New York

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I am coming.

Mario de Miranda - Book Review (7.5/10)

After quite some time, I walked into Crosswords Powai. It has been ages since I went there, considering that I used to visit every week. More than getting books, I wanted to see if there were any good DVDs to pick up. I am glad that I found "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". Loved the movie. And walking out of crosswords without a book in hand is something very difficult to achieve. Something I dont think I ever will.

Since it had been quite some time since I had frequented the humour corner, I decided to do so. Amongst the volumes of Calvin & Hobbes & Garfield (almost all of which I already own), I saw 'Mario de Miranda'. It was not the first time I laid my eyes on it. I have seen it on multiple occasions before and drooled over it. In the past, I did not buy it just because of the price tag. Rs.2700 seemed a bit to steep. But the impulsive buyer that I am, I went for it on this occasion.

I have been an ardent fan of Mario Miranda right from Standard 1, unknowingly then. This is because he was the illustrator for the older version of the Balbharati English Text books then. I still very clearly have memories of my first lesson in my 1st standard textbook. It was about a boy called Nitin. Went something like "My name is Nititn. I am a boy. I stay in Pune." etc. etc. I dont remember the text so well. But what I can never forget is the image of Nitin, hanging on the branches of a tree casually, in his light blue shirt and black pants. I am not sure about how much memory aberration is in play, but if anyone reading this remembers a clearer and more distinct version of this lesson, please leave a comment.

Anyways deep down in my subconcious, these images have had a strong effect. As I grew up, I was fed the likes of Herge, Goscinny, Ram Waeerkar,Scarpelli, Schultz, VB Halbe, Miranda, etc. and later on Watterson, Davis,Laxman etc. For me, the illustrations are more important than the script when it comes to comics. And hence I would always look at names of the illustrators, and observe the nuances of their art with great dedication. Amongst all the greats, I consider Mario Miranda as right up there. He has acheived a very very distinct, original, special, apealing and arty style of cartooning. His cartoons would easily sell as a painting or a work of pure art. I dont think any other cartoonist paints murals like him, nor are drawings so widely used on commercial goods, postcards, souveniers, atleast amongst indian cartoonists. His one-box comics were half as funny as mnay others. But I never considered his humour as good as my other idols anyways. It was all about the drawings of Mario de Miranda.

The book has around 2000 of his drawings, sketches, diary pages, paintings, murals etc. A real treat for anyone who has love Marios drawings. There is an initial biography of Mario Miranda in the first few pages, that I loved reading through. And then are scans from his diary pages, where can be seen some pretty ordinary sketches, which kept on improving slowly over time, to evolve into the style that Mario has developed finally. Yes, you can clearly see the evolution of an artist, as you scan across the pages. And it shows how much practice mario had to put in before he could draw like what he does. This surely is an encouragement for budding cartoonists and artists. It is hardowork and passion that truly pays off in the end.

The book also has various paintings and drawings by Mario. If you are an art freak, I cant see why you wont love it. Many of the paintings depict the places that Mario has been and stayed in throughout his life. From Goa to Mumbai, from Paris to Libson, there are paintings and sketches that truly capture what he must have experienced when there. Rating this book is certainly a challenge, as it is more of a collection of drawings, cartoons, sketches and paintings and a bit of a biography. If you are a fan of Mario Miranda, this book will be a 10/10 for you. But for the general junta, I think it should be a 7.5/10.