The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) on Wednesday raised strong objections over reports of the demolition of celebrated filmmaker Satyajit Ray's family home in Bangladesh.
The ancestral home of writer-editor Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, is demolished, reported Bangladesh's national daily, The Daily Star. The house is associated with three generations of the Ray family—Upendrakishore, Sukumar Ray, and Satyajit Ray.
TMC, in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), called the reported demolition “nothing short of cultural vandalism.” The party said, “To destroy the legacy of a family that gave Bengal Upendrakishore, Sukumar, and Satyajit Ray is an outrageous blow to the cultural conscience of the entire Bengali-speaking world.”
It added, “We demand that the Bangladesh Government immediately halt the demolition and declare this home a protected heritage site. Anything less would be an act of complicity. And the Government of India must raise this matter urgently through diplomatic channels. When the monumental contributions of Bengali icons is under attack, silence is not an option.”
Earlier in the day, Mamata Banerjee expressed her concern through a separate statement on X. She wrote, “News reports reveal that in Bangladesh's Mymensingh city, the ancestral home of Satyajit Ray’s grandfather, the renowned writer-editor Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, steeped in his memories, is reportedly being demolished.”
Banerjee said, “It is learnt that the demolition work had already begun. This news is extremely distressing. The Ray family is one of the foremost bearers and carriers of Bengali culture. Upendra Kishore is a pillar of Bengal’s renaissance. Therefore, I believe this house is intricately tied to the cultural history of Bengal.”
She appealed to the Government of Bangladesh and to citizens in the country to act to preserve the house. “The Indian government should pay attention to this matter,” she added.
A report by The Daily Star, a Bangladesh-based newspaper, stated that the structure—once used as the Mymensingh Shishu Academy—is being demolished to make way for a semi-concrete building. Located on Horikishore Ray Chowdhury Road, the house is over a century old and is tied to the Ray family’s cultural legacy. The newspaper said Horikishore Ray Chowdhury, for whom the road is named, was an ancestor of Upendrakishore, Sukumar, and Satyajit Ray.
The ancestral home of writer-editor Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, is demolished, reported Bangladesh's national daily, The Daily Star. The house is associated with three generations of the Ray family—Upendrakishore, Sukumar Ray, and Satyajit Ray.
TMC, in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), called the reported demolition “nothing short of cultural vandalism.” The party said, “To destroy the legacy of a family that gave Bengal Upendrakishore, Sukumar, and Satyajit Ray is an outrageous blow to the cultural conscience of the entire Bengali-speaking world.”
The reported demolition of the ancestral home of Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury in Mymensingh, Bangladesh is nothing short of cultural vandalism.
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) July 16, 2025
To destroy the legacy of a family that gave Bengal Upendrakishore, Sukumar, and Satyajit Ray is an outrageous blow to the cultural…
It added, “We demand that the Bangladesh Government immediately halt the demolition and declare this home a protected heritage site. Anything less would be an act of complicity. And the Government of India must raise this matter urgently through diplomatic channels. When the monumental contributions of Bengali icons is under attack, silence is not an option.”
Earlier in the day, Mamata Banerjee expressed her concern through a separate statement on X. She wrote, “News reports reveal that in Bangladesh's Mymensingh city, the ancestral home of Satyajit Ray’s grandfather, the renowned writer-editor Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, steeped in his memories, is reportedly being demolished.”
Banerjee said, “It is learnt that the demolition work had already begun. This news is extremely distressing. The Ray family is one of the foremost bearers and carriers of Bengali culture. Upendra Kishore is a pillar of Bengal’s renaissance. Therefore, I believe this house is intricately tied to the cultural history of Bengal.”
She appealed to the Government of Bangladesh and to citizens in the country to act to preserve the house. “The Indian government should pay attention to this matter,” she added.
A report by The Daily Star, a Bangladesh-based newspaper, stated that the structure—once used as the Mymensingh Shishu Academy—is being demolished to make way for a semi-concrete building. Located on Horikishore Ray Chowdhury Road, the house is over a century old and is tied to the Ray family’s cultural legacy. The newspaper said Horikishore Ray Chowdhury, for whom the road is named, was an ancestor of Upendrakishore, Sukumar, and Satyajit Ray.
You may also like
Queen Camilla makes history as she's handed yet another prestigious title
750 tonnes of weapons seized in Red Sea: Yemen
Jo Bacon dead: Love Actually and EastEnders star dies as tributes flood in
Karan Johar's 'Homebound' selected for the Toronto International Film Festival 2025
ED restitutes assets worth Rs 9.56 crore to legitimate claimant
