Alexyz

Alex Raphael "Alexyz" Fernandes (born Aleixo Fernandes; 24 October 1944), known mononymously as Alexyz, is an Indian cartoonist, former footballer, and adman based in Siolim, Goa. He initially gained prominence working for O Heraldo during the height of the Konkani language agitation and Goa's statehood struggle in the 1980s. Over the course of a career spanning more than four decades in cartooning, he has created over 12,000 cartoons, with his first one made for the Wadala parish magazine. He is the recipient of the Goa State Cultural Award, the state's highest art and culture award.

Alexyz
Fernandes in 2014
Born	Aleixo Fernandes (1944-10-24) 24 October 1944 Dadar, Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India
Nationality	Indian
Other names	Cartoonist Alexyz Alexyz Fernandes
Alma mater	St. Xavier's College, Bombay
Occupation	Cartoonist
Years active	1982–present
Known for	Creator of the term 'Sportoons' First cartoonist for the newspaper O Heraldo
Movement	Konkani language agitation

Early life

Fernandes was born as Aleixo Fernandes on 24 October 1944 in Dadar, Bombay (now Mumbai), which was part of Bombay Presidency (now Maharashtra) during British India (now India), to João José Fernandes, a tailor who originally hailed from Pernem, Goa, and Ana Regina Fernandes, a homemaker originally from Oxel, Goa. Both of his parents resided in Siolim, Goa, and were of Goan Catholic descent. The fourth of five children, he had two brothers, Francisco (born 1934), José (1940), and two sisters, Filomena (born 1937) and Gertrudes (born 1948). Around the early 1940s, Fernandes' parents made their move to Bombay.

Fernandes graduated from St. Xavier’s College in Bombay with a postgraduate degree in Advertising and Public relations. He always appreciated cartoons. Mario Miranda's artistic creations inspired Fernandes to contemplate further academic pursuits, including a PhD, in the field. Fernandes's upbringing in Bombay exposed him to tiatr (Goan musical theatre), as his uncle often entertained guests with renditions of popular Konkani songs by tiatrist Kid Boxer.

Career

1980s: Football career and sports cartoons

Fernandes is a former footballer, who participated as a member of the Bombay Juniors football team. However, he sustained a knee injury that ultimately led him to abandon his athletic career. Following this, he began creating sports-themed cartoons. He authored the book Sportoons (1982), considered India's first collection of sports-themed cartoons, marking his debut in published works. Fernandes then released his next book, Howzzat! Century of Cricket Cartoons (1987), the first collection of cricket-themed cartoons to be published in India. The inclusion of verses authored by the Australian cricketer Sir Don Bradman in this work led to its commendation by the curator of the Bradman Museum & International Cricket Hall of Fame in New South Wales, Australia. The museum currently displays three of Fernandes's artworks. Additionally, Fernandes presented an exhibition centered on cricket in Adelaide, Australia, with a special emphasis on Bradman. Alongside his published books, Fernandes was also active as a daily contributor for multiple newspapers located in Bombay, like The Indian Express, Mid-Day, The Free Press Journal, Sunday Observers, and Reader's Digest, as well as for newspapers in Goa.

Support by Mario Miranda and Sportoons

Mario Miranda was a popular cartoonist who was Fernandes's contemporary. Miranda played a significant role in supporting and mentoring Fernandes, as the latter entered the field of cartooning. Miranda started working on cartoons shortly after completing his education, contrasting Fernandes, who took a more extended period, around eight years post-graduation, to discover his own potential. Miranda was a cartoonist at The Times of India in Bombay, a location in close proximity to the college where Fernandes studied. Miranda introduced Fernandes to Khalid A. H. Ansari, the co-founder of the Bombay-based newspaper Mid-Day. Fernandes soon developed a specialty in creating sports-themed cartoons, coining the term Sportoons, which became widely adopted. Miranda also introduced Fernandes and Erasmo de Sequeira, who was responsible for the operations of the Goan newspaper, Goa Monitor. Fernandes later joined the West Coast Times in Margao and subsequently became the inaugural cartoonist for the Goan newspaper O Heraldo newspaper during the 1980s.

Late 1980s: Konkani language agitation

Main article: Konkani language agitation

Fernandes is known for his political work during significant regional and national movements in India during the 1980s. He was recognised for his cartoons published in O Heraldo, which provided him with extensive creative freedom and space to contribute to the ongoing Konkani language agitation and Goa's statehood struggle. Under the editorship of Rajan Narayan, O Heraldo granted Fernandes a large allotment of up to 8 cartoon panels per issue. This allowed him to frequently comment on the political events and issues central to the regional autonomy and linguistic rights campaigns, through his distinctive visual style. Fernandes's cartoons were often reproduced as posters that were used to galvanize support for the agitations. Along with his daily cartoons, he also contributed work to the paper's supplementary sections.

Early 2000s: International exhibitions

In 2000, Fernandes was invited by British Member of Parliament, Keith Vaz, to organise a three-day exhibition of his cartoons at the House of Commons in London. Fernandes became the only Indian cartoonist to receive such an invitation. Fernandes also spent extended periods, over 45 days, working and exhibiting in the United States and Canada over the course of his career.

2010s: Addressing of social and political issues

Through his work, Fernandes has addressed societal and political issues within the state of Goa. In 2015, he authored a book, O To Be In Goa... Today, dedicating it to three of his close associates: fellow cartoonist Mario Miranda, musician Emiliano da Cruz, and journalist-photographer Joel D'Souza. Fernandes has been outspoken in voicing his concerns regarding the prevailing conditions in Goa. To further elaborate upon these views, he organized a cartoon exhibition and installations in December 2015. O To Be In Goa... Today acts as a visual record of the occurrences in Goa during the period between 2013 and 2015. The exhibition, held at the Kala Academy in Panjim, Goa, featured 50 artworks. The collection included pieces that had been featured in a newspaper as well as new creations that had not been exhibited previously. Fernandes's last exhibition was in 2008, when he unveiled his book titled Goa, Goan, Goaing, Gone...?

2019–present: Work on autobiography and later career

As of December 2019, Fernandes was writing an autobiographical work, titled, 50 Funky Years of a Goan Cartoonist. He had scheduled the publication of the book to coincide with his 75th birthday in 2020. Over the course of his career, Fernandes had amassed a substantial portfolio of thousands of cartoons, including his initial published piece in a parish magazine located in Wadala. For the autobiography, Fernandes intended to incorporate insights and commentary from members of the broader Goan diaspora. In addition to his autobiography, Fernandes made artistic contributions to an updated version of Greatest Konkani Songs Volume 2, authored by Francis Rodrigues, who is based in Canada. This edition was released in December 2019. Despite the financial challenges often associated with a career in cartooning, Fernandes remained actively engaged in sharing his artistic talents. He continued to lead "funshops" - educational and creative workshops - for children and young aspiring artists. Fernandes firmly believed that the freedom to create cartoons was essential, stating "if there is no freedom then the fun is lost from cartooning."

Personal life

Fernandes was based in the city of Bombay, before returning to his hometown of Siolim in Goa in the early 1970s. Throughout his career, Fernandes maintained close personal and professional relationships with several other popular Goan creatives. Among them were the cartoonist Mario Miranda, the musician Emiliano da Cruz, and the photojournalist Joel D'Souza. Despite working in a similar time and place, Fernandes viewed Miranda not as a rival, but rather as a mentor figure. In his later years, Fernandes married a retired teacher.