Taslima Nasrin's book once banned by Bengal now in English
Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin's book "Dwikhandito" (Split in two), which was banned by the Left Front government in West Bengal as well as the government of Bangladesh for allegedly hurting the sentiments of the Muslim community, is now available in English. Nasrin's writings on women's rights and criticism of religious fundamentalism have led to the ban on the Bengali original of the book.
The Bengal govt later lifted the ban in 2005
The West Bengal government lifted the injunction after the ban was struck down by the Calcutta High Court in 2005. Now published in English as "Split: A Life" by Penguin Random House India, the book tells about Nasrin's experiences and works, her stint as a doctor, how she became the target of fundamentalists, how "Lajja" was banned and her life in exile in India.
Nasrin talks about 'fatwaphilic maulanas' issuing anti-women fatwas
"In my country, fundamentalism was on the rise and the winds were blowing in their favor. As usual, women were the first to fall victim to fatwas issued by fatwaphilic maulanas in villages across the country," she writes in the book. About her writings, she says she wrote with a lot of trepidation and awkwardness and was never fully happy with the final outcome.
'Tried to reaffirm woman's body and heart are her own'
She writes, "Despite the nagging voices in my head regarding my novels, there was one thing at least that I could achieve in them. With each woman whose life I laid bare in the pages of my novels I tried to reaffirm that a woman's body and her heart were her own and not someone else's property to treat as they pleased."
