Mymensingh, 16 July

After the recent vandalism at Rabindranath Tagore’s ancestral home, the demolition of Satyajit Ray’s ancestral residence in Bangladesh has sparked fresh concerns over the fate of shared cultural heritage.

The century-old house in Mymensingh, formerly home to Ray’s grandfather and celebrated writer Upendra Kishor Ray Chowdhury, is being torn down by the Bangladesh government to make way for a semi-concrete building to house the Mymensingh Shishu Academy.

Following the news, India’s Ministry of External Affairs expressed regret and urged Bangladesh to reconsider. “Given the building’s landmark status, symbolising Bangla cultural renaissance, it would be preferable to repair and convert it into a museum of literature,” the ministry said, adding that India would extend cooperation for the restoration.

The building, located on Harikishore Ray Chowdhury Road, had been abandoned for a decade and was deemed unsafe. “Activities of the Shishu Academy have been running from a rented space due to safety concerns,” said district Children Affairs Officer Md Mehedi Zaman, as reported by The Daily Star.

Locals criticised the authorities for neglecting the site, with poet Shamim Ashraf noting, “Cracks had formed, but its historical value was ignored.”

This follows last month’s vandalism of Tagore’s home in Shahzadpur after a dispute over parking fees, raising concerns about the preservation of key cultural landmarks in Bangladesh.