Why Is India Upset About Demolition Of Satyajit Ray`s Ancestral Home, A Place He Never Lived In?-OxBig News Network

By Aditya Poojan

Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home has finally been demolished. Despite an offer of assistance from the Indian government, the Bangladesh government tore down the house on Wednesday morning. Located in Mymensingh, the house was built by Satyajit Ray’s grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury. A day before the demolition, government officials had revealed their plan to tear down the building, which prompted India to appeal to the Bangladesh government to reconsider. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed her disapproval of the decision in a post on X. Although India offered to help preserve the house, the Bangladeshi government was unwilling to change its decision. There are two main reasons for India’s outrage over the demolition, even though Satyajit Ray never visited the house: first, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury’s contributions to Bengali literature, and second, a growing trend of destroying cultural heritage sites in Bangladesh that are connected to India.

House Built by the Grandfather

Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury built the house about a hundred years ago. The 36-acre property on Harikishore Ray Chowdhury Road in Mymensingh included residential rooms, a prayer room, a kitchen, a garden house, a playground, and two separate ponds for animals and humans. Satyajit Ray’s father also never lived in the house. After the formation of Bangladesh, the house became government property. In 1989, a Shishu Academy (children’s academy) was started there. By 2007, the house had fallen into disrepair, and the academy ceased operations. The house then became deserted, its walls crumbled, its doors and windows were stolen, and it suffered extensive vandalism. Government officials stated that the house could not be repaired, and therefore, it would be demolished to construct a new building for the Shishu Academy to resume operations. The Indian government had offered to help Bangladesh convert the house into a museum. It had proposed developing the house as a shared cultural heritage site between the two countries, but Bangladesh rejected the offer.

Major Figure in Bengali Literature

The primary reason for India’s emotional connection to the house is its link to three generations of Bengal’s literary and artistic heritage: Upendrakishore, his son and famous poet Sukumar, and Satyajit Ray. Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury is considered the father of children’s literature in the Bengali language. He did remarkable work to popularize science among children through simple language and is considered a key figure of the Bengali Renaissance and an important part of Bengal’s literary heritage. This legacy was carried forward by his son, Sukumar Ray, and then his grandson, Satyajit Ray. While Sukumar Ray made literature his medium, Satyajit Ray won an Academy Award for filmmaking. Even though both of them never visited the house in Mymensingh, it was their ancestral heritage, and therefore, the outrage in India over its demolition is justified.

‘Anti-India Sentiment’

The second major reason for the outrage is the recent incidents in Bangladesh in which symbols connected to India have been attacked. Not just India, but symbols associated with Hindi and Hindustan have been increasingly targeted in Bangladesh. In June of this year, a mob attacked Rabindranath Tagore’s ancestral home in the Sirajganj district. Prior to that, several temples were vandalized during protests against the Sheikh Hasina government last year, and Hindus were also attacked. This trend has continued even after Mohammed Yunus took charge. Satyajit Ray and Rabindranath Tagore are part of Bangladesh’s cultural heritage as much as they are a part of India’s. After the attack on Tagore’s house, officials claimed that the mob became violent due to a dispute over parking. However, the decision to demolish Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home was made by the government itself. One might wonder if the government is a participant in this anti-India sentiment.