Nothing excites a country’s possessive ire more than culture. Greece made quite a nostalgia industry out of the Elgin Marbles, whimpering and moaning about them till the world took note. Melina Mercouri, an actress past her prime, not only took centre-stage again but also rose to be Greece’s culture minister by simply riding on the crest of the marble wave. Indians are no different. Whether it is the plume worn by Guru Gobind Singh, or the memorabilia of Mahatma Gandhi, or the 12 paintings by Rabindranath Tagore put up for auction by Sotheby’s in London, Indians feel fiercely possessive and patriotically anxious in case some other country gets its hands on them.

The poorer the country the greater its desire to hold on to its own culture. So it is a little surprising to find some Indians so put out by the sale of Tagore’s paintings. After reforms, there has been a sea change in India’s growth rate and, therefore, its confidence. That Tagore’s paintings are out there being auctioned in the world art market is a remarkable indicator of that change. Before India had graduated from its Hindu rate of growth to its present growth rate of close to double digits, Indian art went a-begging, with artists requesting the government to make it mandatory for interior designers to commission their work. But now a widely circulated financial paper advises its readers to invest in Indian art — among other things — in order to become billionaires quickly. With so much more disposable income flowing through Indian pockets at home and abroad, the country is producing its own big buyers. The global art market is being powered by India’s growing prosperity, as the world, busy discovering the depth of its markets, gets increasingly interested in its art. Perhaps a poor second to China, India is still a considerable player of the game: not quite a Nadal on the clay court, yet a Federer. Indians are now going ahead to get what they want, whether it is a place on the list of richest businessmen or the Jaguar car company. They can buy Tagore’s paintings too if they feel so strongly. Acquiring cultural objects that belong to their history has always been a token of pride for them. Perhaps they need to discover, too, that they are not at all short of cultural treasures, which can be bought and sold in the world market as precious collectibles. And that Indian art is not just for Indians.