Prakash Karmarkar came from an artistic family; his father was a renowned artist of his time. Unfortunately, all of his father`s paintings were destroyed in the Hindu Muslim riots in the 1940s, which also ruined his family. By 1949, both his parents had passed away, forcing him to abandon his studies at the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Kolkata.

He joined the army for two years and then quit to work as a graphic design manager for a medical firm in Kolkata. Virtually penniless and desperate for a break, in 1956, he held a street exhibition, the first in the city, hanging his works along a corner. In 1957, Karmarkar participated in the national art exhibition held in New Delhi. Here, he received an award for his watercol...