CAMPUS
Hi-tech multimedia forum to link industry, academia, govt
Gaurav Choudhury

A Special Interest Group in Multi-Media Arena (SIGMMA) was launched by Arena Multimedia, Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai (IIT) and other supporting institutions. This forum will explore and present technological and artistic advancements in multimedia and Automation Of Design (AOD) and serve as a unifying link between industry, academia, business, and government.

The first meeting of the SIGMMA took place recently in Mumbai to deliberate upon new media content development - revitalizing entertainment and edutainment and educational needs for new-media industry. It was a significant brainstorming exercise wherein 35 delegates both from the academia and the industry participated.

The participants included experts from leading IT organizations like Silver Toons, Discreet, Macromedia, India Games, UTV Toons, Rahul Commerce, FX Factory, Repro India, Paradox Solutions, Tata Elxsi and premier technology and management institutions like IIT, Mumbai and IIM, Bangalore.

Mr Sudhir Mathur, head of Arena Multimedia, deliberated on the refinement of the charter of SIGMMA and expressed a strong desire for showcasing institutional capabilities under the aegis of SIGMMA.

He said, “SIGMMA has been formed to provide a collaborative forum for researchers, engineers and practitioners spanning various aspects of multimedia computing, design, communication, storage, and applications, to help them fulfil the need of identifying opportunities for creating value. Multimedia and design openings are very promising from the economic and job creation points of view, ushering new possibilities for packaging and distribution of content. There should be a fraternity that is concerned with the development of this highly strategic sector.”

At the forum, Mr Ram Mohan of UTV Toons, stressed the educational needs for new-media industry and opined “showcasing content is imperative as it will create awareness about the animation potential of India. The Indian entertainment industry does not use sophisticated digital technology as used in Hollywood and thus awareness programmes are very essential. It is imperative to include creative development programmes in multimedia training. On the whole, there should be a harmony between technology and creativity.”

Prof Munshi of IDC, IIT Mumbai, stressed on the effect of new media content development on entertainment and edutainment. He said, “There is a need for showcasing competence in content development, ability for timely delivery, high quality of service and high order of creativity by the new media companies to create a presence in the world market. Story, scripting and stars (the three S’s)- the essential starting components of a media program, should be brought under SIGMMA.”

Dr N.J. Rajaram, chief technology officer, Arena Multimedia, discussed the formulation of SIGMMA, its objectives and planned activities and reiterated that “the eventual aim is to raise SIGMMA into an open group multimedia consortium with active participation of industry, academia and regulatory bodies. The SIGMMA charter would include activities which would facilitate in creating awareness and importance of the multimedia segment.”

Activities mooted under the SIGMMA charter would include:

Meetings to promote the interests and activities of academia and industry. These meetings would serve to bring the fraternity closer and make dissemination of information easier.

Sponsor special or contributed paper sessions at selected meetings of the SIGMMA. Maintain electronic services for information sharing in the field concerned, so that all content will be readily available for those who require it.

Development of resources for information sharing through web and other media. This will provide a common pool of resources which can be used by students as well as working professionals.

Bring out research papers, articles and news of interest to its members through a journal by SIGMMA- JSIGMMA, to be published quarterly. This would give an impetus to more research and development in the field, leading to an overall growth in the industry.

One of the major activities envisaged in the charter of SIGMMA is the annual international conference on multimedia and design, the first edition of which is slated for September 2002.

Multimedia seminar

Arena Multimedia, conducted a seminar on career opportunities, expectations and requirements in the field of interactive multimedia and virtual reality for students aspiring to make a career in this field. Wg. Cdr. Vijay K Sethi, managing director Icon Marketing, was the guest speaker at the seminar.

In his address, Wg. Cdr. Sethi remarked “Globally, interactive multimedia and virtual reality comprise the fastest growing market segment and have proved to be a new communication media to exchange information. Several studies have shown that we retain 10 per cent of what we read, 20 per cent of what we hear, and 30 per cent of what we see. With interactivity and combinations of different media, the retention power may reach to 50 per cent. Multimedia is utilized in several forms, be it to create CD ROMS, develop kiosks or for business presentations. Industries such as communication, entertainment, education or health can make extensive use of multimedia”.

He explained the complete multimedia business chain and different aspects to be kept in mind while attempting to take multimedia as a career option. Discussing the development in the field of CB,T he said, “ This is an avenue of multimedia that has a huge application potential with e-learning coming into play. Today, most of the up-market schools in India use CBTs to teach their students certain skills. Corporate retraining is one area where this is extensively used.”

The interactive multimedia aspirants also viewed some of the masterpieces in the field of interactive multimedia and virtual reality. It included the internationally awarded CD on the Taj Mahal, reflecting the different moods of the majestic monument from dawn to dusk. They also viewed the most popularly sold CD, an encyclopaedia of Gandhi’s literary works and the different events of his life. It gave the aspirants an insight of the practical usage of the various interactive multimedia and virtual reality tools.

Arena Multimedia is Asia’s leader in multimedia education with a 55 per cent market share in India. Arena Multimedia is the multimedia training arm of Aptech Training Limited, the global IT education company.

Arena Multimedia has alliances with leading software companies like Adobe and Macromedia. Recently, Arena signed up with Discreet, the global leader in integrated digital content creation, management and distribution tools. Arena Multimedia is the Discreet authorised courseware provider in India and provides extensive training on Discreet animation and gaming courses.

