Nearly two decades after departing Kolkata amid protests sparked by her writings, Bangladesh-born Swedish author Taslima Nasreen plans to return for a literary program on August 1. The event at Rabindra Sadan will be hosted by Secular Mission, Paschimbonger Jonno, and Human Rights Beyond Frontiers. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and writer Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay are expected to attend. Organizers stated the program will include readings of Nasreen’s poems and songs, with security measures in place. She will discuss her time in exile and the events that led to her departure. Nasreen, now based in New York, last visited in 2007 after demonstrations over her book Dwikhondito prompted her exit. She has written more than 40 works in Bengali on themes of women’s rights and social issues. Her novel Lajja gained wide attention after its 1993 release. Following threats, she left Bangladesh in 1994 and later obtained Swedish citizenship. She received a temporary residence permit in India in 2004 and resided in Kolkata until protests in 2007 led to her relocation to New Delhi and eventual departure in 2008.
