Goa and Google were notable on Monday in celebrating the 90th birth anniversary of cartoonist Mario Miranda, the creator of iconic characters like Miss Fonseca and Godbole.
Miranda was born to Goan Catholic parents in 1926 and spent most of his life in Goa.
Search engine Google dedicated a doodle to the great artist, a cartoon depiction of a crowded Mumbai neighbourhood caught in the rains.
In Goa, fans and friends of the artiste organised an exhibition, 'A Pocketful of Chuckles', displaying Miranda's works and released a pocket book with some of his sketches.
Miriam Koshy-Sukhija of 'Gallery Gitanjali', which hosted the exhibition, said people still look through Miranda's folios for their own "Mario stories".
"Since the opening on Saturday, we have had people walking in and sifting through the folios to search for their own Mario stories; (there are) people whose parents and grandparents formed part of Mario's Goa and feature in his work," says Miriam.
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"For others, it is the nostalgia that the pocket cartoons evoke, a chance to revisit the well-loved characters that Mario created, namely Ms. Fonseca, the underdog, Godbole, the Boss Bundaldass, the politician and the beggar," she adds.
The exhibition has been organised by Gallery Gitanjali in association with Gerard D'Cunha, who runs a museum of Miranda's work.
"The exhibition features 60 original pocket cartoons and 14 larger works that are available on sale. With most of the works in private collections and very few original works available for sale, it's a rare opportunity for art lovers and collectors to see a large number of his works together," Miriam said.
Miranda died in 2011 at the age of 85 in Goa.
--IANS
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