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Bangladeshi writer and activist Taslima Nasreen on Friday said she was "very happy" to be back in Kolkata, crediting the Secular Mission Trust and the West Bengal government for providing her security to facilitate the visit after nearly 19 years.
Addressing the media during her visit, Nasreen said she never thought it would be possible to return to the city. Speaking to ANI, Nasreen said she hoped to visit Kolkata more frequently, including during the city's book fairs and literary festivals. The author, who has lived in exile for years, said lack of security and support from other governments had kept her away. "I am very happy because I didn't think it would ever be possible for me to come back to Kolkata. Osman Gani Mallik of Secular Mission Trust actually made it possible. I really thank him because he invited me and took the initiative to arrange security for me so that I could come back. I couldn't come to Kolkata because I didn't get security, and I didn't get any support from other governments, but this government actually provided me with security so that I could come back. So I think that it will be very good if I could come back now and then, during the Book Fair and during Lit Fest," she said. On freedom of speech, Nasreen said freedom of expression was essential for democracy and called for the restoration of freedom of speech. She also expressed that no artist or writer should be thrown out of the country because of having different opinions. "Freedom of expression is very important for democracy. Without freedom of expression, there is no democracy. India is a democratic country, and I think that freedom of speech must be restored. No writer or artist should be thrown out of their country because of their different opinions or ideas," she said "I think that it's very important. So I came back, and I hope that other writers and artists could enjoy their freedom of speech," she added. The writer and activist, who has been living in exile since 1994, had previously said she had been invited to the city by an organisation called Secular Mission, headed by Osman Gani Mallik. Mallik, who was present at the airport along with BJP MLA Sourav Sikdar, said Nasreen had been forced to leave Kolkata in 2007 and recalled the protests that followed over her memoir. Nasreen's book Dwikhondito (Split into Two) was published in 2003. (ANI)
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