Home / News / India News / Photos / IN PHOTOS: Exiled author Taslima Nasreen returns to Kolkata after 19 years

IN PHOTOS: Exiled author Taslima Nasreen returns to Kolkata after 19 years

Updated On: 31 July, 2026 06:06 PM IST | Divya Nair

Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen returned to Kolkata after nearly 19 years, calling it an emotional homecoming. From her arrival at the airport to the city preparing for her literary event, here are the key moments from her long-awaited return. PICS/PTI

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Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen returns after nearly 19 years ahead of a literary event, at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, in Kolkata, West Bengal, on Friday. PIC/PTI
Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen returns after nearly 19 years ahead of a literary event, at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, in Kolkata, West Bengal, on Friday. PIC/PTI
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Taslima Nasreen's return comes ahead of a literary event on Saturday that has acquired political resonance under West Bengal's new BJP government

Taslima Nasreen's return comes ahead of a literary event on Saturday that has acquired political resonance under West Bengal's new BJP government

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It marks her first visit to Kolkata since November 2007, when she was compelled to leave the city following violent protests over her writings, ending what she had often described as the closest thing to home after her exile from Bangladesh

It marks her first visit to Kolkata since November 2007, when she was compelled to leave the city following violent protests over her writings, ending what she had often described as the closest thing to home after her exile from Bangladesh

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With folded hands, Nasreen greeted those waiting to receive her at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport and said, "I am feeling very good to be back"

With folded hands, Nasreen greeted those waiting to receive her at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport and said, "I am feeling very good to be back"

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The author will make her first public appearance here at an anti-fundamentalism literary programme at Rabindra Sadan, where she is expected to recite poetry

The author will make her first public appearance here at an anti-fundamentalism literary programme at Rabindra Sadan, where she is expected to recite poetry

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After fleeing Bangladesh in 1994 following death threats over her novel Lajja, Taslima Nasreen settled in Kolkata in 2004 and made the city her cultural home in exile. She left in 2007 after violent protests over her memoir Dwikhandito and has long expressed a desire to return to the city.

After fleeing Bangladesh in 1994 following death threats over her novel Lajja, Taslima Nasreen settled in Kolkata in 2004 and made the city her cultural home in exile. She left in 2007 after violent protests over her memoir Dwikhandito and has long expressed a desire to return to the city.

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