Mystery in Bangladesh: Whose Home Is Being Called Satyajit Ray’s Ancestral House? | World News

Dhaka/New Delhi: A crowded structure in MyMlesingh in Bangladesh made a storm on social media. The property was claimed to be the home of the ancestors of the famous filmmaker Satyajit Ray, who is now planned for destruction. The debate quickly turned into a transnational issue.

The Indian government responded with anxiety. Authorities expressed the hope that the demolition decision would be re -evaluated. In addition, he emphasized the historical and cultural value and presented help in the restoration and preservation of the structure. A statement published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a statement built by Ray’s grandfather and defined as part of Bengal’s literary and cultural heritage.

Repeating the emotion, Western Bengal Prime Minister Mamata Bannerjee called the Bangladesh government to protect the building. He called the demolition as a heartbreaking development that underlined the importance of the Ray family in the Bengal heritage. He wanted the house to be seen not only as a building, but as part of a larger cultural fabric.

The assembly criticism has led to the Bangladesh officials to pause the proposed destruction. The structure in question is at the Harikishore Roy Road in MyMensingh. The land was officially allocated to the Bangladesh Shishu Academy in 2008 under the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs. The Academy saw the structure dangerously and proposed to build a new building instead.

Did the building really belong to Ray’s ancestors?

A local authority from the Archeology Department in MyMensingh confirmed that there was a belief that the Assembly could have historical ties with the Ray family within the department. However, it has not yet been included in the list of protected heritage structures. He said that the survey studies in the department continue and that the official inheritance status cannot be appointed until completed. The country’s archaeological department asked the destruction to remain on hold and officially requested all relevant documents from the Academy.

Meanwhile, the regional officials objected to the allegations. Deputy Regional Commissioner Mufidul Alam, a meeting with stakeholders, said the structure does not have a known connection with Ray’s lineage. His stance was supported by a local researcher (Swapna Dhar) of Qazi Nazrul Islamic University. He referred to a joint research by a German agency, who describes the government and the building as a temporary residence of the charitable Ranada Ranada, not the Ray family.

According to him, another house on the same path, which is believed to be really attached to Ray’s ancestors, was destroyed almost ten years ago. The road, confusion may have emerged, because the road itself is called a Zamindar (host) linked to Ray’s family, he added.

Historical sources offer a mixed picture. Banglaje’s national encyclopedia records that Ray’s grandfather Upendrakishore Ray Chowdury was born in a nearby village called Masua. He was later accepted by a local Zamindar in MyMensingh and named Ray Chowdhury. This story placed the family in the region, but now under the investigation, he does not mention the house directly.

An official from the Archeology Department announced that the structure has an important value. The walls built with lime and mortar are about half a meter thick, pointing to construction methods longer than a century. Part of the building was already demolished before the work was stopped.

He also said that in heritage studies, oral dates, books, online materials and even folklore are accepted as relevant. The book of a local historian mentioned the structure, but not certain. For a possible Ray family connection, reasoning included the name of the street and situational references in various sources.

However, he acknowledged that the building was out of the official inheritance registry. The involvement process of EMPASEED requires a comprehensive examination. This process has just begun in the MyMensingh Department recently and is still missing in many sub -regions, including the location of the house.

The other historians provided a wider context. According to them, the region had many similar houses of Bengali families who once migrated long before the episode. Some buildings have been preserved, but many have deteriorated due to negligence. A few of them were destroyed decades ago.

A historian explained that it is not practical to maintain such structures. He just argued that sound should be protected structurally. He gave examples of other iconic houses, including those who belong to other leading people in the region.

This issue also revealed the 2010 urban protection work carried out by a French protectionist. This research had described more than 300 important houses in MyMensingh, but only 280 were found intact. The study classified them based on architectural features and historical importance. The house, which is currently discussed, was listed between the second layer, that is, valuable but not necessarily maintained.

According to the researcher who participated in this study, the building was built by Prasad Saha using bricks with different signs from the same period. He said that the records and local statements were not all Ray family housing.

Nevertheless, the confusion continues due to symbolic associations. The protection defenders argue that the building has cultural importance and should be saved, even if the Ray family cannot be proved directly to the Ray family.

Bangladeshi officials argue that the house has been abandoned and abandoned for more than ten years. Academy was operating from a rental place. Economic restrictions have played a role in the decision to demolish the building and build a new building.

A meeting at the regional level brought together managers, researchers and community members. After examining the existing documents, the regional commissioner government records did not show any traces of ownership connected to Ray’s family. The land and the structure have been listed as government ownership since 2008. He stated that legal and administrative procedures were followed before he started to demolish.

He said that interviews with elderly residents and researchers confirmed that the building has no historical connection with the radiation lineage. The viral narrative seemed to be based on misinterpretation.

For now, the house is standing. It is still unclear whether it will be protected or changed. However, the discussion made talks on memory, history and the value of the protection of cultural ground signs in South Asia.