Cartoonist Mario Miranda passes away at 85

Panaji: Renowned cartoonist Mario Miranda, immortalised by his depiction of Goan life and his humorous take on the world around him, passed away at his residence near here today. He was 85. The veteran cartoonist, who has left an indelible mark in his field with his inimitable style, died in his sleep this morning at his ancestral home in Loutolim village, about 40km from here, Gerald D’Cunha, a family friend of Miranda, said Miranda’s creations like Miss Numbupani and Miss Fonseca were regularly featured in Femina, Economic Times and The Illustrated Weekly of India. Miranda studied at St Joseph’s Boys High School, Bangalore and obtained BA (History) from the prestigious St Xavier’s College in Mumbai. Initially, he was interested in joining the elite Indian Administrative Service (IAS) but changed his mind and started studying architecture on his parents’ insistence, according to family sources.

Soon he lost interest in architecture too and ventured into arts. He started his career in an advertising studio and worked for four years before taking up cartooning. Miranda got his first break when The Illustrated Weekly of India (now defunct) published a few of his cartoons. He also received offer from ‘Current’ magazine. A year later, he was offered a job in The Times of India.

He got an opportunity to travel abroad after winning Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian scholarship. He went to Portugal and then to London, where he worked for newspapers and in television animations. During his career spanning several decades, Miranda illustrated numerous books, including Inside Goa by Manohar Malgaonkar, A Family in Goa and The Open Eyes by Dom Moraes. The artist received many national and international honours, including ‘Padma Bhushan’, the third highest civilian award of the country, in 2002 and Padma Shri in 1988. Miranda is survived by wife and two sons.

The last rites will be performed tomorrow, family sources said.

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