The Story of a Gentleman Shoe-Maker
Channel: Frederick FN Noronha
Date: 18/12/2023

By his own description, Edwin Pinto (WinPin) came from an upper middle class family. His father (they returned to Goa from Tanzania) was a doctor, and becoming a "tailor" or a "shoemaker" was definitely not acceptable. But, that's where he found his calling. That's what he did in life... and attained accomplishments in the field. His Janota brand is well known in Goa, and now his son is sustaining it via Bombay (Mumbai). But all this was not without a struggle. WinPin also had a struggle with addictions and substance-abuse, from the age of 12. A story he looks back on and narrates without reluctance or feeling ashamed about the past he struggled through. This was his talk at the Dr Subodh Kerkar-run MoG (Museum of Goa). WinPin always comes across as a soft-spoken, encouraging and genial chap! Am proud to have had him as my schoolmate, in the Britto of the 1970s. Recorded by Frederick Noronha (FN).