Dhaka, July 16 (The Daily Times of Bangladesh)- The Indian government on Tuesday said it is willing to cooperate with Bangladesh for repair and reconstruction of the ancestral property of noted filmmaker and litterateur Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home in Mymensingh.
“We note with profound regret that the ancestral property of noted filmmaker and litterateur Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, belong to his grandfather and eminent litterateur, Upendra Kishor Ray Chowdhury, is being demolished,” wrote the MEA in a statement.
According to the Indian government, the property, which is now owned by the Bangladeshi government, is in poor condition.
“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,” Indian Ministry of External Affairs said.
Mymensingh Shishu Academy formerly used this century-old house. The house, located on Harikishore Ray Chowdhury Road in Mymensingh, is tied to the legacy of the illustrious Ray family. Harikishore Ray Chowdhury was an ancestor of Upendrakishore, Sukumar, and Satyajit.
Upendrakishore was the father of celebrated poet Sukumar Ray and grandfather of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray.
Mymensingh’s district children affairs officer Md Mehedi Zaman said the decision to demolish the house was made by a committee led by the Deputy Commissioner. It also includes him and officials from the Public Works Department.
The same committee is also supervising the demolition, he added.
According to the Department of Archaeology, the house was built over a century ago by Upendrakishore, a zamindar from Masua in Kishoreganj’s Katiadi upazila. After the partition of 1947, the property came under government ownership and started housing Mymensingh Shishu Academy in 1989.
Locals say the demolition will wipe out the legacy of the Ray dynasty in Mymensingh city.
Sabina Yeasmin, field officer of the Department of Archaeology (Dhaka and Mymensingh divisions), said the house had not been officially listed with the department, but according to surveys, it was an archaeological heritage.
She said she had spoken with Shishu Academy and local administration officials, urging them to protect the house, but her request was ignored. She also informed the department’s regional director on this matter.
NDTV adds –
Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home in Bangladesh – formerly used as the Mymensingh Shishu Academy – is being demolished by the Bangladesh government to build a new semi-concrete structure. After the news came to light, the Government of India extended its co-operation to the Bangladesh Government to repair and restore the ancestral property. NDTV reached out to filmmaker Sandip Ray [Satyajit Ray’s son] and asked him to share his fond memories of the house.
“I have never been to Bangladesh to see this building; neither did Baba [Satyajit Ray]. What I saw were the pictures of the building. But I remember Baba wanted to use the pictures of this building when he was working on the Sukumar Ray documentary,” Sandip Ray tells NDTV.
“A close associate, who used to look after Baba’s production, was sent to Bangladesh to click some pictures of this building. But Baba was very disheartened to see the building in a dilapidated state. He, then, decided that he wouldn’t use those pictures in his documentary,” Ray adds.
The century-old house, located on Harikishore Ray Chowdhury Road in Mymensingh, is an emblem of the legacy of the illustrious Ray family.
Referring to its heritage and contributions to the Bengal’s cutural renaissance, the Government of India said, “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 statement added, “The Government of India would be willing to extend cooperation for this purpose.”
Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed to the Mohammad Yunus government in Bangladesh to take steps to preserve the ancestral property.
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