Sri Ashok Kumar Karmakar is famous flute artist (Indian Bambo Flute) and also he is loved by his students for his passionate teaching capacity and excellence in flute and for the knowledge in Indian Rag Sangeet. He resides in Kolkata, India. Sri Ashok Kumar Karmakar got interested in music from the very childhood as his aunt and other relatives from maternal side used to practice vocal music. But Shri Karmakar had special interest instrumental music, especially for Bansuri,- Indian Bambo Flute (বাঁশি). It was his hobby to play the tune of vocal music in his bamboo flute from that time itself.
Then the precious moment came in his life. He meets his flute Guru versatile genius Late Pandit Himanshu Biswas. Shri Karmakar was blessed to get classical flute training from Pt Himangshu Biswas from the year 1978 to 1990. Pt Biswas was the disciple of Ustad Dabir Khan, Pt Chinmoy Lahiri & He was a staff Artist of All India Radio, Kolkata. The untimely death of Pt Himangshu Biswas was a personal loss for Sri Karmakar and Music lover of Kolkata. He died at the studio of All India Radio, Kolkata itself on the auspicious day of Mahalaya in 1990 just a minute before completing his recording of Santoor playing after completion of recording of flute for national broadcasting.
Just 2 months before his death, a book was written by him in the name of “সহজ পদ্ধতিতে বাঁশি শিক্ষা” ie ‘Easy way of learning flute’ was published – which was edited by Sri Karmakar.
After the sad & untimely death of Pt Himanghsu Biswas, Sri Karmakar got his training from another legend Sitar Artist Late Pt Dipak Chaudhary, who was the disciple of All-time Great Pt Ravishankar.
Presently, from last 15 years, Sri Karmakar is learning music from Sangeetacharya Pt Biswanath Sur who is the disciple of Pt Kumar Prasad Mukhopadhyay & Pt A.T. Kanan.
Sri Karmakar after completion of his B.Com Hons from Raiganj University College, he came to Kolkata for joining a Multinational Co & also started studying for ICWA, but could not complete it for extensive touring nature of the job. He has retired from his services as Head of Branches Accounts in the year 2016. In the meantime he has completed Sangeet Bivakar (5 th year) & Sangeet Ratna (7 th year) & stood 2nd in All India among all Instrumental music & got scholarship in both of the exams (ie S. Bivakar & Sangeet Ratna) of Bangiya Sangeet Parishad, Affiliated to Rabindra Bharati University & Khairagarh University. In the year 2016, he did Sangeet Prabar (8 th year) also. He is an approved artist of Prasar Bharati (AIR & TV) since 1990.
A number of his students are now studying in M. MUS from RBU & other Universities. He has a number of students throughout India & abroad (viz UK. Ireland, Austin, Sweden, Australia, USA. etc)
Over & above his busy schedule in musical activities he is very much involved in various programs as conducted by Ramakrishna Math and Missin, Belur Math, RKMIC Gol Park, RKM Mayer Bari – Udbodhan, RKM Kamarpukur, RKM Jairambati & even in Documentaries made on the life of ‘Shri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa’ produced by Doordarshan TV & telecasted from their National & regional channels. Apart from this, he is a founder member of an NGO namely ‘ Swami Vivekananda Seva Bharati’ from where in this particular year itself > 550 patients got benefitted by- Free eye testing camp, free distribution of quality Spectacle, free eye operation conducted by dignified doctors of Sankar Netralaya. Shri Karmakar also runs a primary school on the ideology of Swami Vivekananda namely G.D.Saraswati Shishumandir, affiliated to Vivekananda Vidya Vikash Parishad in the capacity of its Secretary since last 10 years.
He has also visited several times at Ramakrishna Missin, Narainpur, in a remote area of Dandakaranya in Chhattisgarh, India for conducting a workshop of music among have nots students & performed with 135 students doing a fusion on Rag Desh as composed by him -in the year 2018 – which was well appreciated.