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Harappa to Husain

Preeti Mehra

There is a never-ending stream of dotcoms mushrooming on the Net. Some are good, some bad and some indifferent. And there are some who plan to be different and lend a hand to Indian causes.

One such is www.indiancanvas.com that is committed to giving Indian art the much-needed boost in the world art market.

``As the name suggests, the portal aims at presenting the entire canvas of Indian art to the world, from Harappa to Husain,'' says Kumar Dasgupta, the CEO. Apart from providing information on Indian arts (folk and tribal included), crafts and con temporary art, the portal also facilitates online shopping.

To widen the canvas (literally) the portal has tied up with what they call ``partner galleries'' around the country. They are Vadehra Art Gallery in Delhi, Cymroza Art Gallery and The Fine Art Company in Mumbai, Apparao Galleries in Chennai, Gallery Sumukha in Bangalore and Chitrakoot Art Gallery in Calcutta.

To help buyers make an informed choice, experts such as Dr. Ratnabali Chatterjee, Dr. Tapati Guha Thakurta, Dr. Choodamani Nandgopal, Pranab Ranjan Ray and Mrinal Ghosh are on hand.

Well-known art institutions such as the Cholamandal Artists' Village and the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath have also been roped in. A good collection of people, galleries and institutions --- but enough to take Indian art places internationally ?