India has called on Bangladesh to reconsider its reported demolition of the ancestral home of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh, offering support to preserve the site as a museum celebrating the shared cultural heritage of the two nations.
The appeal follows local media reports on Tuesday indicating that the house, originally built by Ray’s grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, is being razed despite protests from historians and cultural activists.
In a statement, India's Ministry of External Affairs expressed "profound regret" over the reports, describing the structure as a landmark of the Bangla cultural renaissance.
“Given the building’s symbolic significance, it would be preferable to reconsider the demolition and explore the possibility of restoring it as a museum of literature and a testament to the shared cultural values of India and Bangladesh,” the statement read.
“India is ready to extend full cooperation to preserve the structure,” it added.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed alarm, calling the move “deeply distressing” in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “The Ray family has been one of the foremost torchbearers of Bengali culture,” she wrote. “This house is inextricably linked to our cultural heritage.”
Banerjee urged the Bangladeshi government, led by Muhammad Yunus, and “all conscientious citizens” to take immediate steps to protect the site. She also called on India’s central government to intervene diplomatically.
The two-storey structure, situated on Harikishore Ray Chowdhury Road in Mymensingh, had long fallen into disrepair. Built over a century ago by Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, a towering figure of the Bengal renaissance, the building later housed a government-run Shishu Academy for children’s development.
However, activities at the centre ceased a decade ago when the building was declared structurally unsafe, prompting authorities to rent alternative premises, local reports say.
According to Bangladesh's Department of Archaeology, the property came under government ownership following the 1947 Partition. Despite appeals from poets, historians, and residents, officials have proceeded with demolition, citing safety hazards.
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