An ever-evolving Indian Art has always been matching strides with socio-political and Cultural shifts in free India, sometimes even influencing aspects of Indian life. As an entity, it may be much older than independent Bharat, but it has remained as young, diverse and vibrant as our country and today `Modern & Contemporary India' is the new buzzword in the global art mart. Hidden behind the bright colours and bold strokes of Modern Indian Art movement and the Contemporary Art creations is the unstained patronage of passionate collectors... Call them patrons or all them connoisseurs, but they are rare people who go beyond being merely collectors of art.. thus making a silent contribution to India's artistic heritage. This first of its kind book is a unique collection of profiles of 25 living and 2 late premier collectors of Indian Modern & Contemporary Art all over the globe. The legacy of their genius in professional life is well known but their persona sans the glamour and their passion & raison-d'etre for collecting enduring masterpieces of lengendary modern & contemporary artists is hardly ever explored. Collectively, the profiles form the mosaic of the larger story - the story of the always evolving & mentamorphosing Indian Art and its remarkable patrons. The book highlights the collectors' definitive aesthetic vision, deep-rooted philanthropy, support & commitment to Indian art and artists. The book also showcases selected/favorite works of art of each collector... a collection which reflects the discerning eye and eclectic tastes of its owners. Rich in anecdote and lavishly illustrated this stupendous book opens a window onto a world of passionate collectors, distinguished by a rather charming obsession, while introducing to the readers the mysteries of collecting. Elite Collectors: Basant Kumar Birla (b.1921), Sarla Birla; Girdharilal Vaid (b.1931); Suresh Neotia (b.1936), Harshavardhan Neotia; Parmeshwar Godrej (b.1944); Mahinder Tak (b.1946); Rakesh Aggarwal (b.1947); Ravi Akhoury (b.1947), Virginia Akhoury; Mahesh Chandra (b.1948); Pheroza Godrej (b.1948); Pradip Bothra (b.1950); Kiran Nadar (b.1951); Masanori Fukuoka (b.1953); Umesh Gaur (b.1953), Sunanda Gaur; Ashwani Kakkar (b.1954); Sanjay Lalbhai (b.1954); Rajshree Pathy (b.1956; Dinesh Thacker (b.1957), Varsha Thacker; Tina Ambani (b.1957); Harsh Goenka (b.1957); Rajiv Jehangir Chaudhri (b.1959), Payal Chaudhri; Sangita Jindal (b.1962); Prashant Tulsyan (b.1966); Abhishek Poddar (b.1968); Malvinder Mohan Singh (b.1975); =================== Late Chester Herwitz (1927-1999), Late Davida Herwitz (1931-2002); Late Jehangir Nicholson (1927-2001).