[5][6] Pai was born in a Gaud Saraswat Brahmin family[7] in Margão, Portuguese Goa, on 21 January 1926.

In the 1940s, he was actively involved in the Goa liberation movement for which he was arrested thrice by the Portuguese colonials.

[10] He was beaten by the Portuguese police after being arrested and for this reason, his parents sent him to the city of Bombay where he studied at the Sir J. J.

[12] Pai recalls that once, a nude painting by Francis Newton Souza was objected to by the then Chief Minister of Bombay State, Morarji Desai.

He studied at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts and stayed in Paris for ten years.

His solo exhibitions were held at London, Munich, Hanover, Stuttgart, New York City, Bremen, San Francisco, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Goa and São Paulo.

[15] Returning to India, he took up the post of the principal of the Goa College of Art in 1977 and served the institution until 1987.

[3] From 1947 to 1950 Pai was largely inspired by Goan subjects and the concept of Indian miniatures.

His initial works speak about the Goan way of life, as can be seen from his paintings depicting the 'Zambaulim Shigmo' or the process of feni-making.