India urges Bangladesh to reconsider demolition of Satyajit Ray's ancestral home

India has urged Bangladesh to reconsider the demolition of the ancestral house of eminent filmmaker Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh and volunteered to assist in repairing and reconstructing the property into a "museum of literature".

"We note with profound regret that the ancestral property of noted filmmaker and litterateur Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, belonging to his grandfather and eminent litterateur, Upendra Kishor Ray Chowdhury, is being demolished," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement last night.

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Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home being demolished

Pointing out that the property, currently owned by the government of Bangladesh, is in a state of disrepair and given the building's "landmark status symbolising Bangla cultural renaissance", the MEA said, "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."

"The government of India would be willing to extend cooperation for this purpose," the statement added.