THE NP CHRONICLE : 25TH AUGUST

The NP Chronicle 

25th August

Taslima Nasrin[a] (born 25 August 1962) is a Bangladeshi-Swedish writer, physician, feminist, secular humanist, and activist. She is known for her writings on feminism and her criticism of Islam; some of her books are banned in Bangladesh.

She gained global attention by the beginning of the 1990s owing to her essays and novels with feminist views and criticism of what she characterises as all "misogynistic" religions. Nasrin has been living in exile since 1994, with multiple fatwas calling for her death. After living more than a decade in Europe and the United States, she moved to India in 2004 and has been staying there on a resident permit, multiple-entry, or 'X' visa since.

Nasrin has been blacklisted and banished from the Bengal region, including both Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal during the governments of Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Trinamool Congress. After Bharatiya Janata Party's victory in state legislative assembly of West Bengal in 2026, she returned to Kolkata after nearly 20 years in exile from the city.

"It is said that peace is the basic tenet of all religion. Yet it is in the name of religion that there has been so much disturbance, bloodshed and persecution. It is indeed a pity that even at the close of the twentieth century we've had to witness such atrocities because of religion. Flying the flag of religion has always proved the easiest way to crush to nothingness human beings as well as the spirit of humanity."

-- Taslima Nasrin, Lajja: Shame

"Let humanity be the other name for religion."

-- Taslima Nasrin, Lajja

"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people."

-- Taslima Nasrin, Lajja

Claudia Maria Schiffer, Lady Drummond (German: [ˈklaʊdi̯a ˈʃɪfɐ]; born 25 August 1970), is a German model and actress. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a supermodel. Born in Rheinberg, she initially aspired to join the legal profession, but her life took a turn when she was discovered at 17 in a Düsseldorf nightclub by Michel Levaton, the CEO of Metropolitan Models. This discovery led her to Paris and onto the cover of Elle, marking the start of her modeling career.

"Love makes you stupid!"

-- Claudia Schiffer 

Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor and film producer. Connery was the first actor to portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond in motion pictures, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. He originated the role in Dr. No (1962) and continued starring as Bond in the Eon Productions films From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). His final appearance in the role was with Never Say Never Again (1983), a non-Eon-produced Bond film.

Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker, and former animator. He is known for pioneering goth subculture in Hollywood, with his films employing a distinctive style that blends gothic horror and dark fantasy aesthetics with whimsical and surreal elements. He has received numerous accolades, including one Emmy Award and nominations for two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three BAFTA Awards. He was honored with the Venice International Film Festival's Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 2007 and France's Order of Arts and Letters in 2010.

Today is:

▪︎ National Park Service Founders Day in USA

▪︎ First Onam in Kerala, India 

▪︎ Liberation of Paris

▪︎ Prophet's Birthday 

▪︎ Birth anniversary of Taslima Nasrin, Claudia Schiffer, Sean Connery, Tim Burton

▪︎ Death anniversary of Neil Armstrong, Friedrich Nietzsche, Michael Faraday, David Hume