Satyajit Ray’s ancestral house in ruins

The ancestral house of eminent filmmaker and author Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh city, which came under the then government’s possession after partition in 1947, is now on the verge of collapse due to negligence of the authorities concerned.
Satyajit Ray’s grandfather Upendra Kishore Ray Chowdhury, a prominent zaminder of Masua under Kishoreganj’s Katiadi upazila and also an accomplished author, publisher, artist, and music composer, built the house as part of the “Purnalaxmi Bhaban” in Mymensingh city’s Harikishore Ray Chowdhury Road around a century ago, according to sources at the Department of Archaeology.
The house, located just behind Shashi Lodge (now Mymensingh Museum), is one of the prominent landmarks in the Mymensingh region.
However, Satyajit Ray himself had never set foot in the house, as his family relocated to India before he was born. Satyajit was born in Kolkata in 1921.
After 1947, the house was used by Mymensingh Zilla Shishu Academy till 1989, before it relocated to a rented house on KB Ismail Hossain Road in the city, said Md Mehedi Zaman, district children’s affairs officer.
For the past 10 years or so, Ray’s ancestral house has been abandoned and uncared for and gradually fallen into a state of ruin.
Its boundary wall has collapsed in places, while the doors and windows have been stolen amid a lack of security. The rooms inside are also in a shambles, said local people.
The house has also developed cracks on the roof and walls over the years.
Weeds and creepers have overgrown to claim the house in many places. During rains, water seeps into the house, accelerating its decay, said Hanif Uddin, a resident of the neighbouring Panditpara area.
Locals also alleged the house turns into a den of drug addicts after nightfall.
“In our childhood, we saw the house in its grand state. Many people used to come from different areas to visit the Shashi Lodge, Satyajit Ray’s house, and other historic buildings in the area,” said Ram Lal Das, 75, of the neighbouring Aamlapara area.
Nazrul Islam Chunnu, convener of a local civil society platform Jonoudyog-Mymensingh, called upon the authorities to take prompt steps to preserve this historic building and other archaeological sites in the district.
Contacted, Sabina Yeasmin, field officer of the DoA (Dhaka and Mymensingh divisions) who is attached to the Shashi Lodge, said Satyajit Ray’s ancestral house has not been enlisted with the department yet.
She said she will look into the issue.