Goa can, and should, do more to honour the memory of this graphic genius
The Mário Miranda celebrations in Goa are a tribute to a beloved Goan, and even pan-Indian, cartoonist. Art exhibitions, a plan for a ‘Mario Gallery’, caricature workshops, lectures and a conclave on cartooning and satire have come our way. Even India Post stepped in with a rare philatelic tribute.
In every way, Mário achieved fame and more in his lifetime, leaving behind trails and influences in places as unlikely as the Panaji market and the Poona Board textbooks. Goa’s graphic genius and Loutolim’s line laureate’s reputation is embedded in the public mind, thanks to his prolific work and prominent media connections. That he kept up a steady output of books (right from his long-unpublished sketch diaries created as a youth, to books done after travels abroad) helped too.
Thus, to celebrate the 100th birthday of an artist ever present in our memory is not tough. Goa can, and should, do more, no doubt. There is space for many more mural displays, workshops for aspiring artists and cultural programmes that reflect Goan life, as much as they do Miranda’s humour and warmth. Today, there are many cafés, galleries and public spaces that are only too ready to be adorned with such work. Locals and visiting tourists alike engage in storytelling sessions and community events that celebrate not just his art but the spirit of everyday Goa he so vividly captured.
But this is only one part of the story. The other, and more crucial aspect, is the simple question: is Goa doing enough for its own talent? Especially in fields like the visual arts (painting, illustration, caricature), performing arts (music, theatre, dance), literary arts (poetry, fiction, journalism), and allied areas like graphic design, animation, advertising, filmmaking and cultural studies? Goa has long had a head start in these spheres due to a unique historical and cultural union shaped by the mix of East and West in Goa. This saw early exposure to European art forms, printing and music traditions alongside the rich local Konkani culture. Early access to Western-style education, a strong tiatr (theatre) tradition, temple and church music and a cosmopolitan outlook made creativity both valued and commercially viable. This was further amplified by migration and interaction with cities like Mumbai, then Bombay. What gave Goa a lasting cultural edge deserves to be nourished.
There is yet another topic which comes along with our tributes to Mário Miranda. Would he have earned name and fame had he been based in Goa itself? It has been said that a “prophet is never recognised in his own home”. Familiarity, local bias or even just the sheer limitation of opportunities can delay recognition. In the case of Mário Miranda, his career flourished through national platforms and the media; exposure beyond Goa helped amplify his reach. The same can be said of many others, like the international scholar D D Kosambi, Buddhist-Pali expert Dharmananda Kosambi, noted vocalist Kishori Amonkar, legendary playback singer Lata Mangeshkar, linguist Sebastiao Rodolfo Dalgado, Indologist-historian-linguist José Gerson da Cunha, Konkani pioneer Shenoi Goembab, nightingale Lorna, Goa’s melody king Alfred Rose, surgeon-writer-historian-economist-politician Francisco Luís Gomes, psychotherapist and teacher Anthony de Mello, modernist poet Eunice de Souza and more.
Had it been only the lack of opportunity, it would have been one thing. But here, the issue is also of the limitations of a society to recognise its own talent. Correcting this bias could help make ours a richer society.
