Dhaka, July 15: In yet another shocking development showcasing the growing social intolerance in Bangladesh, the ancestral home of iconic filmmaker Satyajit Ray in Dhaka is being demolished to make way for a new semi-concrete structure, the local media reported on Tuesday.
Located on Horikishore Ray Chowdhury Road in the city, the century-old house was home to eminent litterateur Upendra Kishore Ray Chowdhury, the father of celebrated poet Sukumar Ray and grandfather of Satyajit Ray.
A semi-concrete structure with several rooms will be built to house a Shishu Academy at the historically-significant building, the country’s leading media outlet ‘Daily Star’ reported.
It mentioned that local residents have expressed their concerns over the decision, citing that the demolition will wipe out the legacy of the Ray dynasty in Mymensingh city. However, the authorities insist that the demolition is being carried out in accordance with proper procedures and “necessary approvals”. Officials from Dhaka’s Department of Archeology, while agreeing that the property remains an archeological heritage, admitted that their repeated requests to protect the building have gone unheard.
Satyajit Ray is one of the most respected filmmakers in world cinema who has also inspired several great filmmakers including Martin Scorsese, who is known for films like ‘Taxi Driver’, ‘Raging Bull’, ‘The Departed’, ‘Shutter Island’ and others.
In April, a mob of radicals demolished the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in Dhaka’s Mirpur area. The monument was a symbol of the genocide committed by the Pakistan Army during the Liberation War of Bangladesh. As the video of the demolition went viral, several Bangladeshis took to social media, severely condemning the disturbing act, which displays the current lawlessness prevailing in Bangladesh under the interim government led by Yunus.
Experts perceived this act of the interim government as an insult to the martyrs and a part of their appeasement policy towards Pakistan. The memorial in the Mirpur area of Dhaka honoured the luminaries who sacrificed their lives for the country’s independence during the war with Pakistan.
In a similar act, the mural of the Liberation War Memorial Mancha in Lalmonirhat district in Bangladesh was demolished at the instruction of the Yunus-led interim government in March. The mural showcased the background of the 1950s language movement, the historic March 7 speech, the War of Independence, the formation of the Mujibnagar government, the dawn of the new sun in the independent land, the 1971 genocide by Pakistan, the heroic freedom fighters exulting in victory, the seven great heroes, the surrender of the Pakistani army, the jubilant crowd holding the national flag, and many other historic moments.
The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) had also rechristened different roads, buildings, and structures previously named after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, his family members, and leaders of the Awami League.
Bangabandhu Avenue has now been renamed as Shaheed Abrar Fahad Avenue, according to an order issued by the DSCC. About 1500 sculptures, murals, and memorials have been vandalised, set on fire, and uprooted all over the country since the Yunus government came to power in August 2024 after the fall of the Awami League government led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
IANS