Demolition of Satyajit Ray’s Ancestral Home in Bangladesh: A Cultural Tragedy Unfolds

The ancestral house of Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, grandfather of Oscar-winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray, is currently being demolished in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. This act, undertaken by the local district administration, has sparked widespread outrage across India and Bangladesh, with cultural commentators, historians, and citizens decrying it as a devastating blow to shared Bengali heritage.

The century-old house, located on Harikishore Ray Chowdhury Road in Mymensingh, has been abandoned for about 10 years.(The Daily Star) | Hindustan Times

A Cradle of Bengal’s Cultural Renaissance

The house, located on Harikishore Ray Chowdhury Road in Mymensingh town, was more than just an old building. It was a repository of Bengal’s rich intellectual and cultural legacy. Upendrakishore Ray was a literary giant, pioneering Bengali children's literature, and a key figure in the Bengal Renaissance. His son Sukumar Ray became a legend in Bengali nonsense poetry, and his grandson, Satyajit Ray, went on to become one of the world’s greatest filmmakers.

Although Satyajit Ray never visited the house personally, it held deep symbolic and ancestral value. In the 1980s, he reportedly considered including photographs of the home in a documentary about his father, but the building’s dilapidated condition dissuaded him. Nevertheless, the legacy of the Ray family remains deeply rooted in this site — one that bridges the literary, artistic, and cinematic worlds of pre- and post-partition Bengal.

Why Was the House Demolished?

Local authorities in Mymensingh began demolishing the structure in July 2025, claiming it was structurally unsafe and had been abandoned for years. The site, which had once served as the premises of the Mymensingh Shishu Academy (a children’s education and activity center), was allegedly being redeveloped for a new concrete facility to support children’s programs.

The district administration defended the decision by pointing out that the old building posed safety hazards, particularly for children attending academy programs. However, heritage advocates argue that instead of preserving or restoring the structure, authorities allowed it to deteriorate deliberately by neglecting its maintenance for over a decade. Poet and local resident Shamim Ashraf expressed his disappointment, noting that although everyone knew of the house’s importance, “no one ever cared” about it.

India Reacts: Grief, Anger, and Diplomatic Intervention

News of the demolition led to an immediate backlash in India. The Ministry of External Affairs expressed deep regret and urged the Bangladesh government to halt the demolition process. India offered full financial and technical assistance to preserve and restore the site as a symbol of shared Bengali heritage. The Indian government emphasized the need to convert the house into a museum, acknowledging the cultural resonance the Ray family holds for both countries.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also reacted sharply, calling the demolition “extremely distressing.” She underscored the Ray family’s contributions to Bengali literature and culture and appealed to both the Indian and Bangladeshi governments to work together to protect what remains of the structure. Political figures across party lines echoed this sentiment, including BJP leaders like Suvendu Adhikari, who viewed the incident as a deliberate erasure of Hindu Bengali cultural symbols.

A Pattern of Neglect: Cultural Heritage Under Threat

The demolition of Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home is not an isolated event. It follows a disturbing pattern in Bangladesh where historically significant structures — particularly those associated with Hindu or shared Bengali identity — are increasingly neglected, vandalized, or erased. Just earlier this month, Rabindranath Tagore’s ancestral house in Sirajganj was reportedly attacked by a mob, adding to concerns about the state’s commitment to safeguarding its diverse cultural heritage.

These events raise uncomfortable questions about whether heritage sites linked to India’s pre-partition history are being systematically ignored or targeted. Critics allege that elements within Bangladeshi society, particularly Islamist hardliners, view such landmarks as remnants of a Hindu or Indian past, unworthy of preservation. While this interpretation remains contentious, the frequency and pattern of such demolitions cannot be dismissed as coincidental.

The Loss of an Opportunity

Had the Mymensingh house been preserved, it could have served as a cultural bridge between India and Bangladesh. As a museum or cultural center, it could have celebrated the Ray family’s immense contributions to South Asian art and literature. It would have drawn tourists, scholars, and filmmakers from across the world, strengthening people-to-people ties between the two nations. Its destruction represents not only the physical loss of a historic building but also the squandering of a golden opportunity to honor a shared legacy.

India’s offer to support restoration efforts is commendable, but with the demolition already underway, the possibility of salvaging the site grows slimmer by the day. If the Bangladeshi authorities proceed unchecked, the world will lose another vital link to the cultural history of the subcontinent.

Conclusion: A Call to Conscience

The demolition of Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home is a cultural tragedy that extends beyond borders. It reflects not only administrative apathy but also a deeper crisis in how modern South Asian societies value their past. Development and infrastructure growth are essential, but not at the cost of historical memory and cultural continuity. The governments of India and Bangladesh must act swiftly to preserve what remains, and take concrete steps to ensure that such heritage sites are identified, protected, and celebrated — not bulldozed into oblivion.

Let this be not just a story of loss, but a wake-up call to preserve our collective legacy for future generations.

(Sources: IndiaTV News, OpIndia, Hindustan Times)