Kolkata, December 2
The controversy surrounding Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen has spelt big bucks for her publishers and booksellers as they are merrily capitalising on the sudden demand for her books.
“There is a huge demand for Taslima Nasreen’s biography, ‘Dwikhandita’ (Split in Two). We have almost exhausted our stock and have ordered for more,” Shibani Mukherjee of People’s Book Society, her publisher, said.
Taslima on Friday decided to expunge controversial portions from her book “Dwikhandita” that triggered riots in Kolkata earlier this month and conveyed her decision to her publisher.
The sudden demand for her books has overwhelmed the leading bookstores in the city, prompting them to place more orders with the publishers.
“After the controversy snowballed across the nation, the demand for Taslima Nasreen’s books suddenly shot up. The sale of ‘Lajja’ has gone up remarkably and we are receiving about seven-eight enquiries for the book everyday,” Oxford Book Store Gallery’s assistant manager Ram Shankar Saha said.
The West Bengal government banned Taslima’s book “Dwikhandito” in 2003 for purportedly hurting the sentiments of the minority community. Later, the Association for the Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR), a human rights organisation, moved the court and got the ban lifted in 2005.
— IANS
