The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Growing demand for animators
P.K. Vasudeva

IF you are creative, innovative, artistic and appreciative of art, you can choose a career in animation. With international companies such as Walt Disney, Warner Brothers and Fun Bag Animation looking at India for sourcing content as well as doing projects in collaboration with the Indian animation companies, there has been a growing demand for animators in the country. This field has not so far been exploited though it has a great potential and career wise it is quite lucrative.

"From doing cartoon films and video games to providing content for TV serials and doing animated films, an animator can do a gamut of artistic pursuits", remarks Mr Manvendra Shukul, business head, Escotoonz of the Escort group. The single important reason why the animators are willing to collaborate with the Indian animation companies is due to availability of cheaper manpower. "Apart from manpower, it also makes sense for these companies to outsource their work so that they can work on more than one project at one time", adds Mr Shukul.

Mr Rahul Bhatia, Marketing Manager of the Mumbai-based animation company, Crest Communications, says, "Foreign players after working with countries such as China, Philippines and Korea, are now looking at India because the industry is young with low development costs. They can get their work done at 40 per cent the cost in the USA".

There are only 3,000 animators in the country, whereas the actual demand is more than 20,000 animators. This shows that animation has a great potential in the country. Crest Communications was the only industry, which was recruiting people at a time when the entire world was downsizing its manpower. The vacancies are still available, but the right type of animators are not available in the country.

It is surprising that awareness about the prospects of animation, as a career is not very high in the country. It is the role of the animation companies to make the people understand the growth opportunities in this career.

Escotoonz, in its efforts to create awareness about this career, has kicked off an eight-month-long course, which a person can join after clearing the higher secondary examination. The first batch has already started training in animation and the other batches will start soon in other animation companies.

So far there are no exclusive courses in animation per se except a few companies like Crest Communications and Escotoonz. However, institutes such as Arena Multimedia, Pentamedia, Chandigarh Arts College and the Delhi College of Art do offer papers on animation. These arts colleges should start an exclusive animation course of one-year duration to cover up the deficiencies of these professionals in the country.

Mr Akhauri Sinha, Manager (Production), UTV, says since there are no formal courses available, his company normally recruits art college students, after which they are put through a rigorous training to reach a reasonable standard in animation.

The profession in animation is extremely lucrative and a starter can easily make anywhere between Rs 7,000 to Rs 8,000 and the remuneration goes up to Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 a month within a span of two to three years depending on the animators’ picking-up capabilities.

India as a market has so much to offer that we can create new contents every day. Cartoon Network was the only animation channel, but now almost all Indian TV channels have at least two hours slot for animation programmes/films. Animated ad films such as All-out commercials are also picking up and have a great impact on the viewers.

It is sad that though India has a great market for animation destination yet there is great demand for foreign animation, as the standard of Indian animation is yet to pick up. It is easier and cheaper to convert foreign animated advertisements and films into any Indian languages.

Unless the government imposes a ban or imposes licensing system on the international animation content, there is hardly any chance for the Indian content to gain popularity in India in the coming years.

QUERY HOTLINE

Q I am doing my MBBS. Where can I study emergency medicine in India?

Anil Rawat, Jalandhar

A The sharp rise in the number of accidents and trauma-related injuries has underscored the significance of the "golden hour" in medical circles all over the world. If timely emergency treatment is provided within the critical first hour of impact or injury, the chances of survival are the highest.

Today what happens is that each time a patient with a particular injury is brought in, the related specialist (from medicine, surgery, orthopaedics, paediatrics, gynaecology or neurosurgery) is paged. Which in turn means that valuable time is lost in the process. Then further time is wasted in moving the patient from the emergency room to the respective department.

With an emergency medicine department and specialists in place, the patient can be given all possible treatment including surgery right away — virtually on the spot.

Presently, courses in emergency medicine are essentially offered at select universities in the USA and the UK. But India is fast catching up.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, is setting up a full-fledged trauma centre and department. Plans are afoot to introduce a MD in Emergency Medicine next year.

The first of its kind in the country, the MD in EM at AIIMS would cover a broad orientation of all specialities along with training in the use of high-tech diagnostic, resuscitation and surgical equipment.

Apollo Hospitals, D/o Emergency Medicine, Academic Building, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad 500033 ((e-mail: emd@apollolife.com) offers a Fellowship in Emergency Medicine of the Royal College of General Practitioners, UK. The eligibility for the 1-year programme is MBBS and MCI registration.

Symbiosis Centre of Healthcare, Pune offers PG Dip in Emergency Medical Service (for Nurses, paramedics and doctors (6-mth).

M.Sc. (Medicinal Plants)

Q I am in the final year of BSc (Agri). Now I want to do MSc (Medicinal Plants). Which universities offer this specialisation and what is the business potential of this field?

Rajiv Malhan, Chandigarh

A You can pursue MSc (Medicinal Plants) at the following universities:

Gujarat Ayurved University, Administrative Bhavan, Irwin Hospital Rd, Jamnagar 361008, (Guj). Also offers Diploma in Medicinal Plants.

Gulbarga University, ‘Jnana Ganga’, Gulbarga 585106 (Karn).

Central Institute of Medical & Aromatic Plants, P O CIMAP, Lucknow 226015. CIMAP is involved in the development of agrotechnologies for economically significant medicinal and aromatic plants, basic research in the area of phytochemistry, plant physiology and biochemistry, pathology, genetics entomology and pharmacognosy (Plant Biology, Organic Chemistry).

You can also get in touch with some of the leading agricultural universities like Punjab Agricultural University, G.B Pant University or Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Delhi, for more details.

