Celebrated Bengali Writer Sankar, Author of Chowringhee and Seemabaddha, Dies at 92 in Kolkata
Mani Sankar Mukherjee, the celebrated Bengali writer known by his pen name Sankar, passed away on February 20, 2026, at the age of 92 after being admitted to a Kolkata hospital for age-related ailments. He had been undergoing treatment for some time and died at the hospital. He is survived by his two daughters.
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| Indian PM and WB CM have expressed their condolences. Image Via: ImageCraft26 |
In 1962, on a rain-soaked day at the crossing of Central Avenue and Dalhousie in central Kolkata, Sankar conceived Chowringhee, a novel set in an opulent hotel he called Shahjahan. The book became a bestseller and was adapted into a film in 1968. His works also formed the basis for Seemabaddha and Jana Aranya, which were adapted by filmmaker Satyajit Ray.
Over a career spanning more than seven decades, Sankar wrote over 70 books, chronicling middle-class dilemmas and the struggles of ordinary people in Kolkata. He also served as Sheriff of Kolkata.
Sankar received the Bankim Puraskar in 1993 for Gharer Moddhe Ghar. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award on March 18, 2021, for his autobiographical work Eka Eka Ekashi, and in 2021 received the Farha Blue Kazi International Award for Subarno Sujog. In 2022, he was honoured with the ABP Ananda Sera Bangali Award (“Sera’r Sera”).
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described his death as “the fall of one of the brightest stars in the world of Bengali literature,” writing that from “Chowringhee” to “Koto Ajanaare,” and from “Seemabaddha” to “Jana Aranya,” his creations had enchanted generations of readers. She said his works on Swami Vivekananda remained an invaluable treasure and called his passing an irreparable loss to the cultural world.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply saddened” by the writer’s death, calling him a towering figure in Bengali literature whose words portrayed lives with sensitivity and insight and enriched India’s literary world. He extended condolences to Sankar’s family, friends and admirers.
Readers and public figures paid tribute on social media, recalling his presence at the Kolkata Book Fair and his portrayal of the city’s moral and social complexities. Journalist Soutik Biswas remembered visiting him as a young reporter, describing him as “sparkling, generous, curious.”
Swati Moitra noted the enduring impact of works such as Koto Ojanare, Chowringhee, Seemabaddha and Jana Aranya. Ashok Malik said Sankar chronicled middle-class dilemmas in a restless Kolkata as few others did.
From his early days as a law clerk to a British barrister to his decades-long literary career, Sankar drew deeply from the streets, offices and hotels of Kolkata.
In doing so, he has left behind a vast body of work that captured the city’s undercurrents and everyday struggles, and have ultimately secured his place as one of the most widely read and enduring voices in Bengali literature.