India, April 23 -- For Elisha D'Souza, a photographer and student of arts, this was an opportunity to tell a story, one of the many that was narrated to her by xapai (grandfather). It goes like this.

A famous trading voyager named Inacio de Vales, set sail from Portuguese-occupied Goa to the Philippines, where his crew noticed craftsmen fixing large oyster shells to window frames.

Inacio remembered that the king had announced a reward for the best idea to replace glass, as it was very expensive. He returned to Portuguese Goa, met the king, and presented the idea of using these shells. The king was impressed and instructed the fisherfolk to start collecting these shells in large quantities. Over the years, in Bardez, Ilhas, and Salcette,...