The National Medicinal Plants Board expects India’s export of medicinal plants to double this fiscal to Rs 800 crore. The pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers of ayurvedic medicines, herbal cosmetics, healthfood, perfume industry; nature cure clinics — in India and abroad namely USA, EU, Japan and Australia that constitute the major market for Indian medicinal plants.

ITCOT, Chennai (a joint venture of ICICI, IDBI, IFCI SIDCO and some banks), has published a 338 page report on Herbal, Medicinal Aromatic Plants (Rs 4,200/-) to help organisations and individuals in raising plantations, trading and manufacturing value-added products. For details, see: www.itcot.com; www.tn.gov.in .

NDA

Q I am in Class XII (Science). How can girls join the NDA?

Manju Arora, Ludhiana

A As of now, only unmarried males below 19 years are eligible for the NDA entrance exam after class XI. But don’t lose heart. There are several other avenues for women in the armed forces.

The Indian Navy is the first amongst the services to induct women in its non-combatant cadres of logistics, law and air traffic control in the executive branch. These and certain other jobs in the Education branch are in the Short Service Commission.

The Indian Air Force now recruits women for the Short Service Commission as pilots for transport planes and helicopters, as navigators and in the technical and ground duty branches.

Women are offered ground jobs in the Army, including those in the Army Service Corps, Ordnance Corps, Education Corps, Signals, Electrical Mechanical Engineers, the Judge Advocate General’s branch, and most recently, the Army Intelligence Corps.

The Army offers a Special Entry Scheme for Women in the officer grade. The eligibility is Bachelor’s/Masters degree with diploma in specified subject/ LLB/ Engg degree. Age: 19-27 years. Selection is on the basis of an Interview by the Services Selection Board. On successful commissioning, you will be granted Short Service Commission in the rank of Second Lieutenant.

Of course, if you have 10+2 (PCM) you can also seek admission to the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, for the MBBS course or the BSc nursing course after which you wll be join the Medical Corps or the Military Nursing Service as a Permanent commissioned officer. Admission is through an entrance test.

Merchant Navy

Q Could you please tell me something about the procedure for direct admission in Merchant Navy?

Shiva Prasad, Patiala

A Shipping companies directly recruit fresh candidates for marine engineering as well as navigation as Deck Cadets. You will be required to undergo a short course in pre-sea training after which you will work your way up, taking the requisite exams every time you come on shore. Be on the lookout for their ads in leading national dailies and apply to them directly. 60% in PCM and medical fitness are the basic requirements. For navigation science (as a Deck Cadet, you need 6/6 vision in both eyes without glasses; for marine engineering, however, glasses up to plus or minus 2.5 are permitted. The Shipping Corporation of India also recruits direct cadets through the TNOC route (www.shipindia.com). The notification appears in the Employment News and leading newspapers. Some colleges also offer courses in naval engineering. For instance, the Tolani Maritime Institute, Sharada Centre, 11/1 Off Karve Road, Erandwane, Pune-411004 offers a course in Marine Engineering.

Selection is on the basis of academic performance in +2 (PCM) and interview.

*Interface College of Maritime Studies, 109, Poonamallee High Rd, Vanagaram, Chennai 602102 offers Marine Engineering (3-yr Sandwich Course). Eligibility: 10+2 with PCM, Male.

If you pursue a course in Navigation Science you can join as a Navigating Officer. While you can get in through IIT-JEE, there is the provision of getting into a merchant ship as a. It’s a hard life this way. The Shipping Corporation also offers.

Beware: direct by no means spells ‘easy’. You’ll slog hard on board before you can start taking the competency exams that qualify you for working at sea. You have to study hard to ace these exams. In fact, to rise to higher positions in the merchant navy —both in marine engineering and navigation - you have to keep clearing one level of examination after another. So by no means must you look upon this route as an easy way out or a soft option.

FORTNIGHTLY QUIZ-171

1. Who recently took over as the first woman Air Vice Marshal in the Indian Air Force ( IAF ) ?

2. Name Pakistan’s new Prime Minister.

3. In which country was the staging of the Miss World contest cancelled recently?

4. When is the World AIDS Prevention Day observed?

5. Name the founder of India’s first micro-finance institution — BASIX — which aims to disburse micro-credit to one million rural poor in the country.

6. Who was the Chairman of the Union Carbide at the time of the Bhopal gas disaster in 1984?

7. In which year was NATO formed?

8. Expand NPAs.

9. Which famous painting by Ravi Varma fetched a world record for the artist and an Indian record of Rs 56 lakh for any painting, at an auction held recently?

10. Which fatty acids, believed to be present in fish and certain types of plants, are good for the heart according to the American Heart Association?

11. In which Indian city’s stadium was a bat, measuring 100 feet in height and 10 feet in width and believed to be the biggest in the world, installed recently?

12. With which sport is Hossein Reza Zadeh of Iran associated?

13. Where is Tribhuvan University situated?

14. Expand IRDA.

15. Which country recently won the Davis Cup for the first time?

Name......................Class..........

School address.........................

Winners of quiz 170: The first prize by draw of lots goes to Heena, VII- A, St Antony’s Convent School, Adampur, dist Jalandhar-144103.

Second: Deepika Sehgal, DAV Public School, Jagadhari Road, Ambala Cantt- 133001.

Third: Sanchika, Class IV- B, Army School, Fazilka Cantt, dist Ferozepur, Punjab-152123.

Answers to quiz 170: 1441; Prof Sadako Ogata; Mammen Mathew; Gopal Ballav Pattanaik; C. Rangarajan; Nov 9, 1903; $100m; Pushkar; William Dalrymple; Indian art, culture & education; 5; Microsoft; Taipei; Engineers India Limited; Goddess Qomolangma.

Cash awards of Rs 400, 300 and 200 are given to the first, second and third prize winners, respectively. These are sent at the school address.

— Tarun Sharma