Neel Sawhney Bio

I was born in New York City on August 16th, 1989 as the first U.S.-born Indian in my immediate family. I am amongst what is considered to be the First Generation of Indians who were born in the U.S. I was raised in New Jersey and attended the private schools Far Brook from grades nursery to 8th grade, and Gill St. Bernards for my four years of high school. I participated in programs such as the Art Students League and the New York Film Academy summer programs when I was young.

Both my parents are practicing medical doctors (MD and PhD) as well as my grandparents on my mother's side. My mother Nina Bhardwaj is currently a Professor of Medicine, Pathology and Dermatology and the Director of the Tumor Vaccine Program at the NYU Medical Center. My father Ramesh Sawhney is an anesthesiologist and is recognized as one of the top practicing anesthesiologists in the country by the American Society of Anesthesiologists and is currently the Medical Director and Founder of the Gramercy Anesthesia Services (GAS) at the Gramercy Surgery Center in NYC. My younger sibling, Nikhil Sawhney (nicknamed Niki), is three years younger than I. He is attending Newark Academy high school and is a very able and hard working individual. Niki is the only person that can merge both the 'bookworm' and the 'cool guy' into one cohesive lifestyle.

I am currently attending the School of Visual Arts (SVA) as an undergraduate focussing in the department of Illustration. I enjoy drawing with charcoal and pencil as well as painting. My past and recent work outside of the school academia have been mostly charcoal and pencil pieces, ranging from highly abstract Dali-like illustrations to more naturalistic portraits. I mostly prefer to work in dark and light tones rendered through black and white materials, but I am not averse to using color on some occassions. Personally, I find it easier to bring ideas to material when I only use black and white; color often makes the understanding of volume, depth, texture, and many other things less clear. When color is removed it makes it easier to appreciate the textures and details of what is being seen or expressed in a work, but there are always exceptions. Recently I found a new appreciation for the art of graphic and web design. The html and css coding language appeals to me and I hope to integrate these utilities in my future work.

I have been all over the country and have also visited Italy, France, Turkey, India, Rome, England, and other countries as well. My family travelled sometimes for business or to teach lectures, but also because my parents thought it was good for us to see new places. I do enjoy being in new places and seeing new things and new people; understanding and learning and appreciating the different culturual places and people in the world, including the uninhabited areas, is a very important for both educational and personal reasons.

My parents raised me to be open minded and caring. The most important thing I learned was taught to me by my mother: "Treat others just as you would want to be treated." I remember being told this over and over. My parents raised me to always respect others and to work hard; that no matter what if you work hard enough you can acheive anything. Being one of the few American-born Indians I don't have as strong a connection with my Indian heritage as other Indians, but I don't share the total reception of being an American as much as others either. Ever since I was little I never really knew where my "identity" fit in relation to the world. Most of my family is connected to their Hindu and Indian connection, just like other people in the world are connected to their backgrounds. Growing up I felt more connected to the idea of a global, human community; the idea that we are all human and that no matter how different we seem on the outside, the truth is that we are all the closest things we will ever know. I have accepted that my 'community' where my 'people' reside is the entire world and I feel pretty satisfied with that decision.

My resume can be downloaded by clicking here