The Indian government has stepped in, offering to help repair and reconstruct the property into a ‘museum of literature’ that symbolises the shared culture of India and Bangladesh.
The Ministry of External Affairs said, “We note with profound regret that the ancestral property of noted filmmaker and litterateur Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, belonging to his grandfather and eminent litterateur, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, is being demolished. 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,” it added.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also appealed to the Bangladeshi government to preserve the historic property. She also mentioned that demolition work on the century-old property has already begun.
In a post on X, she wrote, “This news is extremely distressing. The Ray family is one of the foremost bearers and carriers of Bengali culture. Upendrakishore is a pillar of Bengal’s renaissance. Therefore, I believe this house is intricately tied to the cultural history of Bengal.”“I appeal to the Bangladesh government and all the conscientious people of that country to take steps to preserve this heritage-laden house. The Indian government should pay attention to this matter,” the CM added.
According to the report, the granddaughter of Satyajit Ray, the well-known literary editor of Upendra Kishore Raychaudhuri, is being demolished in Mymensingh city of Bangladesh. The news was started, the news was started.
This news is very sad. Roy family of Bengal…
– Mamata Banerjee (@mamataofficial) July 15, 2025
Following the partition in 1947, the property came under government hands and was repurposed as the Mymensingh Shishu Academy in the year 1989.
According to The Daily Star, the ancestral home of Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury is being demolished to make way for a new semi-concrete construction.
“The house has been left abandoned for 10 years. Shishu Academy activities have been operating from a rented space,” it reported, quoting Md Mehedi Zaman, the district Children Affairs Officer.
The officer went on to say that a semi-concrete building with numerous rooms will be built to replace the old house and restart the academy’s activities there.
Mehendi stated that the building posed a severe risk to the children gathering at the compound.
