Manisha Patil was born in 1961 in Chhindwara, M.P. She studied fine art at the Nagpur University in the early eighties. She also served as part of the faculty of J.J. School of Art, Mumbai from 1984 - 1988.

According to Manisha, " Certain images and encounters remain imprinted upon the mind for years together - the persona of the distant relative from the impressionable childhood days, the man you saw on the roadside tea stall just the other day; the cherished visit to a small town "mela" as a knee high brat, the religious rituals observed through adult eyes..."