Mario's magic By Bidisha Ghosal Why do all of Mario Miranda's men have big noses? "Women have big breasts, men have big noses," the 83-year-old master cartoonist retorts without blinking. On a more serious note, he adds, "Bigger noses are much easier to draw."
The beauty of Mario is that he never gets old. The exhibition of his works at South Mumbai's Cymroza Art Gallery is more of a homage than a sale-cum-exhibition. And even today, though a good 60 years have passed since he first began putting pen to paper, Mario's works enthral and delight. He elevated cartoons to works of art, each work a busy montage of faces and lines and squiggles, yet remarkably, without a single face or line or squiggle that might be deemed dispensable. Whether it is capturing the bustle of Broadway streets after shows end or the serenity of a sunset over a Goan church, Mario is at his best when sketching his world. Occupying the pride of place is The World of Mario Miranda, compiled by architect and curator Gerard D'Cunha, launched on February 16, to mark the beginning of the exhibition. Also available for perusal is a series of his sketches, every stroke Mario possibly made since he could hold a pen, with notes in the margins, intact. "Oh, those are definitely not for sale!" says D'Cunha. "Those have been sorted, classified and filed for our archives." He talks about the genesis of the book. "I spoke to Mario and Habiba [Mario's feisty wife] about the book in November 2007, and I've been working on it ever since," he says. Priced at Rs 2,700 in bookstores, it is available for Rs 2,000 at Cymroza during the exhibition. His popular characters, the Boss, Miss Fontesca, Bundeldass and Nimbupani are back at their tried and tested antics. While Bundeldass is the atypical representative of the politician, the policeman and other everyday figures, Miss Fontesca is your average typist and Nimbupani is the buxom movie star. "I had a girlfriend named Rajni; she was my inspiration for Nimbupani," says Mario. Don't be surprised to find yourself staring at a piece intently for a good hour just to be sure that you have spotted each and every nuance of his imagination. The exhibition is on till February 28, at Cymroza Art Gallery, Breach Candy, Mumbai. http://week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/theWeekCon tent.do?sectionName=Entertainment&contentId=5171332&programId=1073754907 &pageTypeId=1073754893&contentType=EDITORIAL ~(^^)~ Avelino
