'I Didn't Think I'd Ever Come Back': Taslima Nasreen Returns to Kolkata After Nearly Two Decades

For nearly two decades, Kolkata remained a city of memories for Taslima Nasreen.

On Friday, the exiled Bangladeshi author walked its streets again.

Returning to Kolkata for the first time in 19 years, Nasreen said she never believed the day would come, thanking the West Bengal government and the Secular Mission Trust for making the visit possible by arranging security.

"I am very happy because I didn't think it would ever be possible for me to come back to Kolkata," she told ANI.

Nasreen said previous attempts to visit the city had failed because adequate security arrangements were unavailable.

"I couldn't come to Kolkata because I didn't get security, and I didn't get support from other governments. This government actually provided me with security so that I could come back," she said.

The celebrated writer, who has lived in exile since 1994, expressed hope that this visit would not be her last.

She said she would like to return more often, especially for Kolkata's Book Fair and literary festivals, events that have long been central to the city's cultural identity.

Beyond her homecoming, Nasreen also renewed her long-standing advocacy for freedom of expression.

"I hope other writers and artists can enjoy their freedom of speech," she said, adding that no writer or artist should ever be forced out of their country because of their ideas or opinions.

Nasreen was invited to Kolkata by the Secular Mission Trust, led by Osman Gani Mallik, who said he had taken the initiative to facilitate her return.

Mallik recalled that Nasreen had left Kolkata in 2007 following protests over her memoir Dwikhondito (Split into Two), a departure that ended one of the author's closest associations with the city.

Nineteen years later, that chapter has come full circle.

For Nasreen, the visit was more than a return to a familiar city. It was the homecoming she once thought would never happen.

(With inputs from ANI)