India offers support to restore Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home

The Indian government on Tuesday expressed its willingness to assist Bangladesh in the restoration and preservation of the ancestral home of legendary filmmaker and writer Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh.

In a statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it noted “with profound regret” reports that the historic property, belonging to Ray’s grandfather and eminent litterateur Upendra Kishor Ray Chowdhury, is being demolished due to its dilapidated state.

The property, now under the ownership of the Bangladesh government, holds significant cultural value as a landmark of the Bengal renaissance, India said.

“Given the building’s landmark status, symbolising the Bangla cultural renaissance, it would be preferable to reconsider the demolition and examine options for its repair and reconstruction as a museum of literature — a symbol of the shared cultural heritage of India and Bangladesh,” the MEA stated.

“The government of India would be willing to extend cooperation for this purpose,” it added.