India tells Bangladesh to reconsider demolition of Satyajit Ray's ancestral home; offers support for repair

NEW DELHI: A house in Bangladesh linked to three generations of Bengal’s most respected literary and cultural figures is being demolished, drawing sharp concern from the Indian government. The building in question is the ancestral home of renowned children’s author and publisher Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, located in Mymensingh city. Upendrakishore was also the father of poet Sukumar Ray and grandfather of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray. The property currently owned by the government of Bangladesh.The ministry of external affairs (MEA) expressed regret over the demolition, noting that the house is a landmark tied closely to the Bangla cultural renaissance.

It said the building could instead be restored and converted into a literature museum celebrating shared heritage. The ministry also said that the Government of India would be ready to offer support if such a plan is considered.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also raised concern, saying the demolition of such a memory-filled place was “heartbreaking”. She called upon both the governments of Bangladesh and India to take steps to preserve the historic site, describing the Ray family as “torchbearers” of Bengal’s cultural legacy.

“I learnt from media reports that the memory-entwined ancestral house of renowned writer-editor Upendrakishore Roychowdhury in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh city is being demolished. The reports say that the demolition process had already begun. This is heartbreaking news. The Ray family is one of the most prominent torchbearers of Bengal’s culture," Banerjee wrote on X.The house had fallen into disrepair and had been left unused for nearly a decade. It previously housed the Mymensingh Shishu Academy but was later abandoned. A Bangladeshi official told local media that the new plan involves constructing a semi-concrete building at the site to resume the academy’s operations.