Satyajit Ray's neighbourhood in Kolkata gets a facelift

Kolkata, Feb 29 Fancy strolling through a charming Victorian-era neighbourhood in the city and soaking in some Ray nostalgia surrounded by posters of "Pather Panchali", "Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne" and other iconic films by Satyajit Ray?

On Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee unveiled a spruced-up 150 metre stretch of Bishop Lefroy Road in south Kolkata - the location of the legend's celebrated residence, where he lived during the last two decades of his life till his death in 1992.

It is the very place where the multifaceted personality (screenwriter, lyricist, music composer, calligrapher, illustrator, writer) worked on cult films like "Agantuk", "Pratidwandi", "Ghare Baire" and others.

A popular tourist destination, the colossal 1/1 Bishop Lefroy Road residence is a timeless reminder to the legacy of the master behind cinematic jewels such as "Shatranj Ke Khiladi", "Charulata", the Apu trilogy, and the Feluda series among others. It stands as a silent testimony to the man who took Indian cinema to the world.

The locality has undergone a major makeover to accord a Ray touch.

From re-laying the dilapidated pavements with designer blocks , installing Victorian-era street lights to replica of his film's original posters, the famous locality has been transformed in consultation with filmmaker and son Sandip.

In addition, Banerjee has requested the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to rename Lee Road after Satyajit Ray in his honour.

Ray became the first, and currently only, Indian to receive an Honorary Academy Award in 1992.