NASREEN Books to download

http://www.taslimanasrin.com/MY%20GIRLHOOD.pdf

http://www.taslimanasrin.com/MY%20YOUTH.htm

http://www.taslimanasrin.com/bondini--.pdf

ttp://www.taslimanasrin.com/bhalobaso_cchai-baso.pdf

ttp://www.taslimanasrin.com/kicchukkhon-thako.pdf

http://www.taslimanasrin.com/narir_kono_desh_nei.pdf

http://www.taslimanasrin.com/meyebela.pdf

http://www.taslimanasrin.com/UTOLHAWAFINAL.pdf

http://www.taslimanasrin.com/dwikhondito.pdf

http://www.taslimanasrin.com/sei-sob-ondhokar.pdf

http://www.taslimanasrin.com/aami-bhalo-nei.pdf

Sachetan Nagarik Samaj

Since the days of fascist Red Terror unleashed in Singur and Nandigram by the ruling CPM, there is hardly any respite from miseries afflicted to the people in West Bengal. The Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, had replaced Jyoti Basu with the promise to offer ‘better governance by a better Left Front Government’ about eight years ago. His sermons to lackadaisical state government employees were ‘Do it now’ and be a humble servant of the people. But Bhattacharjee’s advice seemed to have gone astray as his administration became more and more anti-people and insensitive to criticism.

This is evident from the series of incidents that took place during the past 13-month period between January, 2007 and January, 2008. The period witnessed faux pas of communist administration in deporting writer Taslima Nasreen from Kolkata for her bold views against Islamic fundamentalists, messing up with tragic death of Muslim boy Rizwanur Rahaman, ration riots in south Bengal villages, total destruction of small village poultry firms due to neglect in tackling bird flu and recently in Kolkata Book Fair fiasco due to highhandedness of the party and its government. A close examination of the incidents that occurred during the period under review will reveal that it is the time to change the government in order to save the state from further ruin.

Taslima Nasreen: The faux pas over deporting Bangladeshi writer, Taslima Nasrin and to keep her confined into a house under heavy security in Delhi for an indefinite period has clearly showed that so-called progressive and secular Bengali communists are actually most backward and religious fundamentalists in nature. They kneeled before the orthodox maulavis and mullahs following a street riot in Kolkata and deported the writer only to appease Muslim fundamentalists. The objective is to get the chunk of Muslim votes during the forthcoming panchayat elections in the state. In fact, the pressure to move Taslima Nasreen out of Kolkata began as early as August and involved the then Police Commissioner, Prasun Mukherjee who reportedly told the author that he was representing the Chief Minister.

Rizwanur Death Mystery: Rizwanur and Priyanka’s marriage and his death have been hitting the headlines of the dailies of Kolkata. However, never before there has been so much coverage by the national media. It is sad and painful that a young man meets his end under such tragic circumstances. For a mother to lose a son is something everybody is sorry about, regardless of caste, creed or religion. If it is murder the guilty must be punished. Leaders from various parties came forward to condemn and blame the Todis for the incident when the blame should actually go to Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s loyal over-zealous police officers who have messed up a very sensitive family matter with their uncalled for interference. The CPM state secretary, Biman Bose and his party loyalists have condemned the parents of the girl, as they care only about minority votes by giving support to Rizwanur’s family. The Marxists would never understand the trauma of the Todis. Has anybody stopped to ponder on the pain and social embarrasement the Todis are facing? Would anyone of you welcome with open arms if your daughter eloped and married somebody below your status - it could be your cook or your driver? Yes, it is difficult to understand why the Marxists are blaming the Todis when the CBI report stated that Rizwanur committed suicide. The Marxists heaped humiliation on the Todis only to appease Muslims in the state.

Food Riots: The recent food riots in West Bengal were the result of a corrupt and privatised public distribution system running with political patronage of the Left parties, a survey conducted by Supreme Court appointed special commissioners on food security said. The scathing report has debunked the West Bengal government’s stand that the riots were a reaction to decreased allocation of wheat and rice for the above poverty line quota. The commissioners have concluded that this could not have been the provocation for people to agitate in rural West Bengal against lack of supply of essential food articles in ration shops. The reduced allocation still matched the highest level of PDS grain consumed by APL customers in the last three years.

The SC-appointed commissioners have instead laid the blame on the West Bengal government. Calling it the “double burden of privatisation” of PDS in West Bengal, the report said that not only were fair price shops (FPS) run by private parties but the entire distribution of foodgrain was controlled by politically supported private contractors leading to high levels of corruption. Some of these distributors are also owners of rice mills and recycled their levy rice and changed good quality PDS rice with bad quality rice.

