November 19, 2003

Taslima Nasrin's book now banned in India

PTI reports:

The Calcutta High on Tuesday passed an interim injunction restraining publication, sale, marketing and circulation of Bangladeshi writer, Taslima Nasreen's latest book 'Dwikhondito -- Aamar Meyebela Tritiya Khando'.

The order by Justice Jayanta Kumar Biswas was passed against Nasreen, Shibani Mukherjee and Peoples' Book Society, the publishers, on a defamation suit by Sayed Hasmat Jalal, a poet and brother of litterateur Syed Mustafa Siraj.

The petitioner, who has claimed Rs 11 crore as compensation, complained of several defamatory words and references against him in the book, 'Split into two, my girlhood, third volume', which he said were entirely false, frivolous and imaginary.

The court, which heard the matter ex parte, restrained the defendants from publishing, marketing, selling or circulation of the book in any manner without first removing the words complained of in the application.


I have learnt that this book contains most of the prose in her book "Ka" which is banned in Bangladesh earlier. She added some of her intimate episodes with the Kolkata writers.

Update: Reactions from writers of West Bengal, India

She has written fictitious fantasies about sexual involvement. I was shocked. I was surprised how anyone could write like this. I feel this is invasion of someone's privacy, This is unethical, illegal, immoral. - S Hasmat Jalal, poet.

This is not literature. It may be good reading, if you want to know about some scandals about some writers. But it is not literature. - Sunil Gangopadhyay, writer.

You know why this book will sell? Primarily because it is pornographic - Dibyendu Palit, writer.


Kolkata's literary circles are worried about what might be in the second half of this book, to be out soon. Speculation is, it's a kiss and tell on Kolkata's literary giants, the very people who had stood by Taslima in her times of trouble.

* Official Homepage of Taslima Nasrin
* Another Page of Taslima Nasrin

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