Paintings on Ritwik Ghatak's ancestral home ordered to be removed

On the occasion of the legendary Bengali filmmaker Ritwik Kumar Ghatak's birthday, the walls of his iconic Rajshahi home were painted as like the posters of his films Meghe Dhaka Tara, Ajantrik, Bari theke Paliye. These artworks have been asked to be removed after Ghatak's 99th birthday celebrations.

Rajshahi Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital authorities have given this order, said the Ritwik Ghatak Film Society of Rajshahi, the organizer of the event.

Ghatak, a towering figure in global cinema, spent his early life in this home, attending Rajshahi's prestigious Collegiate School and Rajshahi College. It was here that he edited the literary magazine Abhidhara and led local theatre movements. His niece, renowned writer Mahasweta Devi, also lived in this house during her time in Rajshahi.

Situated in the Ghoramara neighbourhood, the house where Ghatak spent his formative years was demolished on August 6. Local cultural activists alleged that people from Rajshahi Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital demolished the house.

On Monday evening, a three-day program was organized in the ruins of that broken house. A small space between two piles of bricks is used to accommodate the guests.

Numerous candles are lit on two piles of bricks. A picture of Ritwik Ghatak is kept on a pile while a banner on another pile read 'Ritwik Ghatak's 99th Birth Anniversary'.

Posters of Ritwik Kumar Ghatak's Megh dhaka Tara, Ajantrik, Bari Theke Paliye are painted on the walls of the demolished rooms on the south side of the Rajshahi Homeopathic College.

Ritwik Ghatak Film Society General Secretary Mahmud Hossain said that the principal of Rajshahi Homeopathic College called him over phone and asked him to remove the artworks.

When contacted, Principal Anisur Rahman said that he had asked the activists to make the walls as it was before.

In 1989, the Ershad government leased the 34-decimal property to the Rajshahi Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital. In 2019, part of the house was demolished to construct a bicycle garage, sparking protests. In response, the district administration vowed in 2020 to preserve the house. Yet, as of August 6, no trace of the building remains.