Bangladesh to raze Satyajit Ray’s home; India tells it to reconsider decision

Concerned with reports that the ancestral house of the renowned filmmaker Satyajit Ray's ancestral home in Dhaka is being demolished, India today urged the Government of Bangladesh to reconsider the decision.

“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 Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

The property, presently owned by the Government of Bangladesh, is in a state of disrepair, the readout said. “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,” it said.

The matter was earlier raised by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Citing local media reports, Banerjee said demolition work on the historic property had already begun.

According to the Bangladesh Department of Archaeology, the house was built more than a century ago. “The house has been left abandoned for 10 years. Shishu Academy activities have been operating from a rented space,” Md Mehedi Zaman, Dhaka's Children Affairs Officer, told Daily Star. Zaman further said a semi-concrete building with several rooms would be built to start academy activities, adding that the demolition is being carried out with necessary approvals.