Demolition Of Satyajit Ray's Ancestral Home In Bangladesh Stopped

Last Updated:July 16, 2025, 19:04 IST

The demolition of Satyajit Ray's ancestral home in Mymensingh, Bangladesh has been halted a day after Indian government offered to help convert it into a museum of literature.

India has offered to restore, reconstruct and repair renowned filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home in Mymensingh, Bangladesh after Yunus ordered its demolition. (IMAGE: DHAKA TRIBUNE)

In a significant breakthrough, the ongoing demolition at the ancestral home of renowned filmmaker Satyajit Ray in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh has been stopped, news agency IANS reported.

The development came a day after the Indian government stepped in and volunteered to help in repair and reconstruction of the property into a “museum of literature".

“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 ministry said in a statement.

“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 ministry further added.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also appealed to the Bangladeshi government to preserve the historic property. She also mentioned that demolition work on the century-old property has already begun.

The historic landmark and the century-old property in Dhaka’s Horikishore Ray Chowdhury Road belonged to Ray’s grandfather, the renowned litterateur Upendra Kishore Ray Chowdhury, whose poems and short stories are taught to children in schools in India’s West Bengal, Assam and Tripura and also in Bangladesh, making it an intrinsic part of Bengali culture.

The dilapidated building has remained unused since 2007. After the 1947 Partition, the property passed into government ownership and was converted into the Mymensingh Shishu Academy in 1989.

Bangladesh news outlet Daily Star reported on Tuesday that the ancestral home of Ray’s grandfather, formerly used as the Mymensingh Shishu Academy, is being demolished to make way for a new semi-concrete structure.

“The house has been left abandoned for 10 years. Shishu Academy activities have been operating from a rented space," it reported, quoting Md Mehedi Zaman, the district Children Affairs Officer.

The officer went on to say that a semi-concrete building with numerous rooms will be built to replace the old house and restart the academy’s activities there.

(With inputs from agencies)

Dhaka, Bangladesh

News world Demolition Of Satyajit Ray's Ancestral Home In Bangladesh Stopped