The Sequeira business is based north of Mumbai in Small Giriz village, nestled in the coconut trees and banana plantations of Vasai, once a stronghold of Portuguese colonials who brought with them Catholicism and carpentry skills. The family's gilding work has also won them accolades: their painstaking restoration of Mumbai's 140-year-old Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum helped it win a UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award in 2005 for cultural heritage conservation. Word-of-mouth has helped their commissions to increase both at home and abroad. In their house sit two dozen crucifixes, with flashing red bulbs depicting dripping blood, which are destined for the Middle East. - Photos by AFP