Illustrator Omkar Patil Draws on Village Memories After Nine Years in Mumbai

Omkar Patil, an illustrator who grew up as a farmer's son in a small village, spent almost nine years in Mumbai for college and work before returning to his roots as a creative subject. That distance, he says, changed how he saw his childhood: rivers, forests and open fields that once seemed ordinary now appear extraordinary, and the sense of community and connection to nature he had taken for granted became material for his illustrations. His work, including pieces made for Lufthansa and an artwork titled 'My Village', turns those memories into stories rather than nostalgia. Patil describes a long-held urge to tell these stories, which crystallised once he began working professionally and felt the need to develop a voice of his own. Rather than searching for a new technique or style, he asked which experiences truly belonged to him and which stories no one else could tell in the same way. His background as a farmer's son became a distinct creative language. One illustration, 'Gudi Padwa', celebrates the festival in which nature's seasonal gifts mark new beginnings and honour a tradition rooted in the natural world. The feature appears in Issue 72 of Creative Gaga's print edition.