What makes Abhishek Poddar one of India's leading collectors of modern art

Poddar has emerged as one of India's leading collectors and patrons of modern and contemporary art

His basic black shirt and dark blue jeans were designed to escape attention. Still, in the ritzy ballroom of Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, many eyes followed Abhishek Poddar as he took a seat somewhere in the small crowd and routinely exited with his phone in a way that emphasised his noteworthiness.

For a while, a Frenchman was on stage, talking about watch collectors using a PowerPoint presentation, the conclusion of which was welcomed by polite claps. During a short break, when Poddar — the Bengaluru-based art collector — prepared to take to the podium, several people in the