One of these artists, of course, is F N Souza, whose range is somewhere between Rs 37 and Rs 42 per sq cm. Another artist close enough in this range is the Paris-based Shakti Burman, who recently sold a work at the Christie's auction for just over Rs 4 lakh, when previously he had remained largely just above the Rs 3 lakh mark.

Burman, whose `Artist Painting Adam and Eve' fetched just over Rs 3 lakh in 1995, had inched forward with a Durga image by 1998 to Rs 3.3 lakh. In the same period, the average price of his work rose from Rs 30.9 per sq. cm in 1995 to Rs 39.23 per sq. cm in 1997, only dipping a little to Rs 37.7 per sq. cm in 1998, possibly as the Glenbarra museum in Japan suddenly dumped his work in the market; but even so, the price has begun rising again in 1999. Today,one can say he's a survivor.

The basis of his survival is his technical expertise and very good use of colour. He ranks with Pyne for his sensitive treatment of themes dealing with inter-personal relations. And he's a master of figurative drawing. However, his art has a predominantly French flavour, and this probably militates against him in a market that is strongly dominated by NRIs. That is, where his return to the Durga image paid off in 1998. One can expect to see him inching closer to Indian themes in future. For today Indian contemporary art is being appreciated as Indian in the world at large.

And Indian art is appropriately Western themes and presenting them in its own language. Everyone is familiar with the Christ image in Jamini Roy's work. But then it could be argued that Christianity is older in India than in Western Europe. Souza took in a broader perspective in works like `The Death of a Pope' and the `Last Supper' renditions as well as in his landscapes. Husain too integrated images ofBuster Keaton, Chaplin, Mahatma Gandhi and Hitler into works that were profoundly those of Indian narrative art. More recently, Neelima Sheikh has integrated the legend of Mary Magdalene with that of Mahadevi Akka of the Bhakti movement. So, to benefit from the emerging taste for Indian art, an artist must not leave his or her Indian roots.

This holds for younger artists as well. When last year Neeraj Bakshi returned from East Africa, having confronted the African experience first hand and not via Picasso or Matisse as an older generation of artists used to do, the African influence within the framework of Indian expression was an instant success. At about Rs 10,000 each, his works can be termed a bargain.

A similar independent dialogue with China can be seen in the work of Beohar Ram Manohar Sinha, a student of Nandalal Bose, who went to study Chinese art under master painters of China, and has now evolved his own style, incorporating that influence. And it has had some success in Britain, where theartist has shown in a number of cities, where he fetches a price that is between Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000.

In fact, from all accounts, the Bose Pacia gallery is doing well. And the larger works of Arpana Caur are all priced above the Rs 1 lakh mark. This is the triumph of Indian art that even in a country which has traditionally denigrated India and supported Pakistan, Indian art is making its influence felt. What is needed now is for more Indian artists than ever before to come forward and perceive other cultures, imbibe what is best in them and integrate it in their own genuine expression. The time is ripe for this.