US TV stations to broadcast Indian American animator's films

Chicago, Nov 24 (IANS) Several PBS television stations in Colorado are set to broadcast animation films made by Indian American Manick Sorcar in time for the holiday season.

All of Sorcar's animations are based on fables from the Panchatantra and other Indian classics.

The series will contain 'Deepa and Rupa: A Fairy Tale From India', winner of the Gold Plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival and nominated for three Heartland Regional Emmy Awards; 'The Sage and the Mouse', winner of the Gold Medal at the International Film Festival of New York; 'Sniff', winner of the C.I.N.E. Golden Eagle; and 'The Woodcutter's Daughter', a finalist at the New York Festival.

'The Sage and the Mouse' and 'The Woodcutter's Daughter' are based on the Panchatantra, and 'Sniff' on Aabol Tabol ('Nonsense'), a popular book of poems by Sukumar Ray.

Acclaimed as the cultural bridge between East and West, Sorcar's animations are staples at elementary schools and have been telecast for the past 17 years on PBS channels during the holiday season.

Sorcar first came into the spotlight in the early 1990s, when his 'Deepa and Rupa: A Fairy Tale From India', recorded as India's first animation mixed with live action, received a host of prestigious awards including the Gold Plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival, and was nominated for three Heartland Regional Emmy Awards.

An electrical engineer by profession, Manick is the son of legendary magician P.C. Sorcar. His engineering firm did the lighting design for the Denver International Airport, sport centres in Japan and palaces for Saudi princes. He is also the author of three university texts on lighting.