For decades, the ancestral home of legendary composer Sachin Dev Burman in Cumilla stood as a shadow of its past glory; encroached upon, neglected and reduced to ruins.
Now, under a new government initiative, the birthplace of one of South Asia’s most influential musicians is set to be reborn as a music museum and cultural hub, promising to restore both the crumbling palace and the legacy it holds.
The Bangladesh National Museum, tasked by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, has launched feasibility studies on the site in Chartha, Cumilla. Plans envision a museum complex featuring archival collections, research facilities, a music school and even an open-air stage, designed not only to honour Burman’s genius but to inspire new generations of musicians.
“This will be more than a monument, it will be a living space for culture and learning,” said Md Serajul Islam of the National Museum after visiting the site. “SD Burman’s legacy belongs to the nation and it deserves a home.”
For Cumilla’s cultural activists, the project is the culmination of years of campaigning. Local organisation Oitijhyo Cumilla, which has hosted an annual Sachin Mela since 2012, believes the museum will transform the city into a heritage tourism destination. “If this happens, Cumilla will not only celebrate its own son but welcome the world to discover him,” said president Jahangir Alam Imrul.
“This is where Sachin Karta first heard music, the place where his journey began. Preserving this home means preserving a piece of Bangladesh’s soul,” a local resident said.
Burman’s life story itself is woven into the soil of Cumilla. Born in 1905 to a family tied to the royal lineage of Tripura, he grew up surrounded by the folk rhythms of the Gomti River boatmen and the melodies of the Bede community, sounds that later shaped his timeless compositions.
After studying in Cumilla and Kolkata, he rose to prominence in the 1930s and went on to define Indian cinema’s golden era, leaving behind songs immortalised by Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar and Geeta Dutt. His son, RD Burman, carried forward that musical inheritance into the modern age.
Yet his ancestral palace, once spanning 60 acres, was gradually dismantled by decades of neglect, especially during the Pakistan era, when large parts were converted into a government farm.
Only fragments of the estate survived until partial recovery efforts in 2014 and the installation of a mural in 2019. Earlier attempts at developing a cultural centre fizzled out.
This time, optimism runs higher. Alongside SD Burman’s home, the committee is also exploring a similar project at the ancestral house of Ustad Alauddin Khan, another giant of Bengal’s musical heritage.
Together, these initiatives could create a network of cultural landmarks, reshaping Bangladesh’s musical map.
