Mario Miranda centenary: Celebrating the artist who captured Mumbai’s soul

Mario Miranda

A few generations ago, the name Mario Miranda might have evoked an instinctive wry smile. A presence on newspapers read on the mid-morning train commute, or during the evening chai, the artist was a familiar friend to the work-weary Mumbaikar. "He was a genius. Yet, for all the years Mario spent in Mumbai, he rarely ever captured the buildings," Gerard Da Cunha points out. The curator of the Mario Gallery in Goa is busy with preparations for the centenary celebrations at the Kala Academy in Panaji today.

Gerard Da Cunha

Da Cunha adds, "Mario would capture the atmosphere - the footpaths, the crowds, the people. Living in Colaba, he would take a bus down to Mahim. On the way, he would meet the conductor, the driver, the policeman hopping on along with the others who shared the ride. He loved to draw and capture people. He could look at you through your car window, and five years down the line, still draw that portrait - a genius."

A mural at The Cathedral and John Connon Middle School, Fort; (right) One of Mario's murals at the entrance of St Xaviers' College

Whether it was sharing bun maska and chai with the famed Behram ‘Busybee' Contractor after a day's work, or meeting up with friends from Goa at the Cathedral of the Holy Name at Wodehouse Road, the artist knew these streets. It was through these observations that Miss Rajni Nimbupani, the glamorous socialite; the Boss and his secretary Miss Fonseca; Bundaldass and Moonswamy, the Indian political operatives, were born.

At Cafe Mondegar. File pics/Atul Kamble

But Mario was not just a cartoonist. Recalling a painting about the Goa Inquisition, Da Cunha says, "There are some pictures that are so serious. One in particular has a couple being brought in front of this scary scene of people who are about to sentence them. You wouldn't believe Mario has created that. There is not a hint of humour."

Togetherness. Illustrations Courtesy/Mario Gallery, Goa

In a generation driven to visual saturation by Artificial Intelligence (AI) videos - "not a concern for us," he adds - the gallery's digitised collection of the artist's works, and merchandise, is a treasure. "Mario was a genius, but completely grounded. Every once in a while, you get people who wander into this world, and liven it up," the
curator concludes.

Log on to mariodemiranda.com

A crowd of commuters rush into a delayed local train at Kurla railway station in 2024. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

The Accident

Volunteers help ease the traffic at the Lucky Restaurant junction in Bandra. Pic/Nimesh Dave

Dinner A La Cart

Mumbaikars enjoy candy floss at a stall in Juhu Beach. Pic/Atul Kamble; File pics

Rainy Day in Bombay

A Mumbai Police personnel guides pedestrians through the flooded streets near Wadala Railway station during a spell of incessant rains in 2025. Pic/Ashish Raje

A figurine of Mario's The Beata, atop his books. Pic/Rane Ashish