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Romantic exchanges between SC Judge Markandey Katju and Bangladeshi writer Tasleema Nasreen turned bitter
Romantic exchanges between Supreme Court Judge Markandey Katju and Bangladeshi writer Tasleema Nasreen turned bitter.
A ‘romantic’ exchange on Twitter between Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, who is now a Swedish citizen and living in exile since 1994, and former Supreme Court judge Justice Markandey Katju had created ripples in the social media last month May 2015.
Katju, who was also Press Council chairman till some time ago, sent a tweet asking Taslima Nasreen if their date was still on, to which she replied in the affirmative.
Justice Katju then posted this exchange between himself and the controversial author on his blog and also his Facebook page.
On his FB page and blog, the former PCI chief wrote:
Date with Taslima still on !
Today I sent her the following email from Vancouver, Canada:
Facebook post: Dinner with Taslima
I am likely to have a dinner date with Taslima Nasreen when I return to India.
What happened was that while watching twitter today in Columbus, Ohio I saw Taslima's tweet " Khabe ? ", and there was a photo of Taslima with some fruits. I responded " Khabo. Kintu ki kore khava jaye ? Ami to Americae aachi ".
This clean bowled Taslima. who responded by tweeting " Wow,you know Bengali "
I then sent her this tweet " In your book ' Lajja ' you bravely wrote against atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh. I have been fighting atrocities on Muslims in india.". She graciously responded that it will be an honour to have dinner with me.
Then I sent her this tweet " And I must confess that I am a supporter of Sharad Chandra Chattopadhyaya, and am opposed to that British stooge Tagore. So don't hit me with a danda when we meet ( as many Bengalis are prone to do when anyone criticizes 'Gurudev' ).
i hope this does not so much upset her so that she cancels our date ! I am really looking forward to it.
Facebook post: Differences with Taslima Nasreen
I had differences with Taslima Nasreen on Twitter today, pursuant to my appeal to non Muslims to observe one day's roza on 4th July ( and to non Hindus to observe one day's fast during Navratri ).
I admire Taslima for her bravery in highlighting the atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh in her novel ' Lajja '. Like her, I too am against atrocities on anyone, and like her, I too am an atheist.
But with respect to her I wish to say that she has no scientific understanding of the social basis of religion.
In her tweet she says " Religion is anti women, anti science, anti human and anti progress "
Even assuming that much of what she says is correct, what she overlooks are two things :
1. Most people in the world are very poor and live in such terrible and miserable conditions that were it not for religion they would go mad. Religion gives them the psychological support, without which they would go crazy or commit suicide.
So we cannot abolish religion : it will disappear automatically when people get decent lives. Then they will have no need for religion or God.
2. Even for people who are not poor, e.g. businessmen, the chance factor is such an important factor that it gives rise to the belief in supernatural forces which control our lives.
For example, there may be losses in a business for various reasons beyond the control of the businessman. So he believes in some god and propitiates him, to avoid losses.
The chance factor is still a very powerful factor in our lives. We plan something, but something else happens. So we believe that there is some supernatural force ( or forces ) controlling our lives.
The truth is that the chance factor is still important because we are still at a very primitive stage of scientific development, as compared to the situation 100 years or 200 years hence, when science will have grown enormously. Then we will be able to largely control our lives, and what we plan will happen. And then there will be no need of god or other supernatural entities.
Taslima, though a brave person, has no understanding of all this, and by her sometimes emotional intemperate remarks damages the great cause ( of women's emancipation and scientific thinking ) which she is fighting for.
I have said that all religions are superstitions. But I have also said that I respect all religions. Some people find a contradiction here. I submit there is none.
When I say I respect all religions, I mean that I respect the right of everyone to believe whatever he/she wants to believe, and therefore I am a strong supporter of religious freedom. But as for myself, I am a purely scientific person, and so have a materialistic belief.
