Kolkata: A commotion broke out at Rabindra Sadan on Saturday during an event marking exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin’s return to the city after nearly two decades, when she invited noted Bengali poet Joy Goswami to join her on stage. Nasrin had just been called to address the gathering when she spotted Goswami, a Sahitya Akademi award-winning poet, seated in the audience and asked him to come up to the dais. As Goswami rose and began walking towards the stage, a section of the audience erupted in loud protest, forcing him to turn back and return to his seat.The disruption left Nasrin standing silently at the microphone as slogans and angry voices filled the auditorium. Organisers repeatedly appealed for calm, but the uproar continued for several minutes, briefly interrupting the event. Order was restored only after Nasrin directly addressed the audience, asking, “Shall I speak? Then please calm down and take your seats.” The protests then subsided and she resumed her speech.The incident appeared to reflect lingering anger over Goswami’s perceived silence during Nasrin’s years in exile and his perceived closeness to Mamata Banerjee. For many present, the invitation seemed to reopen wounds around loyalty, politics and exile.
