Satyajit Ray's ancestral home in Bangladesh remains intact
Bangladesh's Mymensingh district administration clarified that Satyjit Ray's ancestral home, known locally as Durlov House, stood untouched.
The house being demolished in Bangladesh's Mymensingh district does not belong to the legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s family, as reported by India Today, quoting a senior district official. This has cleared the air over widespread reports linking the property to the iconic director's lineage.
Mofidul Alam, Deputy Commissioner of Mymensingh, confirmed that local authorities conducted a detailed verification before concluding that the demolished building holds no connection to Ray's ancestors.
"We held a meeting on Wednesday to verify the government records of the said property. We also spoke to local elders and checked historical documents. The house that was being demolished used to be the office of the Mymensingh Children's Academy. There are no records to prove it has any links to Satyajit Ray's ancestors," Alam said.
The district administration further clarified that Ray's ancestral home, known locally as Durlov House, stood untouched.
"We have ascertained that Ray's ancestral property is still intact. We have spoken to its current owner, who confirmed that he purchased the property directly from Ray's family and has the documents to prove it. The adjacent building that is being demolished is being mistakenly identified as Ray's ancestral home," Alam added.
The controversy began after several news reports claimed the demolition of the century-old structure built by Upendra Kishore Ray Chowdhury, Satyajit Ray's grandfather, and a noted writer and publisher. The building, once home to the Mymensingh Shishu Academy, had been abandoned for a decade.
"The house has been left abandoned for 10 years. Shishu Academy activities have been operating from a rented space," Md Mehedi Zaman, the district Children Affairs Officer, told The Daily Star. Authorities attributed the confusion to a 'misunderstanding' and assured that Ray's ancestral property remained protected.
Satyajit Ray, a towering figure in world cinema, was honoured with the Bharat Ratna — India’s highest civilian award — and an Honorary Academy Award for his contribution to filmmaking.
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