The report also blamed political patronage extended to the unionised ration dealers for corruption in the PDS supply chain. “It is evident to us that they (FPS owners) enjoyed state patronage, especially political patronage at both local level and with the senior political leadership within the state. The All India Ration Dealers Association, which is the apex body of ration shop owners, has as its chief advisor a senior national leader of the ruling political party of West Bengal.” Owing to this double burden of a corrupt and privatised PDS, the report said studies conducted by the government had shown that 34.9 per cent of rice and 86.6 per cent of wheat meant for PDS got diverted. Worse still, 83 per cent of wheat meant for below poverty line people and 60 per cent of rice (the essential diet of the poorest of the BPL families) also got stolen.

For the CPM, which swears by the cause of the poor, the ration riots have come as a nightmare. The CPM state secretary Biman Bose is raising the bogey of a ‘conspiracy’ against the Left. A close examination of the agitation, however, gives a completely different picture. The first unrest took place in Bankura district on August 23. On September 14, angry mobs surrounded a CPM party conference (where the local ration dealer was present as a member-participant) and the first incident of firing took place. From mid-September, the agitation started in Birbhum and by early October, almost nine districts of south Bengal were seriously involved in these ‘mass protests’. Significantly, Bankura, Burdwan and Birbhum, three districts where the movement gathered momentum, are strong CPM bases.

Kolkata Book Fair Fiasco: West Bengal PWD Minister and veteran RSP leader Kshiti Goswami held the Book Sellers’ and Publishers’ Guild, the organisers of the Kolkata Book Fair, responsible for this year’s fiasco. Calcutta High Court had ruled against holding of the annual event, which was to begin at the Park Circus Maidan. The court held that permission for the fair violated Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution and environmental rules. Earlier, the court had ordered against holding the book fair at its traditional venue of the Kolkata Maidan on grounds of environmental pollution. This had prompted the organisers to hold the fair at Salt Lake in January 2007. Later in November they decided to hold the fair in Park Circus following the Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s advice. In fact, the Chief Minister was desperate to bring back writers and intellectuals who had bade adieu to him and his party after Nandigram carnage. But the Chief Minister’s dream was shattered by High Court’s ruling.

Nandaram (Burrabazar) Market Fire: A devastating fire gutted thousands of shops in congested Burrabazar in central Kolkata in wee hours of January 15, 2008 morning. The fire in the market spread, the flames licking their way to eight homes including multi-storeyed buildings rendering many homeless. Wall of adjacent buildings began to develop deep cracks. The losses were estimated to be in thousands of crores.

Many, including the Trinamool Congress chief Mamata, who visited the spot, suspect the fire was started deliberately. However, the fire has thoroughly exposed the city’s inefficient fire protection service as the fire-fighters could not do much to douse the flames in the absence of fire-fighting equipment. Facing an all-round condemnation for its abject failure, the state government had to seek Army’s help to control fire in Nandaram market. Apprehending public fury, neither the Chief Minister nor any of his senior cabinet colleagues visited the spot during the four days of the fire.

Bird Flu Epidemic: The deadly avian flu has virtually wiped out poultry stock in 14 districts of West Bengal and still spreading its tentacles to remaining other districts of the state. Experts on avian flu have blamed the state government for taking the outbreak casually. The CPM ministers were busy in organising the party’s state convention on January 13 and did not bother to look into menace of the bird flu. In fact, bird flu was first reported at Margram village in Birbhum district on January 4. But the blood samples of the birds died in the disease were collected after four days and sent to laboratory for examination only on January 11. According to Central government’s directives, blood samples must be sent for examination within 24 hours of the outbreak of bird flu. There are reasons to believe that the government has deliberately neglected to prevent the outbreak only to get liberal financial assistance from the Centre for distributing relief to the distressed families on the eve of panchayat election scheduled to be held in May. The CPM did the same trick during the previous panchayat election in 2003 when it spent the Central flood assistance for buying votes.

News Latters. March 2008

Taslima Nasrin

Taslima Nasreen

Taslima Nasreen was born in August 1962 in a Muslim family in Mymensingh, East Pakistan. Because the area became independent in 1971, her city of birth is now in the country called Bangladesh.

Growing up in a highly restrictive and conservative environment, Taslima was fond of literature while she also excelled in science. She started writing when she was 15 years old, beginning with poetry in literary magazines, and afterwards herself editing a literary periodical called SeNjuti (1978 - 1983). She was the president of a literary organization while in medical college, where she staged many cultural programs. Earning her medical degree in 1984, she worked in public hospitals for eight years.

Her first book of poetry was published in 1986. Her second became a huge success in 1989, and editors of progressive daily and weekly newspapers suggested that she write regular columns. Next she started writing about women's oppression. With no hesitation she criticized religion, traditions, and the oppressive cultures and customs that discriminate against women. Her strong language and uncompromising attitude against male domination stirred many people, eliciting both love and hatred from her readers.

