The bitter tears of Taslima Nasreen

"Chamber of death", "harassment", "mental torture", "extreme stress", "worse than religious fundamentalists" [link] - these aren't some of the keywords and phrases you would normally expect from a writer-in-exile when she describes a secular country in which she sought shelter after being driven out from her own.

But then again, very little is normal about India's peculiar situation. We have been following the ideologies our intellectuals have been shoving down our throats for some sixty years now. We were told in no uncertain terms that much of India's malaise derives from religious fundamentalists (of a particular religion). The rest of the problems could be pinned on our not accepting socialism.

As a result, for sixty years, we did not see much progress, either in our outlook or our economic situation. Until quite recently, top professionals of the country could only aspire for a motorcycle. Cars were meant only for the mysteriously rich - or politicians and their flunkies, sometimes civil servants. That too only one model, an ugly metallic hump rolling over the natural bumps that passed for roads.

This was apparently alright. Don't believe us? Look at the editorials and newspaper articles from the 70s and the 80s. This was too funny, in those days newspaper men used to be rich in relative terms. Many would spend their vacations abroad. The "intellectuals" would get academic assignments in foreign universities. But for some reason, their articles always said it was much better not to succumb to the decadent western ways. Russia was much better (although their kids went to schools in UK or US, never Russia, language barrier perhaps?).

Also, by electing a secular Government year after year, we were guaranteeing ourselves an elevated stature in terms of human rights, liberal mindset, intellectual outlook, religious tolerance - all of the above.

After narrowly escaping the sensitive people in her own country, Taslima Nasreen spent some days in Europe. She didn't quite feel at home there. So she moved to Calcutta, allegedly among the most enlightened places in India, that too ruled by the most liberals. She was happy, Calcutta was culturally familiar, she made friends. Poor Taslima Nasreen. Perhaps she got taken by the India Shining campaign too. She completely missed the rot beneath the superficial gloss.

Well, the tumor that lurks beneath finally got her. Seriously ill and mentally exhausted, Taslima had to leave for Europe. Her heart broken and her dreams shattered.