Deepak Srinivasan is a theatre artist, media practitioner and a researcher, based in Bangalore. He currently works with Maraa, a media collective, and his interests are in performance, pop culture, art and community expression. Deepak gives time at World Space Satellite Radio as a research and content resource radio show host. He also is visiting faculty at Shristi School of Art & Design, Bangalore. He has facilitated workshops at schools around the city including Frank Anthony Public School, Cathedral High School, Sacred Heart Girls High School and for Jyothi Nivas College, Child Rights & You (CRY) and also for Voices (media advocacy).

Deepak also holds a postgraduate degree in biology and hopes to take his other interests - science, communications and exploring roles for media in community healthcare further. Deepak feels that the political and the personal are acquiring newer dimensions, and that using newer interdisciplinary approaches to address this is a paradigm shift for development work.

Brinda Jacob-Janvrin is a renowned dancer/choreographer as well as a movement therapist and counselor. In 2001, she won a fellowship to study dance therapy in the UK. A qualified movement therapist, Brinda also conducts dance therapy workshops for NGOs, educational institutions and various corporate organisations. Her dance therapy groups include children with autism, HIV, slum and street children and survivors of breast cancer.

Brinda also heads The Studio for Movement Arts & Therapies, which brings together established artistes from a diversity of performing arts fields, to share and create new experiences in movement. The Studio aims to create an original and innovative dance vocabulary, forging Indian and Western aesthetics, sensibilities and techniques in a new and expressive voice for contemporary dance theatre.

Brinda has trained in Kathak under Smt. Maya Rao and Chitra Venugopal, and in Kalaripayattu under Dil Sagar. She has also studied contemporary dance at the Midlands Arts Centre, UK and was the lead dancer at Natya-Stem Dance Kampni for more than 10 years. Brinda has performed and conducted movement workshops at prestigious centres aound the world, in the US, UK, Spain, France, India and the UAE.

Jeeva Rekha is a young artist and performer who has taken on the task of educating people on what her passion - Claymation - is all about, and how it can be a medium of the expression of creativity. Jeeva's interest stems from her childhood fascination for clay and Play-Doh. The possibilities of the medium continue to intrigue her even today.

Jeeva has worked as an illustrator with an advertising agency. She is now a freelancer and combines her choice vehicle of communication - Claymation - with her love for children, imparting her skill to preschoolers at Kara under the name - Jeev's clay toons. She also works on other independent projects that use her skills as an animator and designer.

About Claymation, Jeeva rekha says, "The medium is so simple, it's all around you and best of all, it's three-dimensional. By itself, it's exciting, and to create a whole new object with it is more exciting. It's also so complete when using it to express and idea". Jeeva's most publicly appreciated project remains her series for Green Peace - for both its idea and the execution.

For more information and details and to learn more about how you can use animation as an effective communications tool in society today, please contact Jeeva at jeevarekhak@gmail.com

John Devaraj is sculptor, painter, architect, cinema and stage art director, musician, film maker, photographer, playwright, actor, puppeteer, facilitator and consultant for culture, youth and children's organization and events. And he's been formally educated as a civil engineer!

Devaraj has created sculptures and art at workshops in Austria, Hungary, Germany, Czech Republic, Norway, Netherlands, Yugoslavia, France, US, UK, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Italy. He has lectured and held exhibitions extensively in the US, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Czech republic and Hungary.

John Devaraj has the honor of creating the world's largest painting (350 ft x 280 ft) for the children of Pakistan, which read Dear Children of Pakistan let us join hearts in friendship to create a new world, signed by one million children in India and Pakistan. Bangalore and Mumbai have played host to the creation of around 18 public monumental sculptures. A well-known name in artistic circles, John Devaraj has held over a 1000 exhibitions all over the world.

One of the things that gives Devaraj much creative release is creating public monumental sculptures working with thousands of people, especially children participating to produce symbols of peace, friendship, freedom, education through collective efforts.

In the world of film, Devaraj has created sets and stage for major theatrical performances, dance and music events. He has played art director for the popular television series Malgudi Days, and numerous other films that have received national awards. He has made a large number of films on documentaries on subjects that cause him concern like Dalit untouchability and the politics of exclusion. As a musician, he has composed, played and made four albums. As a photographer, he has created 25,000 pictures, and initiated and conducted many photographic projects and workshops. To contact John Devaraj, call 9886306366 or email johndevaraj@gmail.com

Oliver Elvis is a young animator, compositor and motion designer. He is passionate about his work and goes to work everyday "with zeal to create something amazing and new". Through this talent, he is able to serve God in a special way-he is involved in the media ministry of his church. Here's what Oliver has to say about himself.

Beginnings - I am 27, born and raised in Bangalore. I studied at Bishop Cotton Boy's School, then at Christ College. After this, I had to assist my father in his business, so in my free time, I started a 1-year diploma in multimedia. My first job was as a graphic designed in APT Interactive. After that, at Broadcast Media Inc., a production unit, I worked as a motion designer. I then moved to Chitrak Productions and later started work at Panther Publishers, a medical animation company as a 3d animator and compositor. My current job is that of a motion designer for Digital Juice Animations Pvt. Ltd.

Motion designing, animation and graphic designing come under the category of visual communication - communicating a particular idea/concept/belief through and with visuals with voice, sound and text. All this, done with a sense of aesthetics and design is my job. It is using the right color, the right image, the right text, the right music, the right voice and a lot more to make your belief the best that it can be. The media used are television, films, print and the internet, so i is also digital and has a global reach. Anybody can see, hear, be amazed and touched by your story.

To learn more about animation and how you can use this exciting medium, contact Oliver Elvis at 9886822491