The ancestral home of iconic filmmaker Satyajit Ray in Dhaka is on the brink of being demolished to make way for a new semi-concrete structure, the Bangladesh media reported on July 15. A structure with several rooms will be built to house a Shishu Academy at the historically significant building, the media reported. Located on Horikishore Ray Chowdhury Road in Dhaka city, the century-old house belonged to Satyajit Ray’s grandfather, Uoendrakishore Ray Chowdhury.
Distressed, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee posted on X: “The Ray family is one of the most prominent torchbearers of Bengal’s culture. Upendrakishore was among the pillars of the Bengal Renaissance. I feel, this house is inextricably linked to Bengal’s cultural history. I appeal to the Bangladesh government and to all right-thinking people of that country to preserve this edifice of rich tradition. The Indian government should also intervene.”
In New Delhi, the ministry of external affairs expressed deep regret that the property was being demolished. “Given the building’s landmark status, symbolising Bangla’s cultural renaissance, it would be preferrable to reconsider the demolition and examine options for its repair and reconstruction as a museum of literture and a symbol of the shared culture of India and Bangldesh,” said a spokesman of the ministry. He added that the Indian government was willing to extend assistance for the purpose.
