Fatima Miranda Figueiredo, sister of the late Padma Bhushan Mario de Miranda, inaugurates the exhibition as part of the artist’s centenary celebrations at Kala Academy on Saturday.
PANAJI
Goa marked the 100th birth anniversary of Mario Miranda on Saturday with events that celebrated the life and work of the cartoonist who gave Goa and India some of their most enduring visual memories.
An exhibition of Miranda’s works presented by Aristides Alvares opened at the Cube Tennis de Gaspar Dias, Miramar, showing some classics of the cultural ambassador whose art continues to inspire generations.
The exhibition, curated by the Directorate of Art & Culture, brought together original sketches, magazine illustrations, and archival material spanning Miranda’s career. From his early drawings in Europe to his iconic contributions to The Illustrated Weekly of India, Femina, and Filmfare, the display offered visitors a vivid journey through his humorous depictions of Goan taverns, Bombay’s bustling streets, and everyday life rendered with wit and empathy.
Later in the day, architect Gerard da Cunha delivered a lecture at the Kala Academy reflecting on Miranda’s unique style.
Da Cunha, who has worked extensively on preserving Miranda’s legacy, described him as an artist who blurred the boundaries between popular and fine art.
“He gave us characters we could laugh with, but also reflect upon,” he said, noting how Miranda’s work combined satire with empathy and a deep affection for the ordinary.
Born in Daman in 1926 and raised in Loutolim, Miranda began his career in advertising before turning to cartooning full-time. His creations -- Miss Nimbupani, Miss Fonseca, and countless anonymous Goans -- became fixtures of Indian popular culture.
Over decades, he exhibited in more than 20 countries, collaborated with international cartoonists, and earned India’s highest civilian honours, including the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan (posthumously).
He passed away in 2011, but his work continues to define Goa’s cultural identity.
For many Goans, several of whom took to social media to describe their personal encounters with the cartoonist, his centenary is not just a celebration of an artist but of a chronicler who captured the soul of a place and its people.
His lines, often playful and irreverent, remain timeless reminders of a Goa that is both rooted in tradition and open to the world. The centenary events underscore that Mario Miranda’s legacy is not confined to history but that it lives on in the everyday humour, resilience, and character of Goa itself.
