Dhaka/New Delhi: A crumbling construction at Mymensingh in Bangladesh has stirred a storm throughout social media. It was claimed that the property was the ancestral residence of famend filmmaker Satyajit Ray, now slated for demolition. The controversy shortly escalated right into a transnational matter.
The Indian authorities responded with concern. Officers expressed hope that the demolition choice can be reconsidered. It additionally provided help in restoring and preserving the construction, emphasising its historic and cultural worth. An announcement issued by the Ministry of Exterior Affairs referred to the home as one constructed by Ray’s grandfather and described it as a part of Bengal’s literary and cultural legacy.
Echoing the sentiment, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged the Bangladesh authorities to protect the constructing. She referred to as the demolition a heartbreaking improvement, underlining that the Ray household’s significance in Bengali heritage. She requested that the home be seen not simply as a constructing however as half of a bigger cultural cloth.
The mounting criticism led Bangladeshi authorities to pause the proposed demolition. The construction in query stands at Harikishore Roy Highway in Mymensingh. The land was formally allotted in 2008 to the Bangladesh Shishu Academy, underneath the Ministry of Ladies and Youngsters Affairs. The academy had deemed the construction hazardous and proposed developing a brand new constructing as a substitute.
Did the constructing actually belong to Ray’s ancestors?
A neighborhood official from the Division of Archaeology in Mymensingh confirmed that there’s perception throughout the division that the home might have historic ties to the Ray household. Nevertheless, it isn’t but included within the record of protected heritage constructions. He stated survey work within the division is ongoing, and till it’s full, no official heritage standing will be assigned. The nation’s archaeology division has requested that demolition stay on maintain and has formally requested the academy for all associated paperwork.
In the meantime, district officers have contested the claims. Mufidul Alam, deputy commissioner of the district, stated in a gathering with stakeholders that the construction had no recognized connection to Ray’s lineage. His stance was supported by a neighborhood researcher (Swapna Dhar) affiliated with Qazi Nazrul Islam College. He cited a 2010 joint research by the Bangladeshi authorities and a German company, which recognized the constructing as a brief residence of philanthropist Ranada Prasad Saha, not of the Ray household.
In keeping with him, one other home on the identical highway, believed to be the one truly related to Ray’s ancestors, was torn down practically a decade in the past. He added that confusion might have arisen as a result of the highway itself was named after a zamindar (landlord) linked to Ray’s household.
Historic sources current a blended image. The nationwide encyclopedia of Bangladesh, Banglapedia, information that Ray’s grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, was born in a close-by village referred to as Masua. He was later adopted by a neighborhood zamindar in Mymensingh and took the title Ray Chowdhury. That story locations the household within the area, however makes no direct point out of the home now underneath scrutiny.
An official from the archaeology division defined that the construction does have important worth. Constructed with lime and mortar, the partitions are practically half a meter thick, pointing to building strategies from over a century in the past. Components of the constructing had already been demolished earlier than the work was halted.
She additionally stated that in heritage research, oral histories, books, on-line materials and even folklore are thought-about related. One native historian’s ebook had talked about the construction, however not definitively. Her reasoning for a attainable Ray household hyperlink included the title of the road and circumstantial references in numerous sources.
However she acknowledged the constructing stays outdoors the official heritage registry. The inclusion course of, she empasised, requires thorough surveying. That course of solely started just lately within the Mymensingh division and continues to be incomplete in lots of sub-districts, together with the one the place the home is positioned.
Different historians supplied broader context. In keeping with them, the area as soon as had many related houses owned by Bengali households who migrated lengthy earlier than the partition. Some buildings have been preserved, however many have deteriorated as a consequence of neglect. Just a few had been even demolished a long time in the past.
One historian defined that sustaining lots of of such constructions isn’t sensible. He recommended that solely these nonetheless structurally sound must be preserved. He gave examples of different iconic houses which have disappeared over time, together with these belonging to different outstanding folks from the area.
The difficulty additionally delivered to mild a 2010 city preservation research performed by a French conservationist. That analysis had recognized over 300 traditionally important houses in Mymensingh, although solely 280 had been discovered intact. The research categorised these primarily based on architectural options and historic significance. The home now underneath dialogue had been listed among the many second tier, that means helpful however not essentially protected.
In keeping with the researcher concerned in that research, the construction was constructed by Ranada Prasad Saha utilizing bricks that had distinct markings from the identical interval. He stated information and native testimonies all point out that this was not a Ray household residence.
Nonetheless, confusion persists due to the symbolic associations. Advocates for preservation argue that even when direct lineage to the Ray household can’t be confirmed, the constructing holds cultural significance and must be spared.
Bangladeshi officers preserve that the home was deserted and in disrepair for over a decade. The academy had been working from a rented location. Financial constraints performed a job within the choice to raze the constructing and assemble a brand new one.
A gathering held on the district stage introduced collectively directors, researchers and neighborhood members. After reviewing obtainable paperwork, the district commissioner introduced that authorities information present no hint of possession linked to Ray’s household. The land and construction have been listed as authorities property since 2008. He said that authorized and administrative procedures had been adopted earlier than initiating the demolition.
He stated that interviews with aged residents and researchers confirmed that the constructing had no historic connection to the Ray lineage. The viral narrative, in his phrases, seemed to be primarily based on a misinterpretation.
For now, the home stays standing. Whether or not it is going to be protected or changed continues to be unsure. The controversy, nonetheless, has reignited conversations about reminiscence, historical past and the worth of preserving cultural landmarks in South Asia.