Mani Shankar Mukherjee (commonly known as ''Sankar'' in both Bengali and English-language literature) is an Indian writer in the
Bengali language
Bengali ( ), generally known by its endonym Bangla (, ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language native to the Bengal region of South Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and the second m ...
, who also served as the
Sheriff of Kolkata
The Sheriff of Kolkata is an apolitical titular position of authority bestowed for one year on a prominent citizen of Kolkata (Calcutta). The Sheriff has an office and staff in Calcutta High Court but does not have executive powers. Mumbai (Bo ...
. He grew up in
Howrah district
Howrah district (, ) is a district of the West Bengal state in eastern India. Howrah district is one of the highly urbanized area of West Bengal. The urbanised sectors gradually increase the slum populations. Howrah is the third smallest distric ...
of
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
.
Personal life
Sankar is the son of Avaya Mukherjee known as Gouri Mukherjee. Sankar's father died while he was still a teenager, as a result of which Sankar became a clerk to the last British barrister of the
Calcutta High Court
The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It is located in B.B.D. Bagh, Kolkata, West Bengal. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The High Court buildi ...
, Noel Frederick Barwell. At the same time he entered in
Surendranath College
Surendranath College is an undergraduate college affiliated to the University of Calcutta, in Kolkata, India. It was founded in 1884 by the nationalist leader and scholar Surendranath Banerjee.
The Women's section of the college was founded ...
(formerly
Ripon College, Calcutta
Surendranath College is an undergraduate college affiliated to the University of Calcutta, in Kolkata, India. It was founded in 1884 by the nationalist leader and scholar Surendranath Banerjee.
The Women's section of the college was founded ...
) for study. He worked in various field as typewriter cleaner, private tutor, Hawker for the livelihood.
Literary career
![At THE CALCUTTA BOOK FAIR 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/At_THE_CALCUTTA_BOOK_FAIR_2019.jpg)
After Noel Barwell's sudden death, ''Sankar'', the professional version of his name adopted for the law courts, sought to honor Barwell. "First, I wanted to build a statue. It was not possible. I then wanted to name a road. Even that was not feasible. And then I decided to write a book about him," according to Sankar. That impetus led to his first novel, about Barwell, that according to some critics is perhaps the most stimulating -- ''Kato Ajanare'' (So Much Unknown).
Around the same time in 1962, Sankar conceived ''Chowringhee'' on a rainy day at the waterlogged crossing of Central Avenue and
Dalhousie - a busy business district in the heart of
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
. The novel, set in the opulent hotel he called Shahjahan, was made into a cult movie in 1968. It is wrongly said that Sankar marketed his literary work to Bengali households with the marketing slogan ''A bagful of Sankar'' (Ek Bag Sankar) and collections of his books were sold in blue packets through this marketing effort. He has been rewarded with
Sahitya Akademi Award
The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...
on 18 March 2021 for his outstanding metronomic creation of ''Eka Eka Ekashi.''
Works
![Bengali_author_Sankar_speaks_at_the_UN_-_6105163912](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Bengali_author_Sankar_speaks_at_the_UN_-_6105163912.jpg)
* ''Jekhane Jemon'' (travelogue) (''As It Is There'')
* ''Kato Ajanare'' (novel) (''The Many Unknowns'') - his
debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...
.
* ''Nivedita Research Laboratory'' (novel)
* ''Abasarika''
*
''Chowringhee'' (novel) (1962)
* ''Swarga Martya Patal''- (collection of three stories: ''
Jana Aranya
''Jana Aranya'' is a 1976 Bengali film directed by Satyajit Ray, based on the novel of the same name by Mani Shankar Mukherjee. It is the last among Ray's Calcutta trilogy series, the previous two being, ''Pratidwandi'' (''The Adversary'', 1970) ...
'' (''The Sea of People''), ''
Seemabaddha
''Seemabaddha'' ( bn, সীমাবদ্ধ ''Shimabôddho''; English title: ''Company Limited'') is a 1971 social drama Bengali film directed by Satyajit Ray. It is based on the novel ''Seemabaddha'' by Mani Shankar Mukherjee. It stars Baru ...
