Transparent high-porosity porous Si (PS) thin films are extremely fragile and are prone to laser damage even at a low laser power. In this report we show a very simple but elegant technique that protects optically clear granular (micron-size) free-standing PS from laser damage. This technique involves encapsulating PS grains in a polymethyl methacrylate thin film. We measure the absorption coefficient of these films as a function of PS concentration. We also study the photoluminescence (PI,) and Raman active phonon modes in these films by a micro-Raman/luminescence instrument. The PL peak is also monitored as a function of incident power. A blue shift of the PL peak is observed that is attributed to saturation of low-lying electronic levels associated with Si nanocrystallites.