Amrita Mahapatra

Amrita Mahapatra is a woman of many talents. She is originally from India. She and her husband, Sabyasachi, were married in India and came to the U.S. when their daughter was six months old in 1977. Her husband is a doctor and Amrita, by profession, is an occupational therapist. When her two boys were born she devoted herself to staying home with the children. She is a painter and has worked in acrylic, water color and oil. Her paintings show scenes from villages in India and of her family. Lately, she has been interested in painting Nebraska's prairies and crop landscapes.

Storytelling is just one of Amrita’s many talents. She has worked with children in Lincoln telling traditional stories that she learned from her grandparents. She also does colorful embroidery and quilting. She is currently working on a quilt for her granddaughter and really enjoys making more traditional quilts but also is working on a quilt that is based off her landscape paintings.

She and her husband go to India every year and have a beautiful collection of art from their home country. On the front steps of her home is a painting of patterns that were painted for her daughters wedding that happened recently. The patterns are white and sometimes created with rice powder instead of paint.

In a corner of the house is a shrine where her and her family keep sacred objects. In many homes the shrines are of the Hindu faith, but this one is a combination of Hindu and Sikh, as a compromise of Amrita and her husbands different faiths. There are also pictures of ancestors and deities.

Amrita says that "even though people change when becoming part of another culture, it is important to preserve your traditions".

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