring equal rights for believers and non-believers alike.
HOPE DESPITE EXILE
Despite recalling decades of persecution, threats and displacement, Nasrin said she remained optimistic about the future.
She expressed hope that Bangladesh would one day separate religion from the state, guarantee equal rights for women and minorities, and allow writers and free thinkers to express themselves without fear.
Concluding her address, Nasrin became emotional as she reflected on returning to Kolkata after nearly two decades.
“No one can give me back those 19 years,” she said. “But today’s opening of the door proves that injustice can last a long time, but it is not eternal.”
Calling her return a victory for freedom of speech, free thought and the affection of ordinary people, she ended with a message of gratitude to the city she once considered home.
“Today, you did not just bring me back to Kolkata,” she said. “You brought me back to my lost life.”
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
