
House Under Demolition Has No Link With Satyajit Ray, Never Did: Bangladesh
The dilapidated one-storey house in Bangladesh's Mymensingh, which several reports had identified as Satyajit Ray's ancestral home, has no connection with the legendary filmmaker, the Bangladesh government has said. The clarification comes in the aftermath of India expressing concern over the ongoing demolition of the structure and offering help to Dhaka to reconstruct it as a museum.
Multiple reports had claimed that the house belonged to Ray's grandfather and well-known Bengali writer Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury and expressed concern over its demolition. The reports played out against the backdrop of tense ties between New Delhi and Dhaka after the change of guard in Bangladesh and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's escape to Delhi. The demolition was also seen as a cultural shift in the neighbouring country.
Detailed inquiry into archive/records in #Bangladesh reconfirm: the building being demolished in #Mymensingh district has no historical/familial link to iconic Bengali filmmaker #Satyajit Ray or his ancestors. pic.twitter.com/IT4uwtvBFm
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs (@BDMOFA) July 17, 2025
"Detailed inquiry into the archival records re-confirmed that the house in question never had any relation with the ancestors of the esteemed laureate Satyajit Ray. It was built by a local Zamindar Shashikant Acharya Chowdhury, next to his bungalow house 'Shashi Lodge', for his employees. Upon the abolition of the zamindari system, it came under the control of the government. The government later allocated it to the Bangladesh 'Shishu Academy'. Ever since, the house has been used as the office of the District Shishu Academy. And, the land itself was a non-agricultural government (Khas) land and leased to Shishu Academy on a long-term basis," the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
"The District Authorities have reviewed the land records related to the house and confirmed that as per the past records the land belongs to the Government and has no association with the Ray family whatsoever. Local senior citizens and respected individuals from various communities also attested that there is no known historical connection between the Ray family and the house and land currently leased to the Shishu Academy. The house is not listed as an archaeological monument, either," the statement said.
It underlined that road in front of the house is named after Satyajit Ray's great-grandfather Harikishore Ray, the adoptive parent of his grandfather Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury. "The Ray family had a house on Harikishore Ray Road, which they had sold long ago and thus no longer exists. A multi-storied building was constructed there by the new owner," the statement said.
The building, the Bangladesh government said, was "dilapidated, risky and unusable". "Since 2014, the Academy had shifted to a rented property elsewhere in Mymensingh city, and the abandoned house became a den for unlawful activities by local anti-social elements. Hence, an initiative was taken to construct a semi-permanent building at the site in the first half of 2024. Later, following due process, Bangladesh Shishu Academy accorded permission to the District authorities to remove the old, dilapidated building through an auction."
"Drawing on the factual and meticulous re-examination of all records, the Government of Bangladesh urges all quarters to refrain from spreading misleading or factually inaccurate narrative, in any form, that end up creating confusion and disrupt harmony amongst the people," the ministry said.
