Kolkata based netGuru Systems (a div. of the NASDAQ listed Netguru Inc) which has been involved in animation IP and multimedia production is now eyeing the international market for outsourced assignments.
Speaking to Animation ‘xpress, Suranjan Bhanja, Chief Operating Officer, Asian Operations of netGuru said,” Our company is already handling a lot of engineering design and detailing services for the international market. Our animation division has made also made strong inroads in the animation outsourcing field. The objective in this financial year is to strengthen our position as a key Indian animation player. We haven’t ever and will not look at Ink and Paint jobs. We want to take on projects that will involve us from script to screen.”
On being asked as to how netGuru would meet pre production challenges, Bhanja replied,” We have been making our own IPs for years now. We are well equipped with the infrastructure as well as content writing teams and a proper post production pipeline, besides of course our animation production team which has both 2D and 3D specialists. NetGuru has the most comprehensive infrastructure and manpower for animation in Eastern India. We are also the only Indian company to have a strategic tie-up with the Multimedia University of Malaysia”
Amongst the IPs that netGuru has worked on include Panchatantra and a collection of Rabindranath Tagore’s poems entitled Sisu. The 2D animated Panchatantra VCDs have been in the market for 2 years now and are available in 2 volumes with volume 1 featuring 5 episodes and volume 2 featuring 4. The CDs are available in Bengali and Telugu. “We are in advanced discussions with both Indian and International TV channels for broadcasting Panchatantra even as the VCDs are doing well both in the local market and internationally. We retail our content internationally through our own e-commerce portal” commented Bhanja.
Animationey Barna Parichay O Chorra
Around 2 years ago netGuru had entered a tie up with Viswa Bharati University wherein it was agreed upon that netGuru would be producing animated content around Rabindranath Tagore’s poems and literature. Sisu is one of the products which features 3 Bengali poems rendered in the literary genius’ own voice. The animation is 2D and done in a woodcut style of the famous Nandalal Bose. The CD also contains goodies such as images and translations relating to the poems. The product is positioned as a collectors item targeting consumers who are Bengali and those fond of Bengali culture. A full length multimedia product on life & times of Tagore is also being mulled. NetGuru has also launched an animated CD “Animationey Barna Parichay O Chorra”(which roughly translated means: Bengali Alphabets and poems in Animation) aimed at helping the younger generation in India and abroad to learn the intricacies of the Bengali language through a fun filled medium.
Besides the IPs, a substantial amount of business at netGuru comes from corporate & Government sector. The animation studio provides services like Simulations, CBTs, investigative sequencing, walkthroughs and corporate presentations.
netGuru Inc., the parent company of netGuru Systems is a leading player in engineering software products sector and is famous for its STAAD.Pro , a prominent PC based civil engineering software for structural design and analysis. The company headquartered in California, USA is also famous for e-review, a web-based real-time collaboration software for document review and markup.
