KOLKATA: The Bangladesh Government has issued a statement on Thursday refuting claims of demolition of a property in Mymensingh linked to Satyajit Ray’s family. Highlighting the history of the house, the Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Ministry has urged not to spread misleading news on this matter.
In the statement, Bangladesh Foreign Ministry claimed, “Detailed inquiry into the archival records re-confirmed that the house in question never had any relation with the ancestors of 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 government said that the property was later allocated to ‘Bangladesh Shishu Academy’. Ever since, the house has been used as the Office of the District Shishu Academy, the statement added.
“In this regard, Swapan Dhar, an archaeology researcher from Mymensingh, also stated that the house in question is not the ancestral home of Satyajit Ray,” the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry said.
According to the Dhaka statement, since 2014, the Shishu Academy shifted its operations to another place in Mymensingh. Since then, the house has been abandoned. As a result, various anti-social activities have been taking place there, the Bangladesh government said.
The statement said that it was decided to build a semi-permanent building at the site in the first half of 2024. Accordingly, with the permission of the Bangladesh Shishu Academy, the district administration decided to demolish the old, dilapidated building through an auction.
However, the area is associated with the Ray family.
According to the statement, the road in front of the house is named after Satyajit Ray’s great-grandfather Harikishore Ray, the adoptive parent of Upendra Kishore Ray Chowdhury.
“The Ray family had a house on Harikishore Ray Road which they had sold long ago and thus no longer exists. A multi-storied building was constructed there by the new owner,” it read.
This issue sparked a controversy after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Monday expressed concern over reports that Ray’s ancestral house in Mymensingh in Bangladesh is being demolished. She urged the Bangladesh Government to take steps to preserve the house.
Stating that the Ray family is one of the foremost bearers and carriers of Bengali culture and Upendrakishore is a pillar of Bengal’s renaissance, in a post on X she had said, “I appeal to the Bangladesh government and all the conscientious people of that country to take steps to preserve this heritage house. The Indian government should pay attention to this matter.”
New Delhi had reacted to this issue on Tuesday night itself. Issuing a statement, the Centre had said that the property, presently owned by the Government of Bangladesh, is in a state of disrepair.
“Given the building’s landmark status, symbolising Bangla cultural renaissance, 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 added.