On 23rd February senior journalist, poet, essayist, art critic and a lifelong theorist of Marxism, Shankar Roy passed away at the age of 82.

He played the role of a crucial friend and mentor to many of the current crop of intellectuals. Sunanda Dutta Roy, one-time editor of The Statesman newspaper, Adati Roy Ghatak, the columnist of that newspaper, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, the economic journalist, Nitya Chakraborty, the director of IPA, were his among his many friends. In pursuing the dream of freedom from the exploitation of working people, Shankarda never considered his own, family, happiness in the six decades of his illustrious career as a journalist. He also received membership of the Communist Party of India (CPI) at one time.

The final decade of his life was dedicated to an intense study of Marxist theoretical traditions. His translation of ‘Another Marx’ by Marcello Musto to Bengali was published in 2022. Along with Shaibal Gupta, he edited a compilation of 15 research papers titled 'Probings and Re-Probings, Essays in Marxian Awakening' at the international seminar organized by ADAR (Asian Development Research Institute) in Patna on the occasion of the bicentenary of Marx's birth. He also planned to write a book on Tagore and Marx. He also contributed to numerous little magazines, journals, and online web portals. He also contributed to these pages as well as to Ajker Deshabrati the state organ of CPI(ML) in West Bengal.

While Shankarda is gone, his works will guide our way.