Kolkata: Acclaimed Bengali author Mani Shankar Mukherjee, popularly known by his pen name Shankar, passed away on Friday at a private hospital off EM Bypass. He was 93. He is survived by his daughters, Mausumi and Tanaya.

Widely regarded as one of the most celebrated and best-selling Bengali authors since the 1960s, Shankar carved a unique niche in Bengali literature with his penetrating insight into the evolving psyche of the Bengali bhadralok. His prose, deceptively simple yet layered with social commentary, captured the aspirations, anxieties, and moral dilemmas of urban middle-class Bengal across generations.Shankar’s works not only achieved massive popularity in print but also inspired landmark cinematic adaptations. Among the most notable were Satyajit Ray’s films Seemabaddha and Jana Aranya, both based on his novels. Seemabaddha explored the moral emptiness lurking behind corporate success, while Jana Aranya portrayed the existential struggles of urban youth grappling with unemployment and ethical compromise in a shrinking job market.