India offers help to restore Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home amid demolition row in B’desh
New Delhi: The Government of India has expressed deep regret over the ongoing demolition of the ancestral property of legendary filmmaker and author Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, and has offered its cooperation in repairing and restoring the historic structure.
In a press release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India said, “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 MEA further noted that the property, currently owned by the Government of Bangladesh, “is in a state of disrepair”.
“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 ministry said, adding that “the Government of India would be willing to extend cooperation for this purpose.”
The statement comes amid widespread criticism and concern in Bangladesh following reports that the century-old residence, located on Horikishore Ray Chowdhury Road in Mymensingh city, is being torn down to make way for a semi-concrete structure that will house a Shishu Academy, a local media outlet reported.
According to Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Daily Star, the house once belonged to Upendra Kishore Ray Chowdhury, a towering figure in Bengali literature and the grandfather of Satyajit Ray. The demolition, it reported, has drawn strong objections from local residents, who fear it will erase an irreplaceable part of the city’s cultural and literary heritage.
However, the authorities insist that the demolition is being carried out in accordance with proper procedures and “necessary approvals”.
Officials from Dhaka’s Department of Archaeology, while agreeing that the property remains an archaeological heritage, admitted that their repeated requests to protect the building have gone unheard.
Satyajit Ray is one of the most respected filmmakers in world cinema, who has also inspired several great filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese, known for films like ‘Taxi Driver’, ‘Raging Bull’, ‘The Departed’, ‘Shutter Island’ and others.