After exile, the trauma

Sir — The government is already finding it difficult to grapple with various communal issues. Given the amount of tension all around, the Centre should not have taken the risk of giving shelter to Taslima Nasreen once again. Her persistent demand for coming back to Calcutta may be triggered by genuine sentiments and love for the city, but for the sake of communal harmony in the state, the government has to be diplomatic yet firm about not letting her enter West Bengal.

Thankfully she has found accommodation at the Delhi home of a former Indian ambassador to Sweden. (“Taslima stays at ex-envoy house”, Aug 11). This is a blessing of sorts for the government, because it can now plead ‘not guilty’ to the charge of keeping the author out of the country, and also save taxpayers’ money on her protection.

Yours faithfully,
A.S. Mehta, Calcutta

Sir — The fact that the state and Central governments are rejecting Taslima Nasreen’s plea to enter West Bengal has little to do with the content of her writing and is entirely related to the vote bank policy followed by the ruling political parties (“Left out, Taslima flies in”, Aug 9). Her books may lack superior literary qualities, and her disregard for genteel language (particularly when she writes about the male race) and her tirade against Islam may have irked many. But it was the duty of the government to let her stay anywhere in India, including Calcutta, till her visa remained valid. It is a pity that the government has chosen to give in to the fundamentalist elements instead. Who can say that the loony fringe will not try to coerce the government into submitting to more unfair demands after this? That would be a bigger threat to our society and nation than Nasreen’s supposedly blasphemous works.

Yours faithfully,
S.B. Bardhan, Calcutta

Sir — It was heartening to read that Taslima Nasreen has ended her exile and arrived in India. She should now be allowed to live a peaceful life and carry on with her creative pursuits. If conservative sections of religious communities are allowed to air their views, so should the others be. The government has done precious little to lift the Muslims out of poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, and small and big crimes. But let the smallest religious demand be raised, and the government bends over backwards to meet it. No wonder fundamentalism and fanaticism are having a free rein in India. Sensible authors like Nasreen are sent on exile and a mockery is made of the right to freedom of speech, as politicians get busy trying to pacify separatist groups.

Yours faithfully,
Arvind D. Tapkire, Mumbai

Sir — In a country of over a billion, brimming with problems of every possible kind, a debate over Taslima Nasreen’s stay in India is not worth the media coverage it is getting. A writer who relies wholly on sensationalism and produces little of any literary merit does not deserve special treatment from national governments. The government of India need not have shown her special consideration while extending her visa the last time. One may well ask what Taslima Nasreen’s contribution to India is — apart from a few gossipy books and attempts at inciting communal violence. Instead of extending its patronage to the many deserving yet neglected writers in the regional Indian languages, the government had given Nasreen disproportionate priority in the past. Thankfully, the people in power finally woke up to the writer’s destructive potential and refused to let her enter Calcutta. Else, we would certainly have lost a day or two to violent demonstrations and subsequent bandhs. The government has better ways of spending the people’s money than to ensure that Nasreen has a peaceful stay in India.

Yours faithfully,
T. Sarkar, Calcutta

Sir — Taslima Nasreen seems truly unsure of her status in Indian community. The author claims to be so emotionally attached to Calcutta that she calls the city her second home. In numerous interviews, she has admitted that she identified more with this city than with any other. Unfortunately for her, the Union foreign minister, Pranab Mukherjee, thinks that Nasreen is no more than a “foreigner”. The government has shrugged off the responsibility of providing her a shelter, fearing a loss of minority support. The Taslima Nasreen episode has tainted the reputation of Bengalis as patrons of art and culture. It is the government’s duty to tame the fundamentalists, many of whom have attacked Nasreen without even reading her books. But instead, the author is being forced to stay away from the city. Through its action, or the lack of it, the government has betrayed its failure to control communal unrest using administrative tools. That is probably why it has to resort to the suppression of progressive thinkers and writers such as Taslima Nasreen.

Yours faithfully,
Alka Basu, New Delhi