Kolkata: For the last few days, reports have been circulating that the Bangladesh government is demolishing the ancestral home of Oscar-winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh.
However, the Bangladesh government has clarified that the house, which is demolished in viral videos, has no connection with Ray. The clarification has been issued after India expressed concern over the structure’s alleged demolition and offered to help Dhaka to reconstruct it as a museum.
Notably, several people on social media shared a video of a dilapidated building, claiming it to be the ancestral house of Ray. The video showed workers tearing down the walls, with the house visibly being in a shabby condition.
Many reports claimed that it was the house of Ray’s grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, one of the greatest names in the history of Bengali literature, and many expressed concern over its demolition. The demolition was seen as the result of the country’s rapid cultural shift in recent times and Dhaka’s tense relations with New Delhi.
However, the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs has clarified in a statement, “Detailed inquiry into the archival records re-confirmed that the house in question never had any relation with the ancestors of the esteemed laureate Satyajit Ray. It was built by a local Zamindar, Shashikant Acharya Chowdhury, next to his bungalow house ‘Shashi Lodge’, for his employees. Upon the abolition of the zamindari system, it came under the control of the government.”
The statement added, “The government later allocated it to the Bangladesh ‘Shishu Academy’. Ever since, the house has been used as the office of the District Shishu Academy. And, the land itself was a non-agricultural government (Khas) land and leased to Shishu Academy on a long-term basis.”
The government assured that land records of the house in question have been checked and confirmed that it belongs to the government and has no link with the Ray family. In the statement, the government also cited local senior citizens and ‘respected individuals from various communities’ to assert the house has no connection with the Ray family. Also, it is not listed as an archaeological monument.
The statement also highlighted that the road in front of the house has been named after Harikishore Ray, Satyajit Ray’s great-grandfather. It ended with, “Drawing on the factual and meticulous re-examination of all records, the Government of Bangladesh urges all quarters to refrain from spreading misleading or factually inaccurate narrative, in any form, that end up creating confusion and disrupt harmony amongst the people.”
