Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home: Guesthouse built at Tk 7m, but no tourist stayed in 14 years

The government built a guesthouse at a cost of Tk 7 million (70 lakh) at the ancestral home of Oscar-winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray to accommodate tourists.

However, although 14 years have passed since its construction, there is no record of any tourist staying there for even a single night. The guesthouse register is also completely blank, with no names or addresses of any guests recorded anywhere.

Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home is located in Masua village under Masua Union of Katiadi upazila in Kishoreganj. Tourists from different parts of the country visit the house, which is under the control of the Department of Archaeology, every day.

However, as Katiadi lacks good residential hotels, tourists travelling from distant areas face difficulties finding accommodation for the night. Taking the matter into consideration, the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation constructed the guesthouse beside the ancestral property in 2011.

The project allocated Tk 7 million for the construction of the two-storey guesthouse, boundary wall and improvement of roads and other infrastructure.

Of this amount, Tk 5.2 million (52 lakh) was allocated for constructing the guesthouse and purchasing furniture. The authorities inaugurated the guesthouse in the middle of 2012. However, despite the passage of 14 years, no tourist has ever spent a night there due to various complications.

During a visit to the site on 13 August, the main gate of the guesthouse was found locked.

As there is no caretaker to look after the guesthouse, Sanjit Chandra Das, a sweeper at the Masua Union Land Office, takes care of it. His home is beside the guesthouse. After he was called, Sanjit Chandra Das opened the gate.

Inside the guesthouse, it was found that the building had recently been repainted. The ground and first floors contain separate beds, sofas, three toilets and two dining tables.

The guesthouse also has a dressing table, wardrobes and other necessary furniture. It has an IPS backup power system and an internet connection.

No tourist’s name could be found in the guesthouse register. Not a single mark of a pen had been made in it.

When asked whether any tourist who came to visit Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home had ever spent the night at the guesthouse, Sanjit said, “No.” However, guests from the Upazila Nirbahi Officer’s Office had stayed there once or twice.

Sanjit also does not know how much it costs to stay at the guesthouse. According to him, guests could stay there if the necessary facilities were available, but no one has shown any interest because proper arrangements are lacking.

After its inauguration, the guesthouse came under the supervision of the upazila administration. However, the authorities did not create a post for a caretaker to operate the guesthouse.

Later, they assigned Sanjit Chandra Das the additional responsibility of looking after it. He keeps the key to the guesthouse. However, he does not receive any additional salary for performing this duty.

Local residents said the guesthouse remained locked day and night for a long period after its inauguration. As there was no one to look after it, thieves eventually stole the window grilles and electrical wires.

The furniture became damaged. The water supply system also broke down, while the toilets became unusable. Drug users also used to gather behind the building.

During national or local government elections, authorities renovate and use the guesthouse to accommodate officials from various government departments.

Most recently, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visited Katiadi on 16 August. The authorities quickly renovated the guesthouse because they anticipated that senior officials from various government departments might need accommodation during the prime minister’s visit.

Sanjit Chandra Das said, “Everything that has been done at the guesthouse was done around the prime minister’s visit to Katiadi.”

On 13 August, two friends from Hossainpur upazila in Kishoreganj, Sabbir Ahmed and Kabir Mia, visited Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home. They were taking photographs in front of the property.

When the guesthouse came up in conversation, Kabir said, “Where it is difficult to find even a glass of water, providing accommodation for people from distant places is even more difficult.” Pointing to the guesthouse, Sabbir Ahmed said, “Building something is not enough; it needs to be looked after. There must be a willingness to provide services.”

The Masua Union Land Office is located 50 to 60 paces from the guesthouse. Office Assistant Abu Naim Akand said people from distant areas visit Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home every day. However, he could not recall anyone staying at the guesthouse after coming to visit the property.

According to sources in the upazila administration, officials have sent several letters to the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation regarding the creation of posts to operate the guesthouse. The authorities have also received responses to some of the letters. However, no substantive action has been taken so far.

To find out why the authorities did not create a separate post to appoint someone to look after the guesthouse after its construction, The Daily Prothom Alo spoke by telephone to Khalid Mehdi Hasan, general manager (Administration) of the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation.

He advised speaking to Akhtar Ahmed, manager (Public Relations), on the matter. However, despite several attempts to contact Akhtar Ahmed by telephone, he did not answer.

Abu Bakar Siddique, chairman of Masua Union Parishad, said the government must know that the guesthouse needs manpower to operate it.

“It is impossible that the government does not know this,” he said. He added that he would raise the matter at the next meeting of the upazila committee and try to find a solution.

When contacted, Katiadi Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Shamima Afroz told Prothom Alo that no one had stayed there for so long because people seeking accommodation did not come.

However, several media workers stayed there a few days ago. According to her, the guesthouse has now been repaired and anyone can stay there if they wish.