India tells Dhaka to 'reconsider' Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home demolition in Bangladesh, offers help to repair

The ancestral home of legendary filmmaker and Oscar winner Satyajit Ray in Bangladesh faces demolition to make way for a new semi-concrete building. This prompted a response from the Indian government, New Delhi stepped in and urged Dhaka to “reconsider” the step, offering help to restore and rebuild the property as a “museum of literature.”

According to Bangladesh’s Daily Star newspaper, the house belonged to Ray’s grandfather, the renowned writer and editor Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury. The building, which previously housed the Mymensingh Shishu Academy, is being torn down for a new structure.

The MEA said in a statement, “We note with profound regret that the ancestral property of noted filmmaker and litterateur Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, belonging to his grandfather and eminent litterateur, Upendra Kishor Ray Chowdhury, is being demolished. The property, presently owned by the Government of Bangladesh, is in a state of disrepair.”

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“Given the building’s landmark status, symbolising Bangla cultural renaissance, it would be preferable to reconsider the demolition and examine options for its repair and reconstruction as a museum of literature and a symbol of the shared culture of India and Bangladesh. The Government of India would be willing to extend cooperation for this purpose,” the MEA said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed for intervention from both New Delhi and Dhaka.

She said in a posting on X on Tuesday: “I learnt from media reports that the memory-entwined ancestral house of renowned writer-editor Upendrakishore Roychowdhury in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh city is being demolished. The reports say that the demolition process had already begun. This is heartbreaking news.”

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Bangladesh’s Department of Archaeology said the house, built over a century ago and located about 120 km north of Dhaka, became government property after the Partition in 1947. In 1989, it was converted into the Mymensingh Shishu Academy.

A local official told the Daily Star that the demolition is being carried out with the necessary approvals and proper procedures. He explained that a new semi-concrete building with several rooms will replace it to continue the academy’s activities.

When asked why a building of such historical significance, standing on a 36-decimal plot, was being demolished, the official said it posed a safety risk for children who gathered there, according to the report.