Taslima Nasrin returns to Kolkata after 19-year exile over 'Lajja'
After 19 years away, exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin is back in Kolkata, a city she once called home for 14 years.
Forced to leave in 2007 over protests against her novel Lajja, she described this return as an emotional homecoming and thanked the authorities for finally opening the door for her again.
Taslima Nasrin calls book bans undemocratic
Nasrin didn't hold back on her views, saying that banning books or exiling writers "amounts to killing democracy."
She shared that earlier attempts to come back fell through due to security issues.
Now, with things looking up, she's planning to visit events like the Kolkata Book Fair and hopes to spend more time in the city where she feels she can finally "breathe the free, open air of Bengal."
Returning to Bangladesh still feels unlikely; she says it would take a "miracle."