The brain behind The Arts Trust and ICIA, Mr Vickram Sethi, is known to be a committed and articulate art aficionado. He has been actively engaged in promoting contemporary Indian art, and has been striving to raise awareness and interest in Indian art.

The Institute of Contemporary Indian Art (ICIA) serves as a logical extension of The Arts Trust vision of becoming the best source for quality work by both the distinguished and emerging artists. The Arts Trust was set up in 1990 with a long-term vision of promoting Indian contemporary art, which was just gaining in prominence at that time.

Towards this end, The Arts trust organizes art exhibitions, showcasing a wide range of talent and creativity, providing the viewers a glimpse of promising artists who work in various genres, styles, subjects and mediums.

In 1996, The Arts Trust was handed over the responsibility of managing the Harmony Show launched by the Reliance Group. It has also hosted several art camps and art events such as the annual RPG art exhibitions. The Arts Trust boasts of several prestigious clients such as RPG Group, Kotak Bank, ABN AMRO bank, Indian Hotels, Oberoi Group and Hyatt Hotel among others.

Of course, the journey has been full of several challenges, as Mr Vickram Sethi reminisces: “When I started, the art scene was quite different from what it is now. It was difficult to find space (for hosting the shows). I did my first show more than 15 years ago at the Oberoi, titled ‘Masters of India’. I was amazed at the response, and then began to do art shows at the Y B Chavan studio more often.”

He is extremely optimistic and positive about the emerging crop of artists. He quips: “There’s immense talent here!” In keeping with his vision, the previous edition of Art Expo India brought to the fore highly talented and dynamic artists from across the country and abroad in a grand event in Mumbai.

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Salman and Aamir, the two Khan, have been generous to Kareena Kapoor. First about Aamir,..Kareena Kapoor always had a desire to do a movie with Aamir Khan. When it happened finally with Rajkumar Hirani’s production 3 Idiots, her joy knew no bounds. She though had never wanted to forgo her birthday bash not once but twice!

During Kareena’s last birthday, the 3 Idiots unit was doing a shoot in Ladakh. Bebo was very much part of it. And this year, around the same time, the final schedule of the movie was all set to start. Kareena’s birthday was just round the corner. Being a hardcore professional, not even once did she raise a hue and cry over it. In fact, it was the glamour media that made all the noise. This time, though the starlet was to receive a pleasant surprise.

Aamir himself stepped in and presented Kareena with a lovely birthday ‘gift’ – a break. If reports are to be believed, the actor personally requested Rajkumar Hirani to postpone the shoot so that Bebo was able to enjoy her birthday celebrations with her loved ones (No prizes to guess, who.)

Summing up the gesture, a news report stated: “Kareena couldn’t have probably received a better gift than the one Aamir gave her this year on her birthday.”

Salman Khan was even more generous; he gifted Kareena a Dolce & Gabbana bag (hold your breath) worth Rs 2.5 lakh, while the two were shooting in Australia for ‘Main Aur Mrs Khanna’.

A source was quoted as saying, “Salman accompanied Kareena on shopping one evening. She loved a Dolce & Gabbana handbag. When she was to pay up for it, she was told that it was already paid for. Salman had paid for it…”

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Indian art is slowly but surely becoming a crucial component of an alternate investment portfolio. This shift of strategy is largely being driven by the fact that Indian art is drawing attention and valuation that it thoroughly deserves.

Contemporary Indian art is gaining prominence worldwide. So it is not mere coincidence that Art Expo India has emerged as among the most prestigious art events to showcase Indian art for collectors and art lovers worldwide. It is among the most important art event in India, a cultural highlight for the country.

The three day long Art Expo India 2009 event, starting from 25th September, is a platform to launch Indian art in the international arena with meticulous selection of top galleries and well-conceived program of special exhibitions, seminars and other events.

Speakers Schedule at Art Expo India 2009
25th September

5:00 pm: The Key note address will be Mrs. Kay Saatchi in conversation with Malika Sagar Adwani on spotting young talent and building up an art collection.

