Bangladesh government to demolish Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home, Mamata Banerjee seeks Centre's intervention
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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has raised strong objections over the reported demolition of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home in Dhaka.
The historic residence, which belonged to Ray’s grandfather and iconic Bengali writer Upendra Kishore Ray Chowdhury, is currently being torn down by authorities in Bangladesh, according to local media reports.
The house, located on Horikishore Ray Chowdhury Road in Dhaka, is considered a significant cultural landmark. It had previously housed the Mymensingh Children's Academy but was left in a state of neglect for several years. Now, plans are underway to replace the decaying structure with a new semi-concrete facility.
Banerjee described the demolition as deeply upsetting. "This news is extremely distressing. The Ray family is one of the foremost bearers and carriers of Bengali culture. Upendra Kishore is a pillar of Bengal's renaissance. Therefore, I believe this house is intricately tied to the cultural history of Bengal," she said in a post on X.
Calling on the government of Bangladesh and its citizens to preserve the legacy, she added, "I appeal to the Mohammad Yunus government in Bangladesh, and all the conscientious people of that country, to take steps to preserve this heritage-laden house." She also urged the Indian government to step in and seek a resolution.
The Bangladesh Department of Archaeology confirms the building’s age at over a century, with ownership transferring to the government after the 1947 Partition. The structure has remained unused for a decade, and the children’s academy activities were shifted to a rented building.
Md Mehedi Zaman, Dhaka’s Children Affairs Officer, told The Daily Star that the current building had become unsafe. "The house has been left abandoned for 10 years. Shishu Academy activities have been operating from a rented space," he said, adding that a new multi-room structure will be constructed on the site with appropriate approvals.
When asked why a site of historical importance was being torn down, Zaman responded that the existing structure posed a hazard to children who gathered there for programs.
The demolition has sparked calls for heritage conservation, with cultural leaders and the public expressing concern over the erasure of a significant chapter of Bengali history tied to one of its most revered families.