A ‘romantic’ exchange on Twitter between Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, who is now a Swedish citizen and living in exile since 1994, and former Supreme Court judge Justice Markandey Katju had created ripples in the social media last month May 2015.
Katju, who was also Press Council chairman till some time ago, sent a tweet asking Taslima Nasreen if their date was still on, to which she replied in the affirmative.
Justice Katju then posted this exchange between himself and the controversial author on his blog and also his Facebook page.
On his FB page and blog, the former PCI chief wrote:
Date with Taslima still on !
@taslimanasreen Taslima, is my date with u still on ? I am dying to eat the fish cooked by u in sarson oil. I too am 'fishy', like Bengalis
— Markandey Katju (@mkatju) May 20, 2015
Twitter post: I had set up a dinner date with Taslima Nasreen in Delhi after my return to India. She promised to cook fish for me in sarson oil, which I love.Today I sent her the following email from Vancouver, Canada:
Facebook post: Dinner with Taslima
I am likely to have a dinner date with Taslima Nasreen when I return to India.
What happened was that while watching twitter today in Columbus, Ohio I saw Taslima's tweet " Khabe ? ", and there was a photo of Taslima with some fruits. I responded " Khabo. Kintu ki kore khava jaye ? Ami to Americae aachi ".
This clean bowled Taslima. who responded by tweeting " Wow,you know Bengali "
I then sent her this tweet " In your book ' Lajja ' you bravely wrote against atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh. I have been fighting atrocities on Muslims in india.". She graciously responded that it will be an honour to have dinner with me.
Then I sent her this tweet " And I must confess that I am a supporter of Sharad Chandra Chattopadhyaya, and am opposed to that British stooge Tagore. So don't hit me with a danda when we meet ( as many Bengalis are prone to do when anyone criticizes 'Gurudev' ).
i hope this does not so much upset her so that she cancels our date ! I am really looking forward to it.
Facebook post: Differences with Taslima Nasreen
I had differences with Taslima Nasreen on Twitter today, pursuant to my appeal to non Muslims to observe one day's roza on 4th July ( and to non Hindus to observe one day's fast during Navratri ).
I admire Taslima for her bravery in highlighting the atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh in her novel ' Lajja '. Like her, I too am against atrocities on anyone, and like her, I too am an atheist.
But with respect to her I wish to say that she has no scientific understanding of the social basis of religion.
In her tweet she says " Religion is anti women, anti science, anti human and anti progress "
Even assuming that much of what she says is correct, what she overlooks are two things :
1. Most people in the world are very poor and live in such terrible and miserable conditions that were it not for religion they would go mad. Religion gives them the psychological support, without which they would go crazy or commit suicide.
So we cannot abolish religion : it will disappear automatically when people get decent lives. Then they will have no need for religion or God.
2. Even for people who are not poor, e.g. businessmen, the chance factor is such an important factor that it gives rise to the belief in supernatural forces which control our lives.
For example, there may be losses in a business for various reasons beyond the control of the businessman. So he believes in some god and propitiates him, to avoid losses.
The chance factor is still a very powerful factor in our lives. We plan something, but something else happens. So we believe that there is some supernatural force ( or forces ) controlling our lives.
The truth is that the chance factor is still important because we are still at a very primitive stage of scientific development, as compared to the situation 100 years or 200 years hence, when science will have grown enormously. Then we will be able to largely control our lives, and what we plan will happen. And then there will be no need of god or other supernatural entities.
Taslima, though a brave person, has no understanding of all this, and by her sometimes emotional intemperate remarks damages the great cause ( of women's emancipation and scientific thinking ) which she is fighting for.
I have said that all religions are superstitions. But I have also said that I respect all religions. Some people find a contradiction here. I submit there is none.
When I say I respect all religions, I mean that I respect the right of everyone to believe whatever he/she wants to believe, and therefore I am a strong supporter of religious freedom. But as for myself, I am a purely scientific person, and so have a materialistic belief.
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