A guide to India Art Fair

Enjoy the art, the conversations and the energy, but, most of all, appreciate what you're fortunate to see around you because you probably won't see it again

It's about this time that the annual art rush begins and your friends start pestering you for passes to the India Art Fair. The annual jamboree has the usual mix of artists, speakers, gallerists, collectors, curators, socialites, wannabes, the media - and, hopefully, the art lover. There's also the art - the very good, moderate, repetitive or insipid; international and, of course, local; modern, contemporary or new age. It's an entire lesson in art, and to help you make the most of it, here's a reckoner on how to navigate the art fair to your advantage.

If you haven't already, book your journey to New Delhi: it is India's largest, most magnificent outing of art. Don't let the cynics water your expectations down. The selections might be subjective, but this is the best that Indian art gets. Be a part of it.

Decide what you want to see: Use technology. Find out from the website what seems promising. Do not walk around in circles and suffer visual fatigue. A perspective is important, but there are lots of people walking around, and a lot of art, so unless you discipline yourself, you won't get to see anything in particular and everything will be a blur.

Revel: Every year brings its own trends and fads. What you see this year, you may not next year. Enjoy the art, the conversations and the energy, but most of all, appreciate what you're fortunate to see around you because - it's true - you probably won't see it again. (And even if you do, welcome it back like an old friend - can you see Rome enough times? Or the Taj Mahal?)

Return: If you enjoy art, come back. It's only on a second, or third, visit that you will be able to focus on what you want to see. Return for the specific, not the general.

Do not buy on impulse: Like something? Ask your friends about it. With so many experts at hand, find someone whose opinion you respect to show it to. Put it on hold but come back after an interval for another viewing. Maybe you'll like it a little less the next time (and maybe you'll like something else a lot more).

Ask for a discount: Galleries can take a little off the asking price; sometimes they can get a better deal if you know the artist and ask him to put in a word. But do not embarrass yourselves and your counterparts by turfing down prices indiscriminately. A little respect will serve you a long way.

Attend the talks: We dislike academic discussions, but you'll enjoy the art so much more once you've picked up on points that make it meaningful to you. More even than the talks are the audience interactions which are spontaneous and reveal so much about an artist or a scholar.

Wear sneakers: Yes, those boots are lovely, but you'll be walking for the better time of the day that you are there. Instead, wear an old pair of your most comfortable shoes, or sneakers, the way visitors to the Met do.

Make a day of it: Not all of the art fair is about the art. There's some wonderful shopping, great food and even better alcohol. Enjoy winter's cool at the many bars and restaurants, meet up with friends, and make a social outing of it.

Freebies: Yes, they're there. Champagne lounges, VIP tours, curated walks, cocktail invitations, private lunches. A word in the right ear and you might be part of the art cognoscenti. A little schmoozing will take you a long, long way.

Kishore Singh is a Delhi-based writer and art critic. These views are personal and do not reflect those of the organisation with which he is associated