Animation industry smiles through crisis

Incidentally, sectors such as gaming, multimedia, and mobile computing are also gaining in these times of financial uncertainties

In the midst of the economic slowdown across various IT sectors, the animation, gaming, multimedia, and mobile computing sectors seem unaffected.

At least 40 new animation factories have come up in the country in the last six months, but awareness among students is low.

Ashok Kolaskar, head of DSK's animation institute in Pune, says that placement was never a problem.

"The IT sector is badly hit, but thanks to the booming entertainment industry both in India and in the US, animation, gaming, mobile computing, and multimedia sectors are gaining," Kolaskar said.

The former vice chancellor of the University of Pune, Kolaskar said that the animation industry in the country is worth around $60 million, but is small right now."

Atul Thakare, placement coordinator at the Center for Advanced Computing (CDAC), revealed that placements in the IT sector had gone down to 40 per cent as compared to 70 to 80 per cent it recorded last season.
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"Films like Ghajini have proved that the entertainment industry is booming. It earned Rs 170 crore, which is a testimony," he added.

According to Thakare, students from multimedia, animation, and allied subjects can also get jobs in textile companies and ad agencies which are increasingly hiring trained professionals.

Nitin Kudhale, CEO of the Sunbeam Infotech, which is involved in training students in mobile computing, besides other multimedia subjects, also confirmed that more than 50 per cent of his students were placed before the completion of their course.

"While the IT sector last year saw 100 placements a day last year, it has now trickled down to a maximum of six a day per company," he pointed out.