26th September

•12:00 am – 1:00 pm: Art in Life: the daily pleasure of collecting, Dr. Rashmi Poddar in conversation with by Judith Greer.

•3:00 pm – 4:00 pm : The aesthetics of the erotic Dr. Alka Pande, Satish Manashinde moderator Anjolie Ela Menon.

•4:30 pm – 5:30 pm : (X)topia: A Search for Place, A Place for Search - A Conversation between Jitish Kallat and Ranjit Hoskote..

27th September
•12:00 am – 1:00 pm : Everything is Art a panel discussion between Bose Krishnamachari , architect Shantanu Poredi moderator Rajshree Pathy.

•3:00 pm – 4:00 pm : Sharan Apparao & Menaka Kumari Shah buying art in recessionary times Moderator Brian Brown.

•4:30 pm – 5:30 pm : Kirsty Ogg  in conversation with Abhay Sardesai on Indian Art in an international prospective.

Art Expo India 2009 serves as an opportunity to know more about adding art as an asset class in your portfolio, and also as an option for gifting at corporate and individual level.

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Art has a great display and asset value for both individuals as well as corporate houses. It makes a treasure to cherish in every sense. This value will come to the fore at Art Expo India 2009 (Venue: Nehru Center, Mumbai; Dates: September 25th - 27th) is a comprehensive source for understanding art – its past, present and future. It will present a wide array of works by famous and upcoming Indian artists.

Despite the recession and the subsequent fall in prices, experts feel the market for fine art is still very strong, though not as hyped as it was a couple of years ago. Importantly, long term collectors want to use this phase to build on their portfolios.

Especially, a host of investors-individual as well institutional- from European and American art circuit are looking to add Indian art to their collections. For many of them Indian art is still new. Art Expo India 2009 will act as a window for them to peep into Indian art.

Trade & Technology Exposition Co. (India) Pvt. Ltd was established in 1987 as an exhibition organizing company and several events on different themes were organized thereafter. Their flagship exhibition is GIFTEX which is now in its 21st year. With over 70 Shows to their credit Trade & Technology have the experience, the ability and the understanding of the art market as well.

The organization is headed by Vickram Sethi and has a support team that specializes in setting up trade events.  He has been setting up art shows and events from 1990. Before setting up art expo, the core team members had visited art fairs all over the world speaking to both galleries and art buyers to understand their needs. Being in both businesses Trade & Technology Exposition Co has the ability and knowledge to put together a major art event that would cater to the needs of the broader market.

Visit and enjoy Art Expo India 2009! The vibrant vistas of Indian Contemporary Art have opened for you.

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If any of your friends or family members loves visiting art galleries; likes reading on art & culture, and relishes watching cultural shows, he or she makes a perfect candidate on your part to give an artwork as a gift! But where to source the reliable information about latest trends in Indian art!

Well, you may visit Art Expo India 2009, which is going to be a high profile meeting ground for art dealers, galleries, artists and prospective art buyers.

Dwelling on the importance of AEI, an ET report by Nalini S Malaviya mentions that talks by experts in the field, and an opportunity to interact with artists, gallerists, critics and other members from the art fraternity, sure add great value to such events. Insights into various aspects related to the art market, such as world markets, evaluations, regulations and so on, make the event more interesting, it points out.

The event is bound to act as a catalyst in building the art market in India. With more and more Indians becoming wealthier, there is a huge untapped potential waiting to be exploited. The new-found prosperity, a highly sophisticated audience and international exposure now present a perfect opportunity for art dealers to project buying, collecting and investing art a modern lifestyle statement.

Importantly, no other market can be as huge as the Indian market for Indian art itself. If it has to do well, it must ’sell’  in India to start with. AEI is looking to make this happen. Its aim is to build a community of art connoisseurs by building awareness and imparting knowledge of Indian art history as well as current art trends.

The event to be hosted at Nehru Center, Mumbai (September 25th-27th) strives to serve as a link among keen art viewers, artists and experts. It will provide you with an insight into the contemporary art trends.

Mr Vickram Sethi of The Arts Trust and AEI organizer, concludes: “Our exhibiting galleries are constantly bringing fresh perspectives to Indian art. We only invite galleries who are passionate and ground-breaking in the artists they foster.”

