The animation industry that has grown manifold in India, received an important shot-in-the-arm with Taare Zameen Par, as it threw open doors for clay animation India. And the man behind this technique is Dhimant Vyas, an alumini of the National Institute of Design, whose forte has been precisely this-to infuse life into clay puppets.

In Pune last week at a special workshop organised by Indian Academy of Digital arts and science where he was called upon to impart his accumulated knowledge on the field of animation, Vyas, reiterated that the animation industry had probably never had it as good. “The horizon has widened and there are opportunities galore for budding animators. Also as our nation is a storehouse of talent, there is immense content. Each culture, each state has diverse stories, folk tales and literature and if all of this could be converted into animated projects it would be wonderful,” said Vyas.

Having always been intrigued and fascinated by these inanimate, lifeless objects capable of creating magic on the screen, it was the man’s childhood passion that became his profession in life. With an advance diploma in communication design with specialization in animation film design from NID, Vyas found his real calling when Prof Joan Ashworth conducted a stop motion workshop at NID. “While this aspect of animantion is very interesting, it needs a lot of dedication and passion as the job is laborious and requires a lot of tenacity to flourish in the field. One needs to be deeply involved,” said Vyas.

Talk about Taare zamee par and the excitement in his eyes is unmistakeable. “Aamir had been very supportive and he gave me my own space and autonomy to experiment,” said Vyas who is now contemplating his next venture with Bharatbala productions where he will be animating the national anthem.