Taslima Nasrin, back in Kolkata after nearly two decades, says she wants to stay in the city if circumstances allow

Nasrin was among the political and cultural personalities honoured at the event.

"I left Europe and America for Kolkata. I wanted to stay here," she said. "I wanted to come back to my Bengali culture. That's why, if possible, I will try to stay in Kolkata."

She said she had left Europe and the United States to reconnect with her Bengali roots and culture and expressed gratitude for the chance to visit the city.

Speaking on the occasion, Nasrin said she had missed experiencing Durga Puja in Kolkata over the years.

She described the festival as a distinctive cultural celebration that brings together art, music and the city's festive spirit and said she hoped to return next year and spend time in the city during the festivities.

West Bengal's Minister of Public Enterprises and Industrial Reconstruction, Tapas Roy, tied the occasion to women. "I have come here only for the mothers, sisters and the women who are the real living Durgas," he said. "For the days coming in the future, I assure to be a part of this in every way possible."

On feminism and women's empowerment, Nasrin stressed the need for equal rights for women and men. She said her poetry seeks to raise awareness about gender equality and that society must work to ensure equal rights for women.

Concern over Bangladesh

Commenting on the situation in Bangladesh, Nasrin expressed concern over religious discrimination, attacks on cultural monuments and the treatment of women and minorities.

She criticised successive governments for failing to adequately address religious extremism, and said she hoped for a society where people could live without discrimination.

She also reiterated her long-standing advocacy of secular education, calling for greater emphasis on secular schools so that children grow up in an inclusive environment. Education, she said, should encourage equality and enable people from different backgrounds to live together without prejudice.

The programme, titled 'Shikal Bhangar Golpo', featured Nasrin reciting her own poems and the presentation of the 'Uma Samman' and the 'Rini Mukherjee Lifetime Achievement Award' to distinguished personalities.

West Bengal ministers Tapas Roy, Agnimitra Paul and Ratna Debnath attended, along with magician PC Sorcar Junior and others.

Recalling his father, the legendary magician PC Sorcar, Sorcar Junior said, "After my father died, I continued his legacy and completed the commitments which my father had, as his son, and carried on his legacy with much more abundance than anticipated. My father said that the show mustn't stop and I should keep it going."