3-D holographs and laser displays may have become common sight at
events in Mumbai and Delhi. But they are still relatively new to
Chennaivasis, with only
the mega-events using such technological gimmicks to electrify the audience. So you know
that things are about to change when a bank union pulls out the stopper and puts on a
15-minute razzle dazzle and all for its union’s general body meeting. The All India
Central Bank of India Officers’ Federation, affiliated to the All India Bank
Officers’ Confederation, had recently held its General Body meeting of the Millennium
in Chennai. The union had hired the Bangalore based Laser Vision (India) Ltd.
(LVI) to do
the show, helping the latter make its entry into Chennai as well. 
A
laser show was quite an expensive proposition, as the entire equipment had to be brought
from Mumbai. But LVI’s presence has literally brought this stunning spectacle to
Chennai’s doorstep and made access easier.
Laser Vision, started four years ago, is an offshoot of
Laser Vision Australia (or LVA), a $ 70 million laser technology giant. The company plans
to introduce laser technologies and then start exporting hardware and software out of
India. 
Already Laser Vision claims market penetration in Holland, Germany,
Spain and Italy as well as capturing a sizeable market share in USA. In Australia
meanwhile, the company has captured a ‘sizeable’ order for the Sydney Olympics.
As one of the Directors of LVA happens to be an Indian NRI, the company ventured into
India with an initial investment of over Rs.5 crore, which incidentally is almost equal to
its annual turnover so far.
Aiming at Corporates and International
markets
The main theme of the company is to develop software for the
corporate sector, which is the backbone of this laser industry. The launch of TVS Spectra
in Delhi, for example was an LVI presentation that captured the imagination of one and
all. "Until October, we had done shows for multinationals like IBM, Coca-Cola, Ford,
and to Indian corporates like TVS Suzuki, Karnataka Soaps, HMT, etc. So far, we have
conducted around 200 shows in this country. We have a permanent site at Krishna Raja
Sagar, Mysore," said Krish Murphy, Director of LVI. The company anticipates spreading
of this medium to other sectors and governmental agencies too in course of time. The main
advantage of the laser technology is that it doesn’t have a focal length. Images are
depicted only through a sharp laser beam and as such can be targeted at a very large
audience. "We are interested in utilising the 
laser technology for the common good of the people. We concentrate on community
projects, as the laser medium is a very good way to communicate with masses. During the
show, the audience is made to believe that they are inside a tunnel, the experience of
which cannot be had elsewhere. The impact would be long lasting and hence the application
to social projects," said Murphy.
Scouting for Regional bases
Already, the company has won the confidence of the government and is on the job
of developing a laser show for creating aids awareness in the Indian rural side. The
project is likely to be funded by the company and the government in the ratio of 70:30
respectively. "We are also negotiating with the Government of Andhra Pradesh for a
permanent site there, but on a large scale, using water features, multi-projection
systems, etc.," said Murphy. A huge water screen 
would be created and laser images
would be beamed on that screen. In Chennai too, the company is looking at prospective
locations and for sponsors. The
company is able to conduct shows both indoors and outdoors. It can even beam its laser
guns on a high-rise building too. LVA has patented this technology. Though there are a
couple of competitors for the company, LVI, being the pioneer, in India, is all set to
make its presence in Chennai and that too in the near future.