Earlier, India's Ministry of External Affairs had expressed regret over the demolition. "The property, presently owned by the Government of Bangladesh, is in a state of disrepair. Given the building's landmark status, symbolising Bangla cultural renaissance, it would be preferable to reconsider the demolition and examine options for its repair and reconstruction as a museum of literature and a symbol of the shared culture of India and Bangladesh," it had said, adding that New Delhi would be willing to cooperate with Dhaka in this matter.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
‘Like Covid all over again': Gurgaon RWAs stare at sanitation crisis after crackdown fears drive migrants away
As Bengali-speaking migrant workers leave the city following reports of several being picked up during the Gurgaon Police's verification drive to identify suspected foreigners, housing societies that depended on them for sanitation services are struggling. 'We had six to seven door-to-door collectors… They spoke Bengali and had all the documents. Out of fear, they have stopped coming for the past 8-10 days; some have headed home. We are now struggling to train the new staff we had to hire, to get garbage cleared on time. It is like Covid all over again,' said Kusum Sharma, a Residents' Welfare Association (RWA) member of Suncity township in Sector 54 along the Golf Course Road. 'This arrangement has been in place for six years. Why was this sudden crackdown carried out without putting in place alternative measures?' she added. 'Even domestic help are scared to come to work now.' The situation is similar in Sector 23A. RWA General Secretary Bhawani Shankar Tripathy said door-to-door waste collection has been disrupted for more than a week now. 'The day the police operation began, they (workers) disappeared. The cart operators, who were Bengali speaking, are gone… the one remaining vehicle operator is overwhelmed and effectively works on alternate days now… Waste is piling up in vacant plots and greenbelt areas.' Road sweeping has also taken a hit, he added. 'The staff, reduced from 27 to 20 after a contract renewal, now comprises only two women. It is humanly impossible for two people to clean 2 km every day. They manage only 300-500m daily, alternating sections. Even the park dustbins are overflowing now, as people have started dumping their waste there.' RWAs like Ardee City in Sector 52, which house 2,500 families, have arranged for their own pickup truck with four new workers. 'Our 12 earlier door-to-door collectors have fled. We have now invested in a public announcement system, and coordinate through WhatsApp as to when the truck reaches a lane so people can come to give the garbage,' said Chaitali Mandhotra, Ardee City RWA member. Speaking with The Indian Express, Municipal Corporation of Gurugram Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya acknowledged that sanitation operations in some areas had initially been affected. 'We have been swiftly deploying alternative arrangements (in terms of workforce) that were already in place. The issue is being faced by those sectors that had arrangements with private players who would employ (migrant workers) from the informal sector,' he said.


Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
‘Can't believe I topped UGC NET JRF,' says Nilufa Yasmin with a perfect 100
Nilufa Yasmin, a resident of Katwa's Palita Road area in Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal, has secured the top rank in the UGC NET JRF June 2025 exam with a perfect 100 percentile. A research scholar at Burdwan University, Yasmin is working on the intersection of music and literature in the Middle Ages. This was her third attempt at the exam: she persisted with fresh preparation each time. 'I am very happy. I had hoped I would do well but never thought I would top,' Yasmin told The Indian Express, 'My guide and professor of the Bengali department, Ramenkumar sir, has always encouraged me to focus on my studies.' 'In the last two years, I faced problems with math and English because we lose touch, so I would advise everyone to practice English for the first paper. And for the second paper, text study is very important,' she said. Yasmin, who has consistently stood first in examinations throughout her academic career, comes from a family of educators. Her father, a high school teacher, recently retired, and her mother also taught at school. A lover of music, she likes to upload videos of her performing on social media. She now hopes to pursue a career in academia. 'My family is very happy and excited. My parents and sisters are calling me and telling me about all those who are calling them or visiting our home,' she said. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee congratulated the toppers on social media: 'Congratulations to Nilufa Yasmin of Katwa in Purba Bardhaman for scoring 100 percentile and securing first position in India in UGC–NET June, 2025 (with) Bengali, and to Rikta Chakraborty of Kolkata for securing second position in India in UGC-NET June, 2025 (with) Mass Communication and Journalism. Your achievements have made our state proud. Congratulations to your parents/guardians and teachers too.' Reacting to the post, Yasmin said, 'I could not believe that the Chief Minister had congratulated me. I am so happy that she is so busy but she remembers us… that means a lot.' The UGC NET is a national-level examination conducted to recruit Assistant Professors, award the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), and admit candidates to PhD programmes in Indian universities and colleges. In the June 2025 session, 10,19,751 candidates registered for the exam, with 7,52,007 appearing. Of these, 5,269 qualified for both JRF and Assistant Professorship, 54,885 qualified for Assistant Professorship and PhD admission, and 1,28,179 qualified for PhD admission only.


Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Gurgaon garbage crisis: How a crackdown on Bengali immigrants led to Millennium City being called 'a pig house'
In Gurugram, known for its high-rise towers and gated communities, a sanitation crisis is growing as hundreds of sanitation workers, many of them Bengali-speaking migrants, flee the city. Their departure has disrupted door-to-door garbage collection, leaving streets from Sector 103 to Golf Course Extension Road lined with waste and raising fears of a health emergency, a HT report stated. Gurgaon Garbage Crisis Reason: Migrant workers exodus As per the report quoting residents and volunteers, the sudden exit of workers has affected waste handling in several residential sectors. 'They didn't even inform us. Many just vanished overnight out of fear,' a waste volunteer in Sector 57 told HT. Between July 13 and 21, at least 100 informal workers were reportedly detained during police verification drives. Most of those detained worked as house helps or sanitation staff in upscale neighbourhoods. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category MCA Project Management Leadership Others Cybersecurity Healthcare healthcare Data Analytics Data Science Digital Marketing Operations Management Artificial Intelligence Design Thinking Degree CXO PGDM Product Management Data Science Public Policy others Finance Technology Management MBA Skills you'll gain: Programming Proficiency Data Handling & Analysis Cybersecurity Awareness & Skills Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Duration: 24 Months Vellore Institute of Technology VIT Master of Computer Applications Starts on Aug 14, 2024 Get Details Untrained private efforts worsen garbage situation With garbage collection systems breaking down, housing societies are now hiring private tractor-trolleys to transport waste. However, these efforts often lack trained staff or proper waste segregation, leading to indiscriminate dumping at unofficial sites. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Remember Him? Sit Down Before You See What He Looks Like Now 33 Bridges Undo The issue has snowballed into a political issue between BJP and TMC. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the Gurugram administration in Haryana detained 52 Bengali migrant workers, suspecting them to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, and requested background verification reports from the Bengal government. 'Today, a notice from Gurgaon reached the district magistrates and police superintendents of Malda, South Dinajpur, North Dinajpur, Nadia, Murshidabad, Cooch Behar and North 24 Parganas. The Gurugram administration has detained 52 people from these districts and has asked our DMs and SPs to verify their backgrounds and send reports,' Banerjee told the media. French expat's viral 'pig house' post highlights concern Adding to the outcry, a French expat living in Gurgaon shared her experience on social media, describing the city as 'filthy' and a 'sewage park.' Live Events In a widely shared post, Mathilde R wrote, 'What could have been a modern, peaceful city has turned into a massive landfill. Many of my expat friends are moving back to Delhi or leaving India for good. Abroad feels like a relief.' — MathildeRa77404 (@MathildeRa77404) Expressing her concern for residents who cannot afford to leave, she wrote, 'We wonder if our taxes are building someone else's castle instead of providing us a decent life.' 'Do we really think that tourists will want to come here while having to walk in the filth and on dangerous roads? Gurgaon has become the hellish version of an adventure park,' she added. Public anger grows over civic neglect Across social media, several users echoed Mathilde's concerns. One post said, '@DC_Gurugram & officials r least bothered. Don't know where money is going? Everywhere jaam, no traffic mgmt, police taking bribes at traffic junctions & from fruits/vegetables vendors, allowing them on roads, no waste management, littering all over, stinking localities, waterlogging.' Residents continue to highlight broken pavements, overflowing drains, and unsafe roads, especially during the monsoon. 'Stepping out of your house feels like entering a sewage park,' Mathilde wrote. — YashMor5 (@YashMor5) Gurugram Swachh ranking questioned after data discrepancies emerge The situation has drawn further criticism after Gurugram jumped from rank 140 to 41 in this year's Swachh Survekshan rankings, despite visible garbage across the city. Following the announcement on July 17, residents questioned how the city's ranking improved while basic sanitation remained poor. It has now emerged that 81 out of Haryana's 87 municipalities, including Gurgaon, allegedly submitted inflated data claiming 100% door-to-door waste collection. In reality, Gurugram's actual coverage was only 59%, according to survey data accessed by The Times of India. MCG Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya said, 'We will probe the matter and a report will be sought from the nodal officer of Swachh Bharat Mission. We will submit it to the directorate and wait for their review on the same.'