At Saffronart’s Spring Live Auction in Mumbai, Raja Ravi Varma’s masterpiece 'Yashoda and Krishna' was sold for an astonishing ₹167.2 crore (approximately $18 million), setting a new record for Indian art. The intense bidding war concluded with billionaire industrialist Cyrus Poonawalla, founder of the Serum Institute of India, securing the painting. He expressed that acquiring this artwork is both an honour and a duty, vowing to make it available for public viewing periodically. Auction experts had predicted the painting would sell for between ₹80 crore and ₹120 crore, but the final bid nearly doubled these estimates, reflecting the increasing global interest in Indian art and the timeless appeal of Ravi Varma's work. Created in the 1890s, the artwork captures a domestic yet sacred moment, showing Yashoda milking a cow while the infant Krishna playfully reaches for a goblet of milk. Previously held in a private collection in Delhi, this sale not only highlights the painting's significance but also ensures that one of India's artistic treasures will be shared with the public. Raja Ravi Varma, born in 1848 into the aristocratic Kilimanoor family of Travancore, is celebrated for integrating European realism with Indian mythological themes, making his art resonate across cultures. His lithographic press, established in 1894, further democratized access to his art by producing affordable prints, embedding Hindu iconography into everyday life.