Karnataka would consider creativity as an important element to be incorporated in the State’s forthcoming education policy in order to support its mandate to lead the growth of the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming & Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) sector for the country, said M.C. Sudhakar, Minister for Higher Education here on Tuesday (January 30).
“We are formulating a new education policy. We will create a provision to inculcate creativity in students as an important skill in this new policy,’‘ said the Minister while participating in a panel discussion on “Future of education in AVGC” at the fifth edition of Karnataka’s AVGC-XR annual event GAFX 2024.
AVGC in curriculum
The Minister was responding to a special request made by Ashish Kulkarni, Chairman of FICCI AVGC Forum and Founder of Punnaryug Artvision to Karnataka, to include AVGC-related topics in its school curriculum from class 1 itself as catching the imagination of children right from a young age was essential for creating a healthy pipeline of talent in the future.
Dr. Sudhakar recalled growing up enjoying cartoons, including Phantom. “I still remember one of the first 3D cartoons, Chota Chetan. The dual roles played by the actor looked so artificial then, but today, such characters look 100% realistic and natural. Things really have changed, and portrayal and presentation with the help of visual effects has given a new dimension to AVGC.’‘
Talent is key
Sharath Bache Gowda, Chairman, KEONICS, said the AVGC sector could reach the projected $26 billion in revenues by 2030 only if the country developed a good crop of talent in content creation, sculpting, painting and other creative arts needed for the industry.
“The government has to do a lot of catching up to help this industry grow. We are with you to support the growth of this industry. We need to create an environment where we tell stories and narrate stories for the world,’‘ he said. He also reiterated that the state has plans to create an ecosystem for developing AVGC talent in tier 2 and 3 cities.
Support entrepreneurs
Karnataka Information Technology Venture Capital Fund (KITVEN) unveiled a dedicated Venture Capital fund of ₹20 crore to support the AVGC sector at GAFX 2024.
P.V. Harikrishnan, CEO, KITVEN Fund, said this pioneering initiative, under the Department of IT, BT & ST, was designed to invest in companies within the State contributing to Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics.
