TDS Desk:

The ancestral home of eminent litterateur Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury — formerly used as the Mymensingh Shishu Academy — is being demolished to make way for a new semi-concrete structure.

Upendrakishore was the father of celebrated poet Sukumar Ray and grandfather of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray.

The century-old house, located on Harikishore Ray Chowdhury Road in Mymensingh, is tied to the legacy of the illustrious Ray family, whose contributions to Bangla literature and arts are considered foundational. Harikishore Ray Chowdhury himself was an ancestor of Upendrakishore, Sukumar, and Satyajit.

Asked about the demolition, Md Mehedi Zaman, Mymensingh’s district children affairs officer, said the decision to demolish the house was made by a committee led by the district’s Deputy Commissioner Mofidul Alam. It also includes him and officials from the Public Works Department.

The same committee is also supervising the demolition, added the official.

“The house had been abandoned for 10 years, and Shishu Academy activities have been running from a rented space,” said the official, adding that the new semi-concrete building with several rooms will be built to resume academy activities.

He also claimed that the demolition is being carried out in accordance with proper procedures and necessary approvals.

DC Mofidul Alam could not be reached for comments.

When asked why such a historically significant building, located on a 36-acre plot, was being torn down, Mehedi said the old building posed safety risks to children gathering at the compound.

Situated just behind Shashi Lodge — one of the region’s most prominent archaeological landmarks — the house had reportedly fallen into disrepair after years of neglect by the authorities.

According to the Department of Archaeology, the house was built over a century ago by Upendrakishore, a zamindar from Masua in Kishoreganj’s Katiadi upazila. After the partition of 1947, the property came under government ownership and started housing Mymensingh Shishu Academy in 1989.

Locals say the demolition will wipe out the legacy of the Ray dynasty in Mymensingh city.

“The house remained in a sorry state for years, with cracks forming on its roof — yet the authorities never cared about the rich history these old buildings hold,” said poet Shamim Ashraf, adding that locals had repeatedly called for its preservation, but to no avail.

Sabina Yeasmin, field officer of the Department of Archaeology (Dhaka and Mymensingh divisions), said the house had not been officially listed with the department, but according to surveys, it was an archaeological heritage.

She said she had spoken with Shishu Academy and local administration officials, urging them to protect the house, but her request was ignored.

She also informed the department’s regional director on this matter, she added.