Mujib, Tagore, Satyajit Ray! Why is Muhammad Yunus' Bangladesh bent on demolishing icons of Bengali culture?

First Mujibur Rehman, the man who founded Bangladesh, then Rabindranath Tagore, the poet who composed the national anthem and now Satyajit Ray, the doyen of parallel Bengali cinema, who got the Oscar Award for lifetime achievement. Bangladesh, under the rule of Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus, has either caused or failed to stop the demolition of these icons of the Bengali culture that evolved after the Renaissance movement in India. The people who love and are proud of the Bengali culture and values were shocked when the administration in Mymensingh district announced its decision to demolish the ancestral house of Satyajit Ray's grandfather. 

Who was Upendra Kishor Ray Chowdhury?

Upendra Kishor Ray Chowdhury, the noted Bengali litterateur, built this iconic house more than 100 years ago in Kishoreganj's Katiadi Upazila, where he was a zamindar in Masua. Formerly used as the Mymensingh Shishu Academy, the iconic building was neglected for more than a decade by successive governments, including those headed by Sheikh Hasina. Md Mehedi Zaman, the District Children Affairs Officer, told Bangladeshi daily 'The Daily Star' that a semi-concrete building will replace the old house to resume the activities of the Shishu Academy.

Bangladesh undergoes transformation

After the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee the country on August 5, 2024, Bangladesh underwent a massive transformation. It began to shed its past, its cultural history and its shared heritage with India. With the rise of radical Islam, attacks on Bengali nationalism escalated. Now, consequent to this regression, iconic cultural centres are being destroyed at worst.

Bangabandhu Bhaban gutted

A part of the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, also known as Bangabandhu Bhaban or Dhanmondi 32, the ancestral house of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was demolished in February this year. This is the place where the hero of the Bangladesh liberation movement was murdered along with nearly 50 members of his family and staff on August 15, 1975.

Rabindranath Tagore's house vandalised

The ancestral home of Rabindranath Tagore at Shahzadpur in Bangladesh's Sirajganj district was vandalized in June. The auditorium was attacked and the museum was temporarily closed. Some people, particularly the Islamists, are demanding to replace the national anthem "Amar Sonar Bangla" because it was composed by an Indian and that too a Hindu!

India offers help

Now, the ancestral house of Satyajit Ray's grandfather is going to be demolished. India has offered to repair and restore the historic structure. A spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs said, "Given the building's landmark status, symbolising Bangla cultural renaissance, it would be preferable to reconsider the demolition and examine options for its repair and reconstruction as a museum of literature and a symbol of the shared culture of India and Bangladesh."