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There are eight important and famous abodes of Lord Ganesha. These are collectively known as Ashtavinayaka. The eight naturally-formed sculpted stone statues are housed in the old temples.

The Ashtavinayaka temples are just within the range of 100 km of each other. A lot of spiritual importance is given to these eight destinations in Hindu religion.

Each idol is Lord Ganesha’s incarnation as told in different mythological tales. The places, the idols and their incarnation stories are ancient. These narrate us about why and how these Ganesha idols got their particular names and came into existence.

Elaborating on the Ashtavinayaka, the official tourism website of Maharashtra state notes: “Vinayak is another popular name for the god loved and worshiped by Hindus all over, Ganesh. Lord Ganesh is known to be the protector of his ardent devotees. Eight (Astha) naturally-formed sculpted stone statues are housed in old temples at the places where they were first found. The temples of Ashta Vinayaka are within the range of just 20 to 110 km of each other.”

The sequence of Ashtavinayaka pilgrimage according to the convention as mentioned in puran as is as follows:
1. Sri Mayureshwar Of Morgaon
2. Sri Siddhivinayak Of Siddhatek
3. Sri Ballaleshwar Of Pali
4. Sri Varad Vinayaka Of Mahad
5. Sri Chintamani Of Theur
6. Sri Girijatmaj Of Lenyadri
7. Sri Vigneshwar Of Ozar
8. Sri Mahaganapati Of Ranjangaon

These eight places are all in western Maharashtra. To plan your trip, contact:
Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation;
Reg. Office: Express Towers, 9th Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021.
Information & Booking Office
Central Reservation Division, C.D.O. Hutments,
Opp. Yogakshema (LIC Building), Madame Cama Road, Mumbai 400 020
Check the MTDC Ganesha gallery here…

Mention must also be made of Ganapatipule in Konkan, a spectacular beach right along the Konkan Coast. It’s an idyllic getaway, which attracts beach lovers and pilgrims alike. The temple of Swayambhu (self-originated) Lord Ganesh here is visited by thousands of devotees every year. 

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Ganesh festival is a perfect confluence of philosophy, mysticism, and mythology. The stories of God’s divine pastimes have great symbolic connotations, and require full understanding and concentration to be blessed with pure happiness and peace. Whoever understands their inner and outer meanings will grasp the essence of life.

Ganesh Chaturthi, the birthday of Lord Ganesh, falls on the fourth day of the bright fortnight of the Hindu month of Bhadrapada which falls in August-September. The symbolic connection behind the snake, mouse and the Lord’s pot belly and its relationship to the moon on his birthday is highly mythical and philosophic.

The entire cosmos is like the God’s belly. Shakti Parvati, the primordial energy, cooks 21 types of dishes, meaning 21 expansions of the cosmos: seven above, seven below and seven oceans - all of which are inside the Ganesha’s cosmic belly - held together by the cosmic energy symbolized as a huge snake that Ganesha ties around him.

The mouse is nothing but our inflated ego. Ganesha, using it as vehicle, represents the fact that our great Self or consciousness controls the ego, using it as a vehicle or instrument in daily life. In other words, one who controls the ego attains Ganesha-consciousness or God-consciousness.

Apart from a significant spiritual side, the festival has a social aspect. Lokmanya Tilak, the great freedom fighter, made it a public event to reshape the Indian psyche based on our own heritage and history.

The concept of public festivities is the gift given by him to the nation in the 19th century. Tilak had inspired people to organize the festival to rekindle nationalistic spirit. Since then, the purpose and form of the festival has greatly changed.

LALBAUGCHA RAJA (The Emperor of Lalbaug) in Mumbai is among the most revered and popular Ganesh idols in Mumbai visited by a host of celebrities like Sachin Tendulkar and Lata Mangeshkar.

The Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati, located in Pune, the cultural capital of Maharashtra, is another revered idol. The Ganpati was established in 1893.

