By Salman Sultan, TwoCircles.net,
Vapi (Gujarat): Bombay was crowded but Mumbai is bursting at seams. Most of the time one is entrapped in traffic jams. It was, therefore, a pleasure to move out of Mumbai on way to Vapi in the Valsad District of Gujarat. Coming on the highway it was pleasant to watch changing landscape, especially typical rock formations shaped by years of braving wind and rain.
On the way to Vapi
In Vapi we (Ubaid, Qamar, Abul Khair and Usman Bhai) went to a stay in a farmhouse at Chanood. Almost a century ago Mr. Qaiser Khan of Village Rajapur Sikraur, Azamgarh had ventured out of his remote village to glamorous and distant Bombay with an adventurous spirit. After sometime he moved out to Vapi, Gujarat where later on he bought one thousand acres of farmland. Today his related progeny Mr. Sohail Ahmad Siddiqui (Village Mundiyar, Azamgarh) maintains a farmhouse where he not only grows sugarcane, maize, sweet corn but has orchards of mango, banana, papaya, etc in addition to 30 pairs of EMUs (bird found in New Zealand whose eggs, skin, feather, nails and even eyes are of use). The property acquired by Mr. Qaiser Khan is now divided between his progeny and Mr. Siddiqui manages 250 acres of land that is beautifully situated at some height from the river Daman Ganga.
Sunset at Farm Chanood, Vapi
Sunset at Vapi
The migrated Muslim community from Azamgarh has established a Modern High School which is now an Intermediate College. It has arrangement for imparting religious education as well. This institution has been running for the last 20 years and is affiliated to Gujarat Education Board. Mr. Asrarul Haq Siddiqui is the Trustee and Mr. Javed Alam Usmani the Principal.
Sunrise at the Farm
Mr. Ateeq Ahmad Usmani is a businessman living in Vapi for the last 30 years. His nephew Mr. Aneesul Ain Usmani is Faculty member, Aligarh Muslim University. Another institution Falah-e-Millat Urdu Medium High School, Vapi was founded by Mr. Akhlaq Ahmad.
Mr. Shabbir Khan s/o Late Usman Khan (who was murdered by a burglar) s/o Late Yusuf Khan is the progeny of Mr. Qaiser Khan and holds 100 acre of farmland.
L-R(sitting): Qamar, Usman bhai, Abul Khair, Sohail Siddiqui, Shabbir Khan and Ubaid in Shabbir Khan’s adjacent Farm house
Remnants of old days
Mr. Sohail Siddiqui described the habits and daily routine of an extremely docile bird EMU. He also showed its beautiful egg (dark green with white dots) and arranged for a demonstration of EMUs dance.
EMU
EMU’s Egg
Mr. Sohail A. Siddiqui and Qamar with EMU
Stretching EMU to its full height