Mamata raises concern over ‘demolition’ of Ray’s ancestral home in B’desh

Kolkata/New Delhi: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday expressed deep concern over reports of the demolition of the ancestral home of renowned author and illustrator Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury in Mymensingh, Bangladesh.

Taking to her official handle on X (formerly Twitter), Banerjee wrote: “This is very unfortunate. The Ray family is one of the most significant custodians of Bengali culture. Upendrakishore has been a pillar of Bengal’s cultural renaissance. So, I feel this house is intricately linked with the cultural history of Bengal.” She appealed to the Bangladesh government and citizens to help preserve the historic structure and urged the Indian government to intervene diplomatically.

Reacting to the development, the External Affairs ministry said the Indian government is “willing to co-operate” with its Bangladeshi counterpart for the repair and reconstruction of the property.

“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 ministry said in a statement.

This marks the second instance in just over a month where Banerjee has raised concerns over the fate of Bengali heritage sites in Bangladesh. On June 12, following reports of the demolition of Rabindranath Tagore’s administrative house in Sirajganj, she wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking immediate intervention.

“I would urge you to kindly take up the matter very strongly with the neighbouring country’s government, so that no stone is left unturned to swiftly bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous and mindless act,” she wrote. “Although untold damage has already been done, a strong international protest would at least deter any future attacks on monuments of cultural legacy.”

During a subsequent courtesy meeting between the Bangladesh High Commissioner and the Chief Minister at Nabanna, the issue reportedly came up for discussion. At the time, Bangladesh cited “law and order” concerns as the reason behind the demolition.

Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, a pioneer of children’s literature and printing technology in Bengal, was the founder of Sandesh magazine—a landmark in Bengali literary history. His legacy was carried forward by his son Sukumar Ray and grandson, the iconic filmmaker Satyajit Ray.