Biography

- Manohar Malgaonkar

Within a few months they received enough artefacts from Goa’s religious buildings to justify their collection being called a Museum. They also managed to raise enough money to cover the running expenses of such a museum. Mario Miranda’s early benefactors, the Gulbenkian Foundation of Lisbon kicked in with a handsome contribution. But soon the Seminary made it clear that they did not want the Amigos as tenants. They demanded their room back.

This was a severe blow. They tried their best to find a suitable place for their Museum. And then found what they wanted: a hall even grander, even more holy, even more directly in the tourist path and just as well lighted. In the Convent of Santa Monica in Velha Goa, the stamping ground of tourists as well as pilgrims to Goa.

The launching of the Museum of Christian Art was also a personal triumph for Mario Miranda, for it was he who had spearheaded the Amigos’ efforts to bring it about, out of a sense of obligation to his native land.

He has arrived at a point in a man’s journey through life at which it is customary to look at the years behind him and to remember with gratitude those whose good wishes had guided his path. His mother who had put into his hands the tools of his trade; that Bishop of Goa who instead of admonishing an impish child for lampooning one of his priests, burst into laughter instead and told the child’s mother not to curb her son’s natural gift to draw figures; that school mistress to whom her pupils had given the nickname ‘Sticky Bum’, and who had become the role-model of their erotic fancies; the Science master who taught his class the secret of secret writing and found his own caricature drawn in invisible ink; of Professor Colaco, the English language professor who, angry as he was that one of his students was pretending to take down notes while making a caricature of him, wished him well and recognising a giant talent, kept the drawing; and lastly of the dog called Tommy who had his own way of passing judgement on his master’s pictures!

And now to face the years that still lie ahead with calm assurance, girded by the good wishes, not only of his own family, his amigos, his pets and admirers, but also of a whole army of men, women and animals that he himself had brought to life.