Bangladesh has suspended the demolition of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray&rsquo;s ancestral home in Mymensingh following appeals from Indian authorities and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The house, originally owned by Ray&rsquo;s grandfather and renowned Bengali author Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, had largely collapsed, with only parts of its walls remaining. Plans to demolish the site and replace it with a new cultural centre were met with sharp criticism from cultural voices in India.
CM Mamata Banerjee called the news &ldquo;extremely distressing&rdquo; and appealed to Bangladesh to preserve the site, describing it as a vital part of Bengal&rsquo;s cultural heritage. She also urged the Indian government to intervene.
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Responding swiftly, India&rsquo;s Ministry of External Affairs expressed &ldquo;profound regret&rdquo; and offered to collaborate with Bangladesh to restore and preserve the site as a literary museum. &ldquo;This building symbolises the shared cultural renaissance of India and Bangladesh,&rdquo; the MEA said.
Following this, Bangladesh authorities halted the demolition and formed a panel to explore possibilities for reconstruction.
Ray&rsquo;s ancestral home, if restored, could serve as a cross-border cultural symbol, celebrating shared literary and cinematic heritage.
[Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed.]
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India urges preservation of Satyajit Ray's historic Mymensingh house; Dhaka responds

Bangladesh Halts Demolition of Ray’s Home

India urges preservation of Satyajit Ray's historic Mymensingh house; Dhaka responds

July 17, 2025 | 09:40 IST