Kushtia, Nov. 13 -- As the 179th birth anniversary of renowned Bengali novelist and writer Mir Mosharraf Hossain is being celebrated on Friday, his ancestral home in Lahinipara village of Kumarkhali upazila in Kushtia continues to await proper preservation and development, despite his significant contributions to Bengali literature.

Once a vibrant centre of literary and cultural activities, the writer's birthplace has gradually lost much of its former grandeur, with local people lamenting the lack of sustained initiatives to preserve his legacy and promote his works.

In the past, the premises would come alive with a seven-day rural fair, literary and cultural programmes, discussion meetings and the publication of commemorative souvenirs...