The Animated Story

For Manik and Ratan, two young Bangladeshi    animators, talking at the recently held TEDx Dhaka, was all about reliving the journey from being     cartoonists to Graphic Designers and Animators. "There is always the struggle in between!" say the genius twins. "There was so much to talk           about – like how we broke the barrier and how we were able to follow our dreams."

Both Manik and Ratan have been involved in the graphics and cartooning scene in Dhaka from a very young age. Their witty graphic stories, and           illustrations for teenagers have been published in leading newspapers and publications, including the monthly satirical Unmad. Recently, Manik and Ratan made waves with their animated short 'Unsolved Stars'. "We showed our film 'Unsolved Stars' at the TEDx, which had won an award at the AdFest Asia last year," they say.

It was not long before the audience began to cheer for the duo and their amazing work, at the talk. "The response from the audience was beyond our expectation!" say Manik and Ratan, "it was  amazing to see the audience giving us a standing ovation. The best part was, when many from the audience told us that the animation brought them to tears-- that touched us!"

Manik and Ratan have been missing in action for quite some time now. "We were in Malaysia the last three years studying Animation at Limkokwing University," they explain. "We majored in 2D     animation, using very classic techniques. We also studied the complete film production                 process -- script writing, pre-production and post production. Obviously, this would help us not only for animation, but also in other forms of filmmaking."

In the last few years, a healthy movement       supporting the arts is seen to be rising in Bangladesh. Clearly, both Manik and Ratan are a part of this rising as well. "We are very happy to see this growing interest in the field of graphic design in Bangladesh," they say. "There are so many young graphic artists who are doing amazing work. We are very hopeful that in the near future, the young enthusiasts will be exposed to so much more in the field of design, and that too in Bangladesh!"

Learning and sharing is what they preach, which is also a part of the bigger plan. "We plan to share our knowledge in             animation," say Manik and Ratan. "We will work especially on the principles of animation as there are still gaps in this particular subject. For     example, when it comes to         animation       cartoons in Bangladesh, so much more is left to be desired. The animations looks lifeless. We will work towards making them look      complete and full of life."