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“Ever spent hours just wandering from store to store, searching for a gift for someone, which would be useful still not a commonplace one? Why not consider an option that has been around for quite a while, though is still relatively unknown.”

These are the lines from an interesting article in the Business Line publication that explains how a gift card can make a really ‘presentable’ idea. Incidentally, it can also be a perfect Rakhi gift. 

The writer of this informative essay, Bhavana Acharya is referring to a prepaid gift card.

Clearing some basic things about it, she mentions: “You may think that a gift card and a gift voucher are one and the same. Well, even though they are closer to each other in conceptual terms, there is slight difference between the two.

Let us try to follow how and where the two differ.”

• Basically speaking, a gift card is a hybrid between a debit card and a gift voucher. Being so, it provides the receiver with a twin advantage – flexibility of the former with the functionality of the latter.

• A prepaid gift card is fashioned after a debit card and a gift voucher, combining their beneficial features.

• A prepaid gift card is worth a fixed amount of sum. It can
be swiped, well at any top mall or shopping complex.

• Depending on your budget and the money you want to spend for the person, you can determine its value. Accordingly, you may load the amount on it. It is entirely up to you, making it absolutely convenient. For example, if your gifting budget allows you to spend not more than Rs 1,000, you can purchase a gift card exactly worth that denomination. Obviously, the person whom you are gifting it will be able to make a purchase of his choice up to Rs 1,000. 

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At giftex, you will come across a wide range of products, which can be well used as a promotional gift for any corporate occasion. An umbrella is one such timely gift. It is one of the most useful articles for any person in the monsoon season. The weather may not be friendly always. And the umbrellas can be of great help in the summer too.

Your company can use this is an ideal promotional item that can serve the twin purpose of a gift and a brand promotion tool. You can gift it to your employees this monsoon. The collection of promotional umbrellas available ranges from the most popular Wentworth Golf Umbrellas to the cute Budget Mini Golf Umbrellas.

There are different types of umbrellas that meet the requirements of people. In fact, they can make a perfect gift for any season. However, they find it to be most useful in the rainy season, for example, a vacation in the monsoons.

The printed umbrellas are available in different sizes. People usually prefer colored umbrellas, as they look more refreshing and add a fashionable touch. Colored umbrellas give added benefits to the companies to choose the appropriate shade that suits their brand identity color. There are a number of standard colors available to choose from. The colors are chosen in such a manner that they will give fabulous display of the brand logo and the promotional message on them.

The double-colored printed umbrellas, for example, navy blue and white or the navy blue and yellow are the excellent color combination to display the brand name in the most contrasting background color. There are single-colored umbrellas available as well in the light shades and darker shades so as to allow the companies to pick them according to their brand identity color. Importantly, you will find them to be the most effective for spreading your corporate message across the customers.

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Have you been striving for long to discover the secret to wealth creation? Have you been unable to do so, and have started believing you will never be able to fulfill your dreams? How can you turn around your constant struggle into a lasting success? What really is the secret of wealth building?

To start with, you need to grasp a few basic theories that act as a stepping stone to become wealthy.

Change your beliefs and thought process 
To become wealthy, your habits, thoughts, self-image, emotions and motivation must all be aligned towards fulfilling that single goal. Remember, success hinges invariably on your frame of mind. All riches begin as a state of mind. The key is not the mindless pursuit of wealth, but changing your attitudes and beliefs.

Success is a matter of mental attitude
The author of ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, Stephen Covey, has rightly mentioned:” Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns constantly express our character and (thus) produce our effectiveness or ineffectiveness. If your self-instructions are negative, your achievements will always be negative. Conversely, when your self-instructions are positive, you will achieve much more.

Ability to choose a money-making vehicle
Apart from developing a positive mindset, other keys to wealth creation are ability to choose a money-making vehicle and to learn how it works, and then to actually make it work. Wealth creation is not about mere luck; it is the byproduct of implementing an appropriate strategy. Remember, applied knowledge is power.

Information without action is of no worth
Information without action is of no worth. We are great at giving excuses like lack of time and lack of money to invest. The real reason is we fail to turn knowledge into action. We do not really utilize what we have learned. 

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