Speak, eat and live Spanish!

Instituto Cervantes will celebrate Spanish Language Day on June 23 with a grand mela here in the Capital offering a taste of the culture, art and history of the world's Spanish-speaking nations

A cartoon by the late caricaturist Mario Miranda that will be part of theupcoming exhibition at Instituto Cervantes.

To commemorate Spanish Language Day, Instituto Cervantes is hosting a special programme at its Hanuman Road premises here on June 23 offering a glimpse into the culture, art and historic significance of Latin America's Spanish-speaking countries.

According to Cervantes director Oscar Pujol, the annual event is a fitting occasion to showcase the rich cultural life of Argentina, Mexico, Cuba, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Peru, Venezuela and Paraguay. “We will host a grand mela in which embassies of these countries will put up stalls. Representatives dressed in traditional attire will distribute pamphlets on tourism and give information on different aspects of their countries. We will also give visitors an opportunity to taste the different cuisines of Latin America.”

Mario, the highlight

However, the highlight of the day will be the inauguration of an exhibition of 37 cartoons made by the late Indian caricaturist Mario Miranda. The exhibition will end on August 19.

Born in 1926 in Daman where his father worked as a government employee, Mario's drawings vividly portray Goa as a Euro-Asiatic society. His early cartoons presented vignettes of Goan village life.

Commissioned by the Spanish Embassy in 2007 to visit Spain, he produced a large body of works.

“Mario visited Madrid, Barcelona and Seville, and was also supposed to visit Toledo but he could not make it. He acknowledged that it was an unforgettable experience for him to travel through the Spanish countryside, which is dotted with olive and orange trees. He was bowled over by our country's rich history and art and visited museums, castles and forts and interacted with the locals. This exhibition will be presented to the Indian public for the first time,” said Dr. Pujol.

Besides showcasing Mario's cartoons, the exhibition will also display the artistic impressions of Spanish writer Ramon Gomez de la Serna.

Cervantes will also organise a conference on “The History of avant-garde in the West” by Colombian writer Carlos Granes Maya.

For those seeking entertainment, there will be screenings of some Latin American short films, a dance performance and workshop and the “San Juan Night Festival”.

Spanish lessons will be another attraction for those interested in mastering the language. “We will be offering 10 per cent discount to prospective Spanish learners who enrol on that day. For Indian students visiting the United States, learning Spanish is a bonus. By 2050, the English-speaking and Spanish-speaking populations in the U.S. will be about the same,” said Dr. Pujol.

The event will be celebrated simultaneously by the Instituto Cervantes in Beijing, Tokyo, London, Sydney, Paris and Moscow.