ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Nitin Banwar has always immersed himself in art.

“I've been an artist all my life, but since the 1970s, when I first came to this country, it became very important to me,” Banwar said.

Banwar came to the U.S. in 1975. With dreams of pursuing a career in medicine, he had to wait several years for his green card before he could further his medical education. While he waited he found another passion.

“I got a visa and I bought a one-way ticket and paid cash,” Banwar said. “Can you imagine that happening in today's world? For those two and a half years, I kind of immersed myself in the art world, the poor, starving artist, so to speak, in Atlanta.”

Banwar began to educate himself about the various arts, mythologies and cultures that have inspired his art. Unable to afford art supplies he used discarded materials such as mat-boards and plywood to create art. To this day, the same materials and inspiration have driven his creativity.

“I've used found materials like tile from some remodeled project,” Banwar said. “This is just a random stone I picked up by changing, turning it around as the observer feels like it changes your perception of it.”

Banwar derived ideas from mythology and history, but even his own personal journey.

“Classmates of mine from medical school we all met up after like 17 years in St. Louis,” Banwar said. “So each of those lotus petals has got an imprint, an imprint of their hand, and there are multiple layers and lines that are all connected. We still remain close.”

Having his artwork displayed at the India heritage museum, organizers hope visitors can connect with the rich and expressiveness that Indian heritage has to offer.

“By coming and experiencing Indian culture through art and seeing what an artist has to share through their art form, then it gives an opportunity for the visitor to pause and think about how that piece of work impacts them, and perhaps even think about the vision of the artist and the message of the artist and how it connects to the Indian culture,” said Dr. Natasha Sodhi, co-director at the India Heritage Museum.

Connecting with one of the pieces done by Banwar, Dr. Sodhi hopes others can experience the same feeling for more Indo-American artists.

“It is the vision of each of these artists and how they express themselves through their art,” Dr.Sodhi said. “I think that just speaks to the diversity of our artists and their desire to express themselves in all forms.” 

Indian art plays a significant role in preserving and promoting India's cultural heritage, and Banwar hopes people from all cultures can identify with it. 

“There is a flowering of an immigrant community in this country and this is what this country is all about,” Banwar said. “This community of Indians, of whatever religion, have been very successful in this community and in this country in general. I hope people from multiple cultures come and look at this and say, I can identify with that and not necessarily believe the things that I believe in. Whatever their reaction to it is, is what is theirs and hopefully, it's positive.” 

The India Heritage Museum will continue to celebrate local Indo-American artists sharing paintings, sculptures, and crafts. To find out more about their exhibits or events, click here.