Young Assamsese artist Prandeep Kalita also speaks of the 'dehumanisation of terrorism and life at gun point' in his works.

Punyo Chobin, a budding contemporary artist from Arunachal Pradesh, falls back on tradition to tell his contemporary tales. 'He weaves a definitive narrative where myth, ideas, images, signs, beliefs and folklorist visions derived from the traditional tribal subconscious are transported into modernist realms,' she says.

Benedict S. Hynniewta, a young artist from Meghalaya, paints his colourful locale and symbols in series. His work 'Offering' with a character holding a betel nut and egg symbolises love, fertility and dreams, says Kandali.

Betel leaf and nuts are traditional northesastern spiritual and religious motifs.

Banamali Sharma, a sculptor from Manipur, draws from the diverse ethnic cultures for his spiritual works. 'He uses cosmology and Vedanta philosophy for his installation 'Maya'. We can now hear new voices with social transgressions and cultural transformations,' Kandali says.

Most of the northeastern states, barring Assam, woke up to modern art in the 1970s and 80s.

Tripura experimented in the 1970s when traditional art gave way to modern art with the setting up of the Government Art College in Agartala in 1975 while Meghalaya artists dabbled in modernism in the 80s.

The first trained artist in Nagaland was Bendang, followed by V. Noudi. Art in Nagaland started charting a new course after the Nagaland Art Society was formed.

'Like Nagaland, the modern art movement in Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh also started in the mid-80s,' says Kandali.

Manipur, which has a long history of royal and religious art, opened up to modern art in the third decade of the 20th century.

The essay has been published in the inaugural issue of art magazine Artetc.

(Madhusree Chatterjee can be contacted at madhu.c@ians.in)