India urges Bangladesh to halt demolition of Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home, offers support for restoration
In a statement issued yesterday (15 July), India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) expressed “profound regret” over the ongoing demolition of the historic home, which belonged to Ray’s grandfather, renowned writer and publisher Upendra Kishor Ray Chowdhury
India has called on the Bangladesh government to halt the demolition of iconic filmmaker Satyajit Ray's ancestral home in Mymensingh and has offered assistance in preserving and restoring the property as a cultural landmark.
In a statement issued yesterday (15 July), India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) expressed "profound regret" over the ongoing demolition of the historic home, which belonged to Ray's grandfather, renowned writer and publisher Upendra Kishor Ray Chowdhury.
"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," said the MEA.
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The Hindu and Hindustan Times reported that the century-old property, located on Horikishore Ray Chowdhury Road, had been falling apart due to prolonged neglect and is currently being dismantled to make space for a new building. The site, which was taken over by the government after the 1947 partition, has since served as the Mymensingh Shishu Academy, a children's learning centre.
Stressing the property's symbolic value, the MEA added, "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 statement further said.
The Ray family's contributions to Bengali literature, arts, and cinema have left an enduring legacy in the region. The building is seen by many as an emblem of that legacy and of the shared cultural heritage between India and Bangladesh.
No official response from the Bangladesh government has been made public yet.
