“Nothing is a setback as such. It’s about self-discovery while still making a living.”
That’s how Nagnath Mankeshwar looks at an artist’s life, one built on instinct, patience, and a love for the arts that never left him.
Nagnath was born in Hubli, Karnataka, did his schooling in Pune, and later moved to Mumbai. Music and literature were part of his home from the start. His parents and his maternal uncles were lovers of both, and that quiet inheritance, the sanskar, found its way into him early. He also painted well as a child, so somewhere deep down, he always knew he’d end up in the arts.
Though a State topper in his Engineering Diploma, he never felt connected to the field. Learning CAD with friends opened the doors to 3D animation, a profession he mastered through hands-on experience when formal training was unavailable. He built a career at an award-winning Mumbai studio, contributing to hundreds of commercials while making short films independently. The studio became family, and his boss, a supportive brother.
Along the way, he learned the Sitar and Indian Classical music, from a revered master belonging to an illustrious family of court musicians. He plays and teaches regularly. Over the last decade, he turned to fine arts, and today he’s a professional painter.
This year, in 2026, he won the Maharashtra State Government Award for Best Painting, with no formal art or film education behind him. He calls it a wild journey.
His inspirations began early. A Satyajit Ray film he watched in school sparked something, and the literature of Nobel laureates deepened it. In the 80s and 90s, with empty pockets, the only way to learn was to read and watch everything: world cinema, journals, and magazines, around the clock.
He does regret not being able to go to art or film school but it simply wasn’t possible. But he says God gave him the strength not to be dejected, and he considers himself blessed to have learned music from the best teacher he could have asked for. For him, an Artist’s journey is different because it’s based on self-expression. The real challenge is within: what is it that I truly seek?
His influences are the great artists of the world, writers, musicians, and filmmakers, some of whom he has met and learned from. His music guru has shaped the last two decades of his life, and his deepest motivation comes from within.
Today, he paints full-time, teaches, performs Sitar concerts, and does creative supervision of CG and VFX projects with a team. For him, creative work is 24/7, but since that’s what he loves, it doesn’t feel like work separate from life. And yes, time away from talking about work is fun too.
His biggest lesson: don’t give up, and keep your efforts consistent rather than in bursts. Keep learning, but make it a habit to think independently. And when you have something, share it, if you can.
Nagnath was born in Hubli, Karnataka, did his schooling in Pune, and later moved to Mumbai. Music and literature were part of his home from the start. His parents and his maternal uncles were lovers of both, and that quiet inheritance, the sanskar, found its way into him early. He also painted well as a child, so somewhere deep down, he always knew he’d end up in the arts.
Though a State topper in his Engineering Diploma, he never felt connected to the field. Learning CAD with friends opened the doors to 3D animation, a profession he mastered through hands-on experience when formal training was unavailable. He built a career at an award-winning Mumbai studio, contributing to hundreds of commercials while making short films independently. The studio became family, and his boss, a supportive brother.
Along the way, he learned the Sitar and Indian Classical music, from a revered master belonging to an illustrious family of court musicians. He plays and teaches regularly. Over the last decade, he turned to fine arts, and today he’s a professional painter.
This year, in 2026, he won the Maharashtra State Government Award for Best Painting, with no formal art or film education behind him. He calls it a wild journey.
His inspirations began early. A Satyajit Ray film he watched in school sparked something, and the literature of Nobel laureates deepened it. In the 80s and 90s, with empty pockets, the only way to learn was to read and watch everything: world cinema, journals, and magazines, around the clock.
He does regret not being able to go to art or film school but it simply wasn’t possible. But he says God gave him the strength not to be dejected, and he considers himself blessed to have learned music from the best teacher he could have asked for. For him, an Artist’s journey is different because it’s based on self-expression. The real challenge is within: what is it that I truly seek?
His influences are the great artists of the world, writers, musicians, and filmmakers, some of whom he has met and learned from. His music guru has shaped the last two decades of his life, and his deepest motivation comes from within.
Today, he paints full-time, teaches, performs Sitar concerts, and does creative supervision of CG and VFX projects with a team. For him, creative work is 24/7, but since that’s what he loves, it doesn’t feel like work separate from life. And yes, time away from talking about work is fun too.
His biggest lesson: don’t give up, and keep your efforts consistent rather than in bursts. Keep learning, but make it a habit to think independently. And when you have something, share it, if you can.
This story was told by Nagnath Mankeshwar and published with their permission by the What's Your Story editorial team.
