Kolkata, Jul 16 (PTI) Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday welcomed the Centre’s proposal to collaborate with the Bangladesh government for the repair and reconstruction of the ancestral house of noted filmmaker Satyajit Ray in the neigbouring nation.
Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his vision of transforming Ray’s ancestral home in Mymensingh district of Bangladesh into a ‘Museum of Literature, and a symbol of the shared cultural heritage of India and Bangladesh’.
“I express my deepest gratitude and admiration to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji for his exemplary gesture. The Government of India’s proposal to collaborate with Bangladesh for the repair and reconstruction of the ancestral property of legendary Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh, with the vision of transforming it into a Museum of Literature, and a symbol of the shared cultural heritage of India and Bangladesh, is a truly commendable initiative,” Adhikari posted on X.
According to media reports, the ancestral house of eminent children’s writer Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh city is being demolished.
Ray Chowdhury, a prominent 19th-century litterateur, was also a painter and publisher, and the father of the celebrated poet Sukumar Ray and grandfather of the filmmaker Ray.
“The ancestral home of noted filmmaker and litterateur Satyajit Ray belonged to his grandfather and renowned children’s author & publisher Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury. The Ministry of External Affairs have already expressed regrets over the demolition of the property, presently owned by the Government of Bangladesh.
“This step will honour our rich legacy. I am immensely proud of this thoughtful decision and the commitment it reflects towards preserving our history,” Adhikari added.
Diamond Harbour MP and Trinamool Congress’ general secretary Abhishek Banerjee also echoed his party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s emotions and expressed concern over the matter.
“I am deeply distressed to learn that the ancestral home of Oscar-winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray is reportedly being demolished by the Bangladeshi authorities. This century-old property belonged to Ray’s grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, a towering figure in Bengali literature and culture,” Banerjee said.
He described this as a blow to the collective conscience of Bengalis everywhere.
On Tuesday, the West Bengal CM sought the intervention of the governments of India and Bangladesh to address the issue.
According to reports, the property, which was built by Upendrakishore more than a century ago and previously housed the Mymensingh Shishu Academy, fell into a state of disrepair after years of neglect by the authorities. Upendrakishore was a zamindar from Masua in Kishoreganj’s Katiadi Upazila (sub-division) when he constructed the house.
“The house has been left abandoned for 10 years. Shishu Academy activities have been operating from a rented space,” Bangladeshi daily ‘The Daily Star’ reported, while quoting Md Mehedi Zaman, the district Children Affairs Officer.
The newspaper attributed the same officer to state that a semi-concrete building with several rooms will be built in place of the old house to restart the academy’s activities there.
Incidentally, Banerjee had written to Modi in June, seeking his intervention in the alleged vandalism of Rabindranath Tagore’s ancestral property in Sirajganj, Bangladesh, urging him to ensure that “perpetrators of this heinous and mindless act” are brought to justice. PTI SCH ACD
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