'' (''Limited Company'') and ''Asha Akangsha'' (''Hopes and Desires''))
* ''Gharer Madhye Ghar''
* ''Nagar Nandini''
* ''Banglar Meye''
* ''Simanta Sambad''
* ''Kamana Basana''
* ''Purohit Darpan''
* ''Sri Sri Ramkrishna Rahsyamrito''
* ''Purohit Darpan''
* ''Mone Pare''
* ''Mansamman (1981)''
* ''Samrat O Sundari'' (novel)
* ''Charan Chhunye Jai''
* ''Bangalir Bittasadhana - Saharar Itikatha'
* ''Jaabar Belay''
* ''Mathar Opor Chhad''
* ''Patabhumi''
* ''Rasabati''
* ''Ek Bag Sankar'' (collection)
* ''Kamana Basana''
* ''Sonar Sangsar''
* ''Chhayachhabi'' (collection)
* ''Muktir Swad''
* ''Subarno Sujog''
* ''ABCD''
* ''Charan Chhunye Jai(Vol 2)''
* ''Bittabasana''
* ''Eka eka ekashi''
* ''Rup tapos''
Works in translation
*''Chowringhee'' translated by Arunava Sinha into English and . Translation is pending into Italian. In 2013 the novel has been translated into French by Dr Philippe Benoit, sanskritist and head of Bengali department of Paris National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO), published by Gallimard house.
*''The Middleman'' translated by Arunava Sinha from "Jana Aranya" into English .
*''The Great Unknown'' translated by Soma Das from "Kato ajanare" into English .
*''Thackeray Mansion'' translated by
Sandipan Deb
Sandipan Deb (born 1 August 1962) is an Indian journalist and writer. He has been the managing editor of Outlook (Indian magazine), Outlook, the editor of The Financial Express (India), The Financial Express and was the founder-editor of ''Outloo ...
from "Gharer Madhye Ghar" into English .
Screen adaptations
*Many of Sankar's works have been made into films. Some notable ones are – ''
Chowringhee
Chowringhee (also Chourangi) is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Chowringhee Road (officially Jawaharlal Nehru Road) runs on its western side. A neighbourhood steeped in history, it is a ...
'', ''
Jana Aranya
''Jana Aranya'' is a 1976 Bengali film directed by Satyajit Ray, based on the novel of the same name by Mani Shankar Mukherjee. It is the last among Ray's Calcutta trilogy series, the previous two being, ''Pratidwandi'' (''The Adversary'', 1970) ...
'' and ''
Seemabaddha
''Seemabaddha'' ( bn, সীমাবদ্ধ ''Shimabôddho''; English title: ''Company Limited'') is a 1971 social drama Bengali film directed by Satyajit Ray. It is based on the novel ''Seemabaddha'' by Mani Shankar Mukherjee. It stars Baru ...
'', out of which the last two were directed by
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian director, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, author, essayist, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and music composer. One of the greatest auteurs of fil ...
.
*In 1959,
Ritwik Ghatak
Ritwik Kumar Ghatak (; 4 November 19256 February 1976) was a noted Indian film director, screenwriter, and playwright. Along with prominent contemporary Bengali filmmakers Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha and Mrinal Sen, his cinema is primarily remembe ...
started making a film
Kato Ajanare based on Sankar's first novel.
* His novel, ''Man Samman'', was turned into a film by
Basu Chatterjee
Basu Chatterjee ( bn, বাসু চ্যাটার্জ্জী; 10 January 1927 – 4 June 2020) was an Indian film director and screenwriter.
Through the 1970s and 1980s, Chatterjee became associated with what came to be known as mi ...
,
Sheesha (1986), starring Mithun Chakraborty, Moonmoon Sen and Mallika Sarabhai.
Awards
*
Sahitya Akademi Award
The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...
: 2021
*
ABP Ananda
ABP Ananda (formerly Star Ananda) is a free to air Bengali news channel based in Kolkata, West Bengal owned by ABP Group. Founded on 1 June 2005 as Star Ananda, a joint venture between Star India and the ABP Group, the channel was renamed as A ...
Sera Bangali Award ("Sera'r Sera"): 2022
See also
*
Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri
Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri (born 23 November 1950) is an Indian historian, writer, and Indologist. He is a specialist in Indian epics, Vedas, and Puranas. In 2012, Bhaduri undertook the large-scale project of creating an encyclopedia of the major ...
References
Citations
Sources
* '
I am happy I had a ticket to ride in the 50s: novelist Sankar' Indo-Asian News Service, 22 August 2008
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sankar
Writers from Kolkata
Bengali writers
Bengali-language writers
Surendranath College alumni
University of Calcutta alumni
People from Howrah district
1933 births
Living people
Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Bengali
Sheriffs of Kolkata
People from North 24 Parganas district