Alex Raphael Fernandes now known worldwide as Alexyz has been selected for
the Goa State Cultural Award in the field of painting for the year 2018-19 by
the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of Goa. “I humbly accept the
award. I have received much more accolades abroad but at least Goans have
appreciated my work and now I am being presented with the Goa State Cultural
Awards 2018-19. I have received an award from Keith Vaz in the House of Commons
and in Fundacao Oriente in Portugal I was honoured among 50 world cartoonists.
I have received great love from the Goan diaspora,” says Alexyz, who is the
only Indian cartoonist to be invited to have his exhibition by the Labour MP
Keith Vaz in 2000 in House of Commons.
Originally from Siolim, Alexyz graduated from St Xavier’s
College, Mumbai before completing his post graduation in Advertising and Public
Relations. A sportsman who made it to the Bombay Juniors Football, Alexyz’s
knee was injured which made him quit the world of sports and opt for drawing
sports cartoons. “My first book was ‘Sportoons’, was India’s first book of
sport toons. ‘Howzzat! - Century of Cricket Cartoons’ was my second book of
cartoons and the first on cricket cartoons in India. I was honored by the
curator of the Don Bradman Museum, in New South Wales, Australia. It was the
first work that was sent to them with verses by Don Bradman. Three of my works
are on display at the Museum. In Adelaide, Australia, my exhibition on Don
Bradman was inaugurated by Mayor Kirsten, herself a Don Bradman fan,” says
Alexyz.
Alexyz was a daily cartoonist for newspapers in Mumbai like The
Indian Express, Mid-Day, Free Press Journal, Sunday Observers and Readers
Digest besides Goan dailies.
His contemporary, Late Mario Miranda was already a well
established cartoonist. He was very helpful in guiding Alexyz to the right
people. “Mario started out cartooning as soon as he passed out of college while
I took nearly eight years after college to understand my potential. He was
already working at Times of India in Mumbai which was just next to my college.
He was very helpful and introduced me to Khalid Ansari of mid-day in Mumbai. I
had my cartoons on sports which I titled ‘Sportoons’, a word I coined and has
been used quite often now. He also introduced me Erasmo Sequeira, the son of Dr
Jack de Sequeira, who was running the paper Goa Monitor. I also worked for West
Coast Times in Margao after that,” says Alexyz.
Alexyz was the first cartoonist for Herald back in the 1980s. “I
started my career with a bang with Herald especially during the Konkani
Agitation and Goa’s Statehood struggle. Rajan Narayan, the then editor gave me
8 columns for my cartoons and the readers who wait for my cartoons which would
be made into posters for the agitations. Herald was my glory days with the
space and freedom I got for my cartoons. As Herald also had just started they
were going at these agitations hammer and tongs. I was drawing cartoons
everyday besides cartoons for the supplements. I had great freedom in drawing
what I wanted,” reminisces Alexyz.
He is next working on an autobiography book, ‘50 Funky Years of
a Goan Cartoonist’. He says “I plan to release the book for my 75th birthday in
the coming year. I have thousands of cartoons including the first cartoon I
ever drew for the parish magazine in Wadala. I will add comments from people
from the Goan diaspora. There is a lot to make the book an exciting one. I have
also illustrated for Canada based Francis Rodrigues’ new edition of the
‘Greatest Konkani Songs Volume 2’ which will be released on December 29, 2019
at Menezes Braganza Hall, Panjim.”
Alexyz keeps himself busy with funshops for children and youngsters. Though Alexyz informs young aspiring cartoonists that the pay is not good, he for one second doesn’t regret any of his decisions. “You need freedom to draw cartoons. If there is no freedom then the fun is lost from cartooning. My big bonus was the Goan Diaspora calling and inviting me to different countries for exhibiting my work. I was invited by Keith Vaz to the United Kingdom for three days. I stayed for over a month. The same in USA and Canada where I spent over 45 days. I travelled half the world for free and I saw the world because of my cartoons,” concludes Alexyz.