Kolkata | Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen on Monday visited College Street and Coffee House, considered the hub of Kolkata's cultural heritage, after nearly two decades, and described the experience as "getting back my life".
Nasreen, who is on a visit to the city after a gap of 19 years, also expressed hope that she would return to the city for the Kolkata Book Fair next year.
She spent time at the Coffee House on College Street, one of the city's best-known literary and cultural landmarks, and later shared photographs of the visit on social media.
Nationally and internationally revered authors, artists and filmmakers have visited the Coffee House, enjoyed cups of coffee, and discussed scripts, stories, and struggles.
"An adda after 19 years, more to come," she wrote in the post.
Speaking to reporters, Nasreen said she felt deeply connected to the city and its literary culture.
"I feel so good. I used to come to College Street. I used to come here a lot earlier. I have been to Coffee House many a time," she said.
College Street, also known as 'Boi Para' or the book hub, is a melting pot of intellectual activity, bustling bookstores, and architectural marvels.
Calling the visit an emotional homecoming, Nasreen said, "It's like getting back my life. I want to live among the Bengali language and literature. Coming here, it feels like I am in my own country."
She said publishing books in her mother tongue remained deeply meaningful.
The author also announced plans to publish several new Bengali titles in the coming months.
"My autobiography, 'Atmajiboni Samagra' Volume 1 is being published, and probably its second part will be published later. A book of poems and probably a story collection are in the pipeline. One is coming out, and another will follow," she said.
Nasreen also expressed her desire to participate in the next edition of the Kolkata Book Fair.
"I will surely come to the next Kolkata Book Fair," she said.
The author lived in Kolkata for several years before protests over the publication of her book ‘Dwikhandito’ (Split: A Life) forced the then Left Front government to move her out of the city in 2007.
Earlier in 1994, she left Bangladesh in the face of death threats from radical groups over her writings and her views on religion.
