Bricks from Ritwik Ghatak’s Ancestral Home Found, Dumped Eleven Kilometres Away

In a striking development for film and cultural enthusiasts, bricks from the ancestral home of the legendary Bengali filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak have been located, nearly eleven kilometres from Rajshahi city, discarded in a pond and a marshy area. The site contains old bricks and the remnants of crumbling walls, while a short distance away, two more piles of bricks were discovered near another pond. A local cultural activist, inspecting the bricks, took a deep breath and exclaimed, “These are indeed from Ritwik Ghatak’s ancestral house.”

The controversy began last Tuesday, on the eve of Victory Day, when allegations surfaced that the debris from Ghatak’s demolished home had been transported by truck and dumped in local ponds and marshes. Attempts by Rajshahi’s film and cultural communities to prevent the removal temporarily halted the process. Since then, questions about the whereabouts of the historic bricks have been widespread.

Truck driver Md. Waj stated that one truckload of bricks had been deposited beside a pond near the west of Barendra University in Paba Upazila, while two more truckloads were dumped near a pond by Rajshahi Nursing College. A fourth truck’s contents remain untraced.

Attikur Rahman, an executive member of the Rajshahi Ritwik Ghatak Film Society, inspected the bricks, expressing a mix of grief and anger. “A legendary filmmaker’s home was destroyed, and now its bricks are hidden in ponds. Is this how we erase Ritwik Ghatak’s memory? Filling in these ponds is a legal offence. What exactly is the administration doing?” he questioned.

Ritwik Ghatak spent his early years at his ancestral home in Minapara, Rajshahi, attending Rajshahi Collegiate School and Rajshahi College. During this time, he engaged in theatrical activities and literary pursuits, editing the literary journal Abhidhara and cultivating a vibrant literary and cultural movement. His niece, the eminent writer Mahasweta Devi, also lived at the house.

The house was demolished on 5 August 2024, following political upheaval. Accusations were levelled against the adjacent Rajshahi Homeopathic Medical College. Although a fact-finding committee was formed, no recommendations have yet been implemented. Historically, 34% of the property was leased to the college in 1989, and attempts to construct a cycle garage in 2019 were met with national protests. Despite assurances of preservation from the authorities in 2020, the house remained unprotected.

For the past two years, local cultural workers have commemorated Ghatak’s birth anniversary on 4 November by lighting candles on the brick piles. This year also saw celebrations marking his centenary. Ahsan Kabir Liton, president of the Film Society, emphasised: “Destroying heritage is akin to cultural murder. These bricks are not mere building materials; they hold immense historical and artistic value.”

Distribution of Ghatak House Bricks :