In 1992 she received the prestigious literary award Ananda from West Bengal in India for her Nirbachito Kolam (Selected Columns), the first writer from Bangladesh to earn that award. Despite allegations of jealousy among other writers about this, the topmost intellectuals and writers continued to support her.

Islamic fundamentalists launched a campaign against her in 1990, staging street demonstrations and processions. They broke into newspaper offices that she used to regularly write from, sued her editors and publishers, and put her life in danger, a danger that only increased over time. She was publicly assaulted several times by fundamentalist mobs. No longer was she welcomed to any public places, not even to book fairs that she loved to visit. In 1993, a fundamentalist organization called Soldiers of Islam issued a fatwa against her, a price was set on her head because of her criticism of Islam, and she was confined to her house.

The government confiscated her passport and asked her to quit writing if she hoped to keep her job as a medical doctor in Dhaka Medical College Hospital.. She was thus forced to quit her job.

Inasmuch as she had become a best-selling author in Bangladesh and West Bengal in India, she managed to survive the hostility. The government, however, banned Lajja (Shame), in which she described the atrocities against Hindu minorities by Muslim fundamentalists, her main message being "Let humanism be the other name of religion."

According to Taslima, the religious scriptures are out of time, out of place. Instead of religious laws, she maintains, what is needed is a uniform civil code that accords women equality and justice. Her views caused fourteen different political and non-political religious organizations to unite for the first time, starting violent demonstrations, calling general strikes, blocking government offices, and demanding her immediate execution by hanging.

The government, instead of taking action against the fundamentalists, turned against her. A case was filed charging that she hurt people's religious feelings, and a non-bail-able arrest warrant was issued. Deeming prison to be an extremely unsafe place, Taslima went into hiding..

In the meantime two more fatwas were issued by Islamic extremists, two more prices were set on her head, and hundreds of thousands of fundamentalists took to the streets, demanding her death. The majority who were not fundamentalists remained silent. Regardless, some anti-fundamentalist political groups did protest the fundamentalist uprising, but did not defend Taslima as a writer and a human being who should have the freedom to express her views. Only a few writers defended her rights.

But the international organization of writers, and many humanist organizations beyond the borders of Bangladesh, came to Taslima's support. News of her plight became known throughout the world. Some western democratic governments that endorse human rights and freedom of expression tried saving her life. After long miserable days in hiding, she was finally granted bail but was also forced to leave her country.

Wherever she lived, she fought for human rights and women’s rights. In 1998, without the government's permission she risked a return, to be with her ailing mother. Again, fundamentalists demanded she be killed. When her mother - a religious Muslim - died, nobody came from any mosque to lead her funeral, her crime being that she was the mother of an 'infidel'. A case again was filed against her on the charges of hurting religious feelings of the people. After a few weeks of staying, Taslima was forced to leave her country once more. Taslima was desperate to see her father when he was ill, but the government did not let her go to Bangladesh. Her passport was not renewed, her rights as a citizen had constantly been violated by the governmental authority.
Taslima has been living in exile in Europe. She has written twenty eight books of poetry, essays, novels, and short stories in her native language of Bengali. Many have been translated into twenty different languages. Her applications to the Bangladesh government to be allowed to return have been denied repeatedly. One Bangladesh court sentenced her in absentia to a one-year prison term. The Bangladesh government has recently banned three other of her books, Amar Meyebela ( My girlhood), Utol Hawa (Wild wind) and Sei sob ondhokar(Those dark days).

Writers and intellectuals both in Bangladesh and West Bengal went to court to ban her autobiography Ko( speak up) and Dwikhandito( Split in Two). Two million-dollar defamations suits were filed against Taslima by her fellow writers. The West Bengal government finally managed to ban Dwikhandito on the charges of hurting religious feelings of the people. A Human Rights organization in Kolkata flied a case against West Bengal government for banning a book that is against freedom of expression. After two years, the ban was lifted by the Kolkata High Court, which, Taslima says, is a victory for freedom of expression.

The numerous prestigious awards she has received in western countries have resulted in increased international attention to her struggle for women's rights and freedom of expression. She has become a symbol of free-speech. Taslima has been invited to speak in many countries and at renowned universities throughout the world. Her dreams of secularization of society and secular instead of religious education are becoming increasingly more accepted and honored by those who value freedom.

Taslima now lives in Kolkata.

Taslima Nasreen was born in August 1962 in a Muslim family in Mymensingh, East Pakistan. Because the area became independent in 1971, her city of birth is now in the country called Bangladesh.

Growing up in a highly restrictive and conservative environment, Taslima was fond of literature while she also excelled in science. She started writing when she was 15 years old, beginning with poetry in literary magazines, and afterwards herself editing a literary periodical called SeNjuti (1978 - 1983). She was the president of a literary organization while in medical college, where she staged many cultural programs. Earning her medical degree in 1984, she worked in public hospitals for eight years.

