Desk Report,
Demolition of house of ‘Satyajit Ray’s ancestor’ in Mymensingh halted
The old house on Harikisho Roy Road in Mymensingh city has been demolished. However, the demolition work has been stopped today. Wednesday afternoonPhoto: Prothom Alo
Demolition of house of ‘Satyajit Ray’s ancestor’ in Mymensingh halted
An old house on Harikisho Roy Road in the city was used as Mymensingh Shishu Academy. Some say the house belongs to Satyajit Ray’s ancestors, some say it is the temporary residence of Tangail’s Danbir Ray Bahadur Ronda Prasad Saha. Recently, when the demolition work of the Shishu Academy house began, criticism began. Then, on Wednesday, the authorities stopped the demolition work of the establishment.
Sabina Yasmin, field officer of the Shashila Museum of the Department of Archaeology, submitted a written application to the District Children’s Affairs Officer last Monday seeking information about the demolition of the house. At that time, Sabina Yasmin said that it is the historical house of the Ray family. Although it is not listed as an archaeological monument, it is a century-old house of Satyajit Ray’s ancestors. This establishment can be listed as an archaeological monument. Sabina Yasmin told Prothom Alo today that one-third of the house has already been demolished. The higher authorities have been informed in writing about this. The authorities will decide on the preservation. She got the house as the Ray family’s. But many say that it is someone else’s house. The demolition work of the house has been stopped since this morning.
After the news of the demolition of the house was published yesterday, the uproar started after the Chief Minister of West Bengal and the Indian government issued a statement. District administration officials visited the house last night. Criticism started on social media regarding the complications regarding the ownership of the house.
When asked, District Child Affairs Officer Mehedi Zaman told reporters that work has been stopped there on the orders of the Deputy Commissioner. A meeting will be held on the matter at 4 pm today. Details will be announced later.
Regarding the ownership of the house, archaeological researcher Swapan Dhar said that the house is the temporary residence of Danbir Roy Bahadur Randa Prasad Saha of Mirzapur, Tangail. Research and exhibition were conducted under a German government project in 2016-17. He also worked with French archaeologist Rumen Larcher on the Urban Heritage Management Plan project in Mymensingh. 320 houses were identified in the study. At that time, the buildings were divided into three categories. The house that is being demolished was a second category house. From an archaeological point of view, no one has the right to demolish this house, nor should they.
