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Lines from Goa
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A tete-e-tete with the cartoonist, Mario Miranda.
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MARIO MIRANDA is friendly, unassuming, jolly and witty. One has this understanding that cartoonists have unusual, carefree experiences about them, especially if they are Goans. — And Mario did: he did wash dishes in London, albeit briefly, when he was having a shot at making a living as a cartoonist.Mario has worked as a cartoonist for over 30 years for a various publications in India and abroad and continues to freelance for The Economic Times. Mario has no formal training in art. He had taken to drawing during his childhood. "I would scribble and sketch on the walls. My mother did not like this. She presented me with a blank book and asked me to scribble and sketch in the book. That was how it all began. My mother always encouraged me to draw," he remarked.
Mario did his graduation in English Literature, which, he felt made a difference to his career because "you need a solid background of books to be a good cartoonist". Mario faced rebuffs when he approached many a newspaper and magazine with his works.Eventually, he got his first break when The Illustrated Weekly of India offered to publish a few of his cartoons. The euphoria was short-lived when he was rejected by The Times of India the first time he approached it. "I was depressed and believed that my career was over even before it began." But things looked up when a year later the newspaper sought him.Mario began to draw cartoons for The Times's sister publications as well. Mario then left for London to pursue his career.
"I had no plans and washed dishes for a week to make some money to stay in London." He landed a job with the Lilliput a week or so after his arrival and this enthused him to stay on for sometime. A brief stint there, and he left for the U.S. to work with the famous cartoonist, Charles Shultz (of Peanuts fame) for a while before returning to The Times of India.
Mario has worked with T. P. Issar on sketches of Bangalore, and then, with writer Dom Moraes, came up with a book on Karnataka, The Open Eyes.
Mario sees himself as a social cartoonist. "I know we cannot avoid politics as it is part of our everyday existence. It affects everything. Personally, I don't like it, but I have to do some cartoons on voting and elections." Mario observes that only a blend of humour and ability to draw makes a cartoonist. "You may know how to draw, but if you don't have a sense of humour, you will not be accepted as a cartoonist."
Incidentally, Mario did not know a word of English when he started out. "I only knew Portuguese. I was made fun of in school and it was a long struggle to learn English."
Says Mario, "Drawing is serious. Cartooning is humorous. In cartoons, you distort a character. When I draw, I sketch you as I see you, but in a cartoon, I will distort you. You will be a funny version of yourself. My earliest victims, the priests, used to hate me. I replaced them with politicians. You will find much in common between them-- their size, attitudes, even their sermonising!"
"India should develop a sense of humour, an ability to laugh at itself. As Indians, we have a lot to laugh about," he adds.
G. N. PRASHANTH
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