It has come to light that the legendary Bengali author Mani Shankar Mukherjee is no more, and the news of his passing is rapidly circulating over the internet and social media pages. He was popularly known by his pen name Sankar, and now his death has deeply affected his close ones and many who liked his work are expressing thier for his demise. He was known for his talent and kind nature, being humble. Several questions have been raised regarding his sudden passing, so we compiled all the details and mentioned them in this article.

Shankar Death Reason?

As per the reports, the demise of Mani Sankar Mukherjee was officially confirmed by his family members and major news sources. Now, multiple news outlets are claiming his passing and reporting that he died on Friday, 20 February 2026, and he was 92 years old at the time of his demise. He took his last breath in a private hospital in Kolkata, India, and died due to age-related ailments. Further, he was not well for about a fortnight and was undergoing treatment, and unfortunately, he passed away on the last night. Some sources also claim that he was 93 years old as of his birth, but nothing has been officially confirmed by his family regarding his age at the time of his death.

Mani Shankar Mukherjee was shortly known by his short and his pen name Sankar. Born on 7 December 1933, he gained popularity in both Bengali- and English-language literature. Mainly, he was a Bengali Indian language writer, and also worked as the Sheriff of Kolkata. His notable works are Swami Vivekananda’s books and Bengali novels that help him to gain more popularity and attention. In his writing career, he was awarded the Bankim Puraskar, Sahitya Akademi, and more. He worked hard and had various jobs, including typist, cleaner, private tutor, and hawker. He kept his personal life private. However, our sources gained that he was the son of a lawyer who died in 1947, and no details are available regarding his mother or wife.

Bengali Author, Shankar Passed Away

Furthermore, he was the father of two daughters, Mausumi and Tanaya. Mani Shankar also gained huge love for being humble, disciplined, and possessing a sharp wit. He also called him a “clerk who turned into a novelist” out of gratitude for his mentor. Before becoming a Bengali writer, he served as a clerk. His first novel, Kato Ajanare (The Great Unknown), was written as a tribute to Barwell. His notable literary work was Chowringhee, published in 1962, Seemabaddha (Company Limited), and Jana Aranya (The Middleman), which were considered among his most distinguished works. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2021 for his autobiographical work, Eka Eka Ekashi. Work on Swami Vivekananda’s biographies made him more popular.

Several popular personalities have paid tribute to his loss, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and “great personality” and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. His last rites were performed without public pomp at the Keoratala crematorium on Friday night, 20 Friday 2026, just a few time later of his demise.