Taslima Nasreen, an award-winning writer, physician, secular humanist and human rights activist, is known for her powerful writings on women oppression and unflinching criticism of religion, despite forced exile and multiple fatwas calling for her death. In India, Bangladesh and abroad, Nasreen’s fiction, nonfiction, poetry and memoir have topped the best-seller’s list.

Taslima Nasreen was born in Bangladesh. She started writing when she was 13. Her writings won the hearts of people across the border and she landed with the prestigious literary award Ananda from India in 1992. Taslima won The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought from the European Parliament in 1994. She received the Kurt Tucholsky Award from Swedish PEN, the Simone de Beauvoir Award and Human Rights Award from Government of France, Le Prix de l' Edit de Nantes from the city of Nantes, France, Academy prize from the Royal Academy of arts, science and literature from Belgium. She is a Humanist Laureate in The International Academy for Humanism,USA. She won Distinguished Humanist Award from International Humanist and Ethical Union, Free-thought Heroine award from Freedom From Religion foundation, USA., IBKA award, Germany,and Feminist Press Award, USA . She got the UNESCO Madanjeet Singh prize for Promotion of the Tolerance and Non-violence in 2005. She received the Medal of honor of Lyon. She got honorary citizenship from Paris, Nantes, Lyon, Metz, Thionville, Esch etc. Taslima was awarded the Condorcet-Aron Prize at the “Parliament of the French Community of Belgium” in Brussels and Ananda literary award again in 2000.

Bestowed with honorary doctorates from Gent University and UCL in Belgium, and American University of Paris and Paris Diderot University in France, she has addressed gatherings in major venues of the world like the European Parliament, National Assembly of France, Universities of Sorbonne, Oxford, Harvard, Yale, etc. She got fellowships as a research scholar at Harvard and New York Universities. She was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow in the USA in 2009.

Taslima has written 40 books in Bengali, which includes poetry, essays, novels and autobiography series. Her works have been translated in thirty different languages. Some of her books are banned in Bangladesh. Because of her thoughts and ideas she has been banned, blacklisted and banished from Bengal, both from Bangladesh and West Bengal part of India. She has been prevented by the authorities from returning to her country since 1994, and to West Bengal since 2007.

Erotic sculptures

These are erotic sculptures of medieval Hindu temples.

The temples at Khajuraho were built during the Chandella dynasty, which reached its apogee between 950 and 1050. Some say erotic sculptures were made to please Indra, the king of gods. Some say more bizarre things. But I get somehow convinced when I hear that the Chandella monarchs built these temples under the influence of tantrism and devadasi tradition. Whatever the reason, erotic temples look strikingly beautiful.

Whenever I look at these erotic art, two things come to my mind.
Number one: these are just fantasy of men! Most men secretly dream of having sex with multiple women! And women, devadasis or housewives, are treated as sex objects, not as equal partners, by kings or commoners.
Number two: Alas! In the country of erotic temples and Kamasutra, sex is a taboo subject. And during sex, women are forced to be passive, because men must dominate. When different sexual positions are advised, missionary position is the only sex position which has been practiced by most Indians! These are India’s art, but not really Indians’ art.

India, the land of eroticism, sexism and rapism.

Once upon a time Indians had no inhibitions about expressing sexuality. They built numerous erotic temples full of magnificent art of erotic love.

Then the British brought Victorian conservatism to India. And then Gandhi, the great leader of India said sex should only be for procreation, not for pleasure. Like the followers of different spiritual leaders, Gandhi’s followers were influenced by deeply conservative understanding of human sexuality.

Now, for many Indians, sex is a taboo. There are people who do not eat meat, onion and garlic to control their sexual desires. It is not uncommon that a couple start sleeping in separate rooms soon after their child is born. Women’s pre and post marital affairs and an active role during sexual acts are socially unacceptable. Sex and spirituality, many people believe, can’t coexist. In today’s India, an unbelievable number of people believe sex is a male thing. Countless brothels have been made for giving pleasure to men. Incredible India is now facing an alarming increase in rapes and sexual abuse of women and children.