Jamia chancellor

Sheikh Fakhruddin Sheikh Tahirbhai Khorakiwala, a distinguished social worker, has been appointed as the new Chancellor of the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University, for a five-year term.

Khorkiwala was unanimously elected at the meeting of the University Court or Anjuman. Anjuman is the governing body of the university. A former Sheriff of Mumbai city, Khorakiwala was a graduate from the Government Law College, Mumbai, and has headed several institutions of eminence.

Khorakiwala was deputy president of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), and founder of the Indo-Swiss Society, Indo- Arab Society and the India-Indonesia Friendship Society.

The JMI was founded in Aligarh in 1920 but was shifted to the Capital in 1925. Currently, the university has eight separate faculties of science, technology, humanities, law and journalism.

Distinguished personalities and freedom fighters were among the founding members of the JMI. Zakir Hussain, Abdul Majeed Khwaja, Shaikhul-Hind Maulana Mahmud-ul-Hasan, Maulana Muhammad Ali, Hakim Ajmal Khan, and Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari were among its founders.

MBA programmes

Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management (IITM), Gwalior, is launching two new programmes for MBA –Infrastructure Management and IT Enabled Services Management. These courses are designed to provide education and specialised knowledge to future managers for facing the challenges in the areas of transport and communication.

The M.Tech (IT) programme has been restructured in the light of the present day need for short duration specialisation in software engineering, computer networks, multi-media database management systems.

Option for PG courses

Post-graduate courses will be started at A&U Tibbia College, Karol Bagh, from the next academic session. The courses will include Ayurveda and Unani. This was announced by the Delhi Health and Urban Development Minister, A.K.Walia, while speaking at the annual day function of the college. The Food and Supply Minister, Mr Haroon Yusuf, and member of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Mr Moti Lal Bakolia, were also present on the occasion.

Dr Walia said that the buildings of the college was fully renovated at a cost of about Rs four crore and more teachers have been recruited. Similar improvements have been undertaken in A&U Tibbia Hospital. The bed capacity of the hospital has been increased from 100 to 150 and 60 more beds would also be added in the near future. A new OPD block has been set up in this hospital which is visited by 600-700 patients everyday.

Dr Walia called upon the teacher and student community of the college to set up a state-of-the-art laboratory here.

Recruiters line-up at IIPM

Over 60 blue chip corporate firms visited the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) for undertaking campus recruitment this year. Some of the prominent recruiters were Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Electrolux, LG, Hyundai, Escorts, NIIT, Panacea Biotec, Godrej Appliances, HSBC, GE Capital, Coke, ITC Wills Sport, Asian Paints, JM Morgan Stanley, Agrani Convergence, STG, ICICI-Prudential, and Alliance Capital among others. Around 20 per cent of the companies that visited the campus were first time recruiters.

IIPM has traditionally been strong in marketing and this was reflected in the fact that it accounted for another 55 per cent of the jobs on offer.

COURTS

Sulkha branch manager held for embezzlement
Nawal Kishore Rastogi

Rewari, May 15
Following a directive issued by Justice V M Jain of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to the Superintendent of Police, Rewari, the Rampura Police Station near here has registered a case of criminal breach of trust as well as cheating under Section 409,420 of the IPC against Dalip Singh, the then Manager of the Sulkha branch of the Rewari Central Co-Operative Bank Ltd., and his other associate members of the staff.

The order of the High Court came in the wake of a criminal Petition earlier filed by Mr Hoshiar Singh, son of Mr Puran Singh, resident of Sulkha village as well as a member of the Sulkha branch of the Bank. The respondents included the State of Haryana, Superintendent of Police, Rewari, S.H.O., Police Station Rampura, Rewari and Dalip Singh, branch manager of the Sulkha branch of the Bank.

The petitioner Hoshiar Singh said that when he came to know that the branch manager Dalip Singh had allegedly embezzled and misappropriate a huge amount (Rs 650,000) of the Bank in April and May, 2000, with the connivance of the concerned staff members; he persistently pursued the matter seeking appropriate action against the erring branch manager and his associate staff.

But when nothing concrete followed he made a written representation to the Police and others on May 14, 2001, seeking appropriate action against the “guilty” bank officials. To his shock and surprise this also failed to evoke a positive response from the Police Administration which then compelled him to file a criminal petition under Section 482 CR Pc in the High Court, which has now issued the above order.

Sheelu remanded in police custody
Tribune News Service

Panipat, May 15
The Duty Magistrate today remanded Sheelu, one of the prime accused in the sensational day-light murder of Joginder Kaur on the district courts premises on November 26 last year, in two days police custody.

Sheelu, resident of Lath village in Sonepat district, who was arrested by the Delhi Police a few days back was later handed over to the Jind Police. He was brought to the city last night.

It may be recalled that a retired teacher, Joginder Kaur, was brutally shot in the chamber of her counsel, Mr Satbir Kundu, on November 26 last. She had gone to the court to plead before a Judge that three close relatives of the Haryana Assembly Speaker, Mr Satbir Kadian, be also included in the case relating to the demolition of her plush kothi in the Model Town on the night of June 12,2000 by over 20 armed persons.

Later, Kudip Kalwa, prime accused in the infamous Pritam Ahuja case, told newsmen on December 2 last year that he had given the contract of killing the teacher to Sheelu. Sheelu in turn had contracted Sandeep and it was later, who shot the lady dead. Sandeep, along with Dharamraj and Surjeet had already been arrested in the case.