Independence day along with the festivals of Rakhi and Janmasthami make August a month of immense importance for every Indian. 08/09 will be a tad more special for me for it marks the launch of the project that has kept me and my team burning that midnight oil for several nights now. Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me immense pleasure to introduce you to Japa Arts Indian Art News. As an independent and impartial advisory, one of our foremost functions is to keep our clients informed and aware of the latest in the art world, while increasing their appreciation of the various facets and nuances of art. With this aim in view, we consistently widen our collectors' fields of vision by exposing them to the latest information available from across the world along with examples of art drawn from all genres, practices, creators and media. The advent of Japa News institutionalises this zealous effort and allows us to share exclusively-created content with you, irrespective of whether or not we are building your art collection. At the same time we hope to build a platform that is interactive, critical in its approach and one that contributes to the intellectual debates and discussions that form the knowledge bank about art in India. We have structured the flow of content in a fashion which will bring something new to your desktop every week. In addition, all sections have been built with space for you to express your thoughts and comments to facilitate the evolution of a genuine interactive forum. Let me briefly guide you through the sections: The finest minds from the art world appear in the CONTRIBUTORS section where they share key knowledge from their area of expertise. There has been a conscious attempt on our part to feature the more elusive and reticent thinkers and doers along side the more prominent figures from the art-market. DECONSTRUCTING ART will give access to a personal reading of artists' lives, their creations, motivations and inspirations: narrated by their closest friends, aides and followers. JQ. The Japa Quotient, if you please! This is a platform where your questions and concerns will be answered by leading experts from the art world and its ancillary services. You post the query. We match it to the expert. Consider this an online space for "everything you wanted to know about art but didn't know whom to ask". With Japa IMAGES, you will never miss an opening of an Indian exhibition worth attending, anywhere in the world ever again. A visual treat, this section will ensure that previews and openings are covered extensively and shared with you within hours of the event. The interviews and profiles featured in the Japa PROFILER will give you a ring-side view of the lives, works and minds of a wide-range of personalities from the cultural domain and the trading floor. Our in-house critics will give you a heads up on the essential shows, publications, events and films under the REVIEWS section. The Japa CALENDAR charts the must-attend events and shows in India as well as internationally. It is a sure-shot way of making sure that you don't miss out on any event of interest. The WEB features a curated selection of the most important art-based content from various channels on the internet. We have partnered with some of the finest publications to gain exclusive first-view online access to relevant news and features. And finally we have the The Japa GAZETTE. If your schedule is packed so tight that you find it impossible to browse beyond the work log, you can subscribe to our newsletter which compresses all the essential material in an easy-to-read capsule. I would appreciate and welcome your thoughts, feedback, comments and suggestions, as they will help us evolve and offer you a better service. Please mail me directly at arvind@japaarts.in. To use a suitably clichéd maxim, I hope you enjoy reading Japa News as much as we have enjoyed creating and delivering it to you. Have a wonderful journey ahead. I wish you a very Happy Independence Day and Happy Collecting!     Arvind Vijaymohan is the founder of Japa Arts.