Daijiworld Media Network - Mymensingh

Mymensingh, Jul 16: The Bangladesh government has started demolishing the ancestral home of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh to make way for a new semi-concrete building for the Shishu Academy. The move has sparked sharp reactions from India, with the Government of India offering cooperation to restore and preserve the iconic structure.

Located on Harikishore Ray Chowdhury Road, the century-old house once belonged to Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, Ray’s grandfather and a towering figure of Bengal’s cultural renaissance.

Reacting to the demolition, India's Ministry of External Affairs said it would be preferable to reconsider the decision and explore options to restore the house into a museum of literature and culture. "The Government of India would be willing to extend cooperation for this purpose," the statement added.

Filmmaker Sandip Ray, son of Satyajit Ray, told NDTV, "I have never visited the house, nor did Baba. But I remember he wanted to use its photos in his documentary on Sukumar Ray. When he saw the condition of the house in those pictures, he was very disheartened and dropped the idea."

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also urged Bangladesh to halt the demolition. “This news is extremely distressing. The Ray family is one of the foremost bearers of Bengali culture,” she posted on X.

However, local authorities in Mymensingh defended the decision. Md Mehedi Zaman, district children affairs officer, said the home had been abandoned for a decade and deemed unsafe for children. “A new semi-concrete building with several rooms will be built to resume academy activities,” he added.

As demolition progresses, the appeal for preservation of this cultural landmark continues to grow on both sides of the border.