Her first book of poetry was published in 1986. Her second became a huge success in 1989, and editors of progressive daily and weekly newspapers suggested that she write regular columns. Next she started writing about women's oppression. With no hesitation she criticized religion, traditions, and the oppressive cultures and customs that discriminate against women. Her strong language and uncompromising attitude against male domination stirred many people, eliciting both love and hatred from her readers.

In 1992 she received the prestigious literary award Ananda from West Bengal in India for her Nirbachito Kolam (Selected Columns), the first writer from Bangladesh to earn that award. Despite allegations of jealousy among other writers about this, the topmost intellectuals and writers continued to support her.

Islamic fundamentalists launched a campaign against her in 1990, staging street demonstrations and processions. They broke into newspaper offices that she used to regularly write from, sued her editors and publishers, and put her life in danger, a danger that only increased over time. She was publicly assaulted several times by fundamentalist mobs. No longer was she welcomed to any public places, not even to book fairs that she loved to visit. In 1993, a fundamentalist organization called Soldiers of Islam issued a fatwa against her, a price was set on her head because of her criticism of Islam, and she was confined to her house.

The government confiscated her passport and asked her to quit writing if she hoped to keep her job as a medical doctor in Dhaka Medical College Hospital.. She was thus forced to quit her job.

Inasmuch as she had become a best-selling author in Bangladesh and West Bengal in India, she managed to survive the hostility. The government, however, banned Lajja (Shame), in which she described the atrocities against Hindu minorities by Muslim fundamentalists, her main message being "Let humanism be the other name of religion."

According to Taslima, the religious scriptures are out of time, out of place. Instead of religious laws, she maintains, what is needed is a uniform civil code that accords women equality and justice. Her views caused fourteen different political and non-political religious organizations to unite for the first time, starting violent demonstrations, calling general strikes, blocking government offices, and demanding her immediate execution by hanging.

The government, instead of taking action against the fundamentalists, turned against her. A case was filed charging that she hurt people's religious feelings, and a non-bail-able arrest warrant was issued. Deeming prison to be an extremely unsafe place, Taslima went into hiding..

In the meantime two more fatwas were issued by Islamic extremists, two more prices were set on her head, and hundreds of thousands of fundamentalists took to the streets, demanding her death. The majority who were not fundamentalists remained silent. Regardless, some anti-fundamentalist political groups did protest the fundamentalist uprising, but did not defend Taslima as a writer and a human being who should have the freedom to express her views. Only a few writers defended her rights.

But the international organization of writers, and many humanist organizations beyond the borders of Bangladesh, came to Taslima's support. News of her plight became known throughout the world. Some western democratic governments that endorse human rights and freedom of expression tried saving her life. After long miserable days in hiding, she was finally granted bail but was also forced to leave her country.

Wherever she lived, she fought for human rights and women’s rights. In 1998, without the government's permission she risked a return, to be with her ailing mother. Again, fundamentalists demanded she be killed. When her mother - a religious Muslim - died, nobody came from any mosque to lead her funeral, her crime being that she was the mother of an 'infidel'. A case again was filed against her on the charges of hurting religious feelings of the people. After a few weeks of staying, Taslima was forced to leave her country once more. Taslima was desperate to see her father when he was ill, but the government did not let her go to Bangladesh. Her passport was not renewed, her rights as a citizen had constantly been violated by the governmental authority.
Taslima has been living in exile in Europe. She has written twenty eight books of poetry, essays, novels, and short stories in her native language of Bengali. Many have been translated into twenty different languages. Her applications to the Bangladesh government to be allowed to return have been denied repeatedly. One Bangladesh court sentenced her in absentia to a one-year prison term. The Bangladesh government has recently banned three other of her books, Amar Meyebela ( My girlhood), Utol Hawa (Wild wind) and Sei sob ondhokar(Those dark days).

Writers and intellectuals both in Bangladesh and West Bengal went to court to ban her autobiography Ko( speak up) and Dwikhandito( Split in Two). Two million-dollar defamations suits were filed against Taslima by her fellow writers. The West Bengal government finally managed to ban Dwikhandito on the charges of hurting religious feelings of the people. A Human Rights organization in Kolkata flied a case against West Bengal government for banning a book that is against freedom of expression. After two years, the ban was lifted by the Kolkata High Court, which, Taslima says, is a victory for freedom of expression.

The numerous prestigious awards she has received in western countries have resulted in increased international attention to her struggle for women's rights and freedom of expression. She has become a symbol of free-speech. Taslima has been invited to speak in many countries and at renowned universities throughout the world. Her dreams of secularization of society and secular instead of religious education are becoming increasingly more accepted and honored by those who value freedom.

Taslima now lives in Kolkata.