No doubt that TASI (The Animation Society of India) has been dedicatedly serving up animation events and workshops ever since inception, but of late, thanks to the evolving animation scenario in the country, as well as an increased awareness and traction, things are seemingly getting better.

The society has lined up a slew of activities including interactive sessions with experts like Vaibhav Kumaresh and Jai Natarajan. Many more events are currently in the process of being finalised.

This Saturday (November 12) TASI is hosting 'Irish Cream Behind Closed Doors'A session by Vaibhav Kumaresh, where the extremely popular animator shall share his experience on the making of the clay animation film Horn OK Please which is currently under production in Ireland. Vaibhav has directed the animation for the film which is produced by Belfast based Flickerpix Ltd

The session is to be held at the Ramnarain Ruia College auditorium 'G12' from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm.


It seems to be an interesting time to be in animation in the country, both for the professionals as well as students. On the business front, things are better than ever before translating into more demand and better opportunities for animators, on the art front bodies like ASIFA India and TASI are displaying more dynamism.

Speaking to Animation 'xpress, TASI secretary Ranjit Singh said,"We are indeed happy that things are improving all around. The TASI objective is to promote the cause of animation in the country and the more genuine efforts, the merrier. And for this we are and will forever be open to collaborative efforts with other organisations"

Continuing he said, "I would like to point out that TASI has been around for more than four years now and in these four years we have successfully conducted more than 80 interactive sessions and numerous full day workshops and have established our credibility as a neutral body that consistently delivers value to its members. The next phase which we have now entered is of consolidation and reaching out in a structured manner. We want people to realise the importance of such an organization for the entire fraternity especially the younger generation and urge them to make the most of this opportunity to meet and interact regularly"

Since working professionals are involved in these events, we will announce only those events that have been finalized, many more are in the pipeline and it would be unfair to raise expectations and then to not deliver" he further added.

Echoing Ranjit's sentiments, Vaibhav shared, "Whether it be educating, training, entertaining or interacting with an audience, it takes a great amount of effort to take time out from work and prepare for such things. It would be a great thing if fellow animators and students understood the importance of such activities and participated in greater numbers"

"Our objective is to share with the industry and give the next generation of animators some sort of a legacy" added Vaibhav.

Detailing the membership fee structure both Tony and Vaibhav emphasised "For professionals Rs. 1000/- for an annual membership (500/- for students) & Rs. 5000/- for Life, is not asking for much considering that we are only covering administrative costs and providing up to 8 FREE sessions in one year plus heavily discounted full-day workshops. On an average, entry to these sessions will be in the range of around Rs. 300/- (flat fee) for non-members so considering the economics and looking at the value delivered over a period of time -you do the math!"

Elections to the TASI committee were held last month and new members to join in, included popular animator and animation director Vaibhav Kumaresh (whom a lot of young student animators look up to as their idol), Rajesh Turakhia (Maya Entertainment Limited, CEO) as Hon. Jt. Secretary and Anil Chopra (Studio Systems, CEO) as Treasurer. Ranjit Singh one of the founding members took over as Hon. Secretary.