Asked to leave West Bengal in 2007, which she still considers her “own land”, exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen Wednesday hoped she could return to the eastern metropolis some day in future.
Nasreen stays in a house in Delhi under police protection.
The celebrated feminist said she has nothing to say on the political scenario in the state and is not antagonistic towards any political organisation that does not favour her.
“I have no comments on the political scenario in West Bengal. The state government at that time had for certain reasons asked me to leave but I do hope someday I can return,” Nasreen told the media here during a video conference to launch the Bengali serial “Dusahobas” based on her story.
“I had lost hope (about coming back to Kolkata). I had to leave Kolkata. A writer lives through her work. My presence there is not necessary as long as my work reaches out to the people of Bengal,” she said.
“I am extremely grateful that India has sheltered me … given me residence permits so that I can stay here.”
Being a Bengali writer, she feels that staying in constant touch with the language betters her verse.
“I am a Bengali author and it’s good to stay where Bengali is the language because if I stay away from the language then I have observed that my fluency gets affected … I tend to forget some words of Bengali,” Nasreen said.
On the political scene in the state, she said: “I do not indulge in politics. I am neutral … a political party which does good humanitarian work I am in favour of that. I am not against any party which doesn’t like me.”
—————-IANS