In a significant diplomatic appeal, the Government of India has formally requested Bangladesh’s interim administration to stop the demolition of the ancestral home of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh district.
The request, made via the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), follows an emotional appeal from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and growing concern among cultural circles.
The residence in question, located on Harikishor Roychowdhury Road in Mymensingh, once belonged to Upendrakishore Roy Chowdhury — a pioneering figure in 19th-century Bengali literature, illustration, and publishing. He was the father of renowned nonsense poet Sukumar Ray and grandfather of Satyajit Ray, regarded globally as a master of cinema.
Reports of partial demolition of the house surfaced recently, triggering alarm across the Bengal region and beyond.
India offers restoration support
Responding to the reports, the MEA issued a statement on Tuesday, expressing “profound regret” over the ongoing demolition. The ministry described the building as a “landmark symbolising the Bangla cultural renaissance” and urged Bangladesh to reconsider the demolition.
“Given the building’s landmark status… 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 read.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was among the first to publicly react to the news. Taking to her social media handle on X (formerly Twitter), she wrote: “This news is very sad. Upendra Kishore was a pillar of the Bengali renaissance… This house is inextricably linked with the cultural history of Bengal.”
She urged both the Union and Bangladesh governments to step in and preserve what she called a “traditional house” of immense historical and cultural value.
A growing pattern of neglect?
The plea comes amid a disturbing pattern of attacks and neglect involving heritage sites in Bangladesh. Just a month ago, a portion of Rabindranath Tagore’s ancestral home was vandalised by miscreants, sparking diplomatic unease and cultural outrage.
Since the formation of Bangladesh’s interim government under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus—after the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina-led administration—several incidents have raised concerns over the safety of cultural landmarks, especially those linked to the shared Bengali heritage.
Cultural historians and heritage activists from both India and Bangladesh have called for political differences to be set aside in favour of preserving shared history. Many have urged for the Mymensingh residence to be transformed into a museum dedicated to Bengali literature and cinema, celebrating the legacy of the Ray family.
As diplomatic channels remain active, the fate of the house—and what it represents for Bengali identity—now lies in the hands of two governments navigating a delicate moment of cultural diplomacy.