WAM! Bengaluru showcases India’s anime, manga talent; state-level winners head to national finale
Bengaluru: The WAVES Anime and Manga Contest (WAM!) was held at VVN Degree College in Basavanagudi, Bengaluru, bringing together creators, cosplayers, and storytellers from across the country. The event, which served as the final state-level qualifier ahead of the national finale at WAVES 2025, featured participants from diverse age groups and cities including Raipur and Chennai.
Participants as young as nine years old took part in the contest, reflecting the growing interest among Indian youth in creating original anime, manga, and webtoon content. The event also drew working professionals and experienced creators, underlining the wide appeal of the medium.
The jury for the event included Veerendra Patil (Founder, Zebu Animation), Ajay Apparoop (Head of Special Projects, Studio Illuzion), Sushil Bhasin (Chairman and Managing Director, Bhasin Group), and Vishakh Vijayan (ToonSutra). The panel commended the participants for their imagination, technical skills, and storytelling, and observed a strong focus on Indian themes and original world-building.
WAM! Bengaluru also witnessed the launch of the Anime Bengaluru Club, a city-based community for anime and manga enthusiasts. Founder-President Sayantan Ghosh stated that the club would host regular activities such as meetups, anime watch parties, and manga reading circles.
The winners of the contest are as follows:
Manga (Student): Rohit Sharma
Manga (Professional): Mukunda K
Webtoon (Professional): Vishal Maravi
Anime (Professional): Ganesh
Cosplay:
Winner – Puneeth V
Runner-up – Prerana Bagrecha
Second runner-up – Sherone D’Souza
Voice Acting:
Winner – Poonam Tripathi
Runner-up – Sherone D’Souza
Winners at the state level received WACOM pen tablets, Faber-Castell art kits, official TRIO merchandise, cash prizes, and travel support for a five-night stay to participate in the WAM! national finale scheduled from 1 to 4 May 2025. The national winners will be eligible for an all-expense-paid trip to Anime Japan 2026 in Tokyo, where they will represent original Indian content on a global platform.
As part of additional support, winning anime pilots will be dubbed in Hindi, English, and Japanese by Gulmohar Media to facilitate wider distribution. Winning webtoons will be published by Toonsutra to connect with global readers.
Ankur Bhasin, Secretary of the Media and Entertainment Association of India (MEAI), said that WAM! Bengaluru was a showcase of raw talent and creative vision. He noted that Bengaluru continues to serve as a hub for emerging creators and expressed pride in offering them a national platform.
WAM! is India’s first national initiative to promote original intellectual properties in anime, manga, webtoons, and cosplay. It is organised by the Media and Entertainment Association of India and supported by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The contest is part of WAVES – World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit, India’s largest platform for the AVGC-XR industry.
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ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
