Merang K. Lemtur-Young Prodigy

A prodigy amongst us Driven by his aspirations to succeed in the animation industry, Mirang K Lemtur has his goal in sight and is all out to achieving it. Still studying in the 12th standard, he is an example to many who, even at their 30s are still trying to find their calling. Highly gifted and I dare say a prodigy in the art of animation, Mirang has not let his God gifted talent go to waste. In fact, he has mapped out his whole future on exploiting this talent.

One can hardly differentiate his work from the work of professional animators that we see on Animax and Cartoon Network. With grit determination that belies his age, Mirang is biding his time till he completes his 12th standard examinations. With that out of the way, I doubt if there is anything that can stop him from taking the animation world by storm.

Eastern Panorama recently had a chance to have a sit in with this young man and this is what he had to say about the influences on his art and his plans for the future.  

EP – How did you start in this line of work?

M. K. L – It all started when I was a kid. I loved watching cartoons like Robotech and Thundercats. I started drawing when I was about 6 or 7 years old. At that time I was still in kindergarten.

 

EP – So with Robotech and all that, you are inclined towards anime or the Japanese style of animation. So whom do you look up to as an animator?

M.K.L – The one person who really stands out in this regard is Venetia Christie.

EP – What are your future plans regarding art?

M.K.L – After completing my class 12, I am planning to take up animation at Delhi Picasa Fine Arts and then come back to Shillong and maybe start my own school.

EP – You talk of going to Delhi. Is this because there is no scope here?

M.K.L – Actually, there are some institutions but these do not provide detailed courses. Also, a lot of the required facilities are absent. However in Delhi all the facilities are readily available and the course is also very detailed.

EP – So that means that anybody who is going for this line will have to go outside.

M.K.L – Yes, this is exactly why I want to go outside and bring this trade back to Shillong.

EP – You say that you have plans to come back to Shillong but then the market for your art is basically outside the region isn’t it? Do you think you will be able to do well here?

M.K.L – Actually I like teaching so I’m planning this on a teaching basis. However, if I do get a job in this stream, I would like to take it up. But then again this would have to be outside the North East Region asthere is not much scope for this stream here.

EP – Are you thinking of any particular institution that you are planning of joining?

M.K.L – My heart is set on Picasa Fine Arts.

EP – You will notice that even though a lot of people from the North East have a lot of talent, a great many of them don’t make it. How do you plan on beating the odds?

M.K.L – Well, I think that it is high time for Shillong to open up and I think that there should be people to support the arts. A lot of people in the North East have got talent and I strongly believe that if they utilise this talent in a proper way then Shillong can definitely rise to the status of the metros such as Delhi. Finding people to finance the arts is a priority.

EP – Going back to your school days, have you ever been caught sketching in class and have you ever been punished for this?

M.K.L – I have been caught numerous times in school but I have never been punished. The same goes for college. I was recently caught sketching by my teacher but instead of being punished, I was asked to design the cover of the college magazine. So it has been a kind of blessing in disguise.

EP – What is the market like for Indian animators?

M.K.L – Indian animators are doing very well actually. Believe it or not, half of the animation for the movie ‘Narnia’ was done by Indians.

EP – Do you have any suggestions for your fellow artists?

M.K.L – Follow your dreams and stay true to yourself. Don’t be afraid to take risks and also to fail sometimes. Sometimes you have to fail in order to rise to new heights.

D.Nampui