Caiti
Cajetan Francis Pinto, known mononymously as Caiti, was an Indian make-up artist who worked on the Konkani stage.
Early life
Caetano Francisco Pinto was born on 29 January 1941 in the island of Vanxim, Goa in a Goan Catholic family. Vanxim was part of Portuguese India during the time of the Portuguese Empire. Pinto's father, Manoel Vicente Pinto, hailed from the island of Chorão and served as an employee of a company. His mother, Maria Angelina de Souza, originated from Aldonã and fulfilled the role of a homemaker. As the third child in a family of four siblings, Pinto grew up alongside his elder brothers Ricardo and Luis. An additional sibling, who remains unnamed, was born in 1939. Following the completion of his education in Goa, Pinto ventured to Bombay, where he pursued specialized training in typewriter mechanics. Since his early years, Pinto fostered an affection for tiatr, a distinctive form of Goan musical theater.During his time in Bombay, he made a concerted effort to attend tiatr performances, seizing every available opportunity to immerse himself in this cultural tradition. Eager to explore the intricacies of the art form, he frequently visited the green room, where he keenly observed the meticulous application of makeup on the actors. Pinto honed his skills as a tiatr make-up artist. His expertise allowed him to enhance the appearances of several tiatrists, ensuring that their physical portrayals aligned with their respective characters on the theatrical stage.
Career
During the year 1961, Pinto commenced his collaboration with Valente Mascarenhas, a make-up artist who later transitioned into becoming a Konkani actor. Their partnership primarily revolved around providing makeup assistance to tiatrists based in Bombay. A turn of events occurred when Valente was unable to fulfill his obligations for a tiatr performance, leading Konkani comedian Anthony Mendes to request Pinto's support as a replacement. This marked the emergence of Pinto as a make-up artist in his own right. Over the course of his career, Pinto extended his makeup services to a wide array of Konkani tiatrists from earlier generations. Known figures within the Konkani tiatr realm, including C. Alvares, M. Boyer, Remmie Colaço, Prem Kumar, Alfred Rose, Bab Peter, Chris Perry, Kid Boxer, and Robin Vaz, consistently sought Pinto's expertise in various locations such as Goa, Bombay, and beyond. Pinto's makeup artistry left a mark on several popular tiatrs, including Duddvanchem Sukh, Kednam Udetolo Tho Dis, and Vavraddi.On 8 February 2014, Pinto assumed the role of makeup artist for a Goan tiatr organized by the Vasai Konkani Welfare Association. The theatrical production, written and directed by Tony Martins, took place at the YMCA Hall in Manickpur, Vasai, Maharashtra. Pinto's expertise extended beyond makeup application, as he also performed hairstyling for the tiatr artists. His contributions to the field of tiatr were further acknowledged when he shared his insights and experiences in Dr. Kyoko Matsukawa's scholarly article titled "Tiatr's Bombay Days," which was published on Sahapedia in 2016. Pinto stood alongside professionals such as Valente Mascarenhas, Camilo Pinto of Aldona, Xavier Mascarenhas of Vasco da Gama, Goa, Premanand Pole, Zeferin Silveira from Calangute, Jocky de Curtorim, Mary Vaz, and C. D'Silva as one of the select few make-up artists on the Konkani stage during the 20th century.