NT BUZZ
Illustrious cartoonist, Mario Miranda; artist, Laxman Pai; and ace cinematographer,
K. Vaikunth are three Goans who have made Goa proud, and all three were incidentally born around the same time. This has resulted in their birth centenary year being celebrated between 2025 and 2026. Although the three celebrities made their mark by moving out of Goa during the Portuguese rule in the region, they were natives of South Goa; two of them were from Margao, while Miranda from Loutolim. To remember these icons, Ravindra Bhavan, Margao will host a three-day birth centenary tribute.
The event will commence on June 11 with the inauguration of an exhibition of original works of Laxman Pai and Mario Miranda at the hands of film director, Ramesh Sippy in the presence of PWD minister, Digambar Kamat and Damodar Naik, besides display of rare photographs of K. Vaikunth. A painting contest and cartoon competition has also been organised on the occasion. The opening day will have screening of ‘Seeta aur Geeta’, while exhibition of ‘Khushboo’ and ‘Aandhi’ on June 12 and ‘Parichay’ on June 13 are other highlights. A musical tribute to Vaikunth on June 13 will be a special attraction. Chief Minister, Pramod Sawant will attend the closing ceremony on the last day and present prizes to the winners of the competitions.
Having worked primarily in Hindi films between 1956 and 1990, Vaikunth collaborated with directors like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Ramesh Sippy, Gulzar, Manmohan Desai, and Ramanand Sagar. He was recognised as a top cameraman and became favourite of screen performers like Superstar Rajesh Khanna, Dream Girl Hema Malini and He Man Dharmendra. Vaikunth received the Filmfare Award for Best Cinematography in 1973 for ‘Seeta aur Geeta’, while in 2025 Indian post released a commemorative postage stamp
honouring him.
Miranda is renowned for his vivid, humorous, and highly detailed visual vignettes of daily life from Goa and Mumbai. His works were regularly featured in The Illustrated Weekly of India, The Economic Times, and on international book covers. Largely self-taught, he also illustrated various locations and lifestyles of different countries. He also published several books of his own sketches, including ‘Goa with Love’, ‘A Little World of Humor’, and ‘Impression of Paris’. He was awarded various national and international honours, including the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and posthumously Padma Vibhushan.
Pai was known for his vibrant, semi-abstract canvases and lyrical interpretations of Indian mythology and nature. Deeply inspired by Goan landscapes and Indian miniature traditions, the works of Pai bridged classical Indian iconography with modern Western aesthetics. A student of Sir J J School of Art and École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, he also served as the principal of the Goa College of Art. Pai was bestowed with honours from Nehru Award to Lalit Kala Akademi Award and Padma Shri to Padma Bhushan.
