Phani is a cartoonist, illustrator, animator, animation educator, and designer, with over 30 years of experience.
Phani likes to think of himself as one of the cartoons he draws—a guy who looks for humour in different situations, doesn’t take life too seriously, and (more often than not) has witty quips ready to lighten conversations. His passion for cartooning and love for storytelling have shaped his career.
He is currently working as Professor at the IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay, India. After working for 18 years in the animation and gaming industries, he chose to join academia in 2009. For the past 16 years, he has been teaching Drawing, Animation Processes, Animation Principles, Game Design, and Sequential Storytelling to the students of IDC and IIT Bombay. Phani also served as the Head of the IDC School of Design, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay between 2019 and 2022.
On a recent sabbatical from IIT Bombay, Phani worked as the Dean of the School of Design, UPES, Dehradun, India (2022–24)—an assignment that he immensely enjoyed as he got the opportunity to contribute towards an upcoming and fast-growing private university.
After completing his sabbatical, he rejoined IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay in April 2024
He’s also worked on the MHRD-sponsored project D’Source, that makes animation learning modules available online for free for enthusiastic students across India. He is currently on the Board of Studies for some reputed universities in India.
He completed his B.Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), BHU, Varanasi in 1988, and thereafter, his M.Des in Visual Communication from the IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay in 1991. For the next 18 years, he worked in the Animation and Gaming Industries in India.
In 1995, he established his own animation studio in Chennai called “Animatix” where he made a 13-episode cartoon animation series in Hindi (one of the first of its kind in India) called “Tara Ki Duniya.” The show was telecast several times on National Television during 2000–01.
As Vice President and CTO, he was involved in establishing and running some of the biggest animation and gaming studios in India like DQ Entertainment and FXLabs in Hyderabad. His corporate experience included client interactions, marketing, project pitches, production pipelines, project completion, hiring, fundraising, and collaborations. He has also been on the Board of Directors for some major companies in India and has worked on several commercials and special effects for feature films.
On most days, you’ll find him cosied up in his little studio at home, shelves piled with stationery and graphic novels, listening to rock and sketching away for hours. His motto: “Keep drawing and stay happy!”
Awards and Recognition
-
SP Sukhatme Excellence in Teaching Award by IIT Bombay for “passionate and significant contributions to the teaching activities of the institute” (2017)
-
Times of India recognition as one of the Top Cartoonists in India (2017)
-
Akhil Bharat Kala Gaurav Samman Award from the Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society, Pune, for outstanding contributions to Animation Film Design in India (2020)
-
EduSpark Award (2022), recognizing inspiring individuals in the AVGC Education industry
