Dahanu is truly India�s chikoo county. A small, sleepy coastal town on the shores of the Arabian Sea in which Irani planters grow chikoos and lychees in little wadis close to the railway station.

This is their main livelihood. And they have been doing this for at least 80 years. Some Iranis are also bakers. And others run tiny businesses. But most of the Iranis of Dahanu are agriculturists.

The township is worth a visit. It has a picturesque coastal road alongside a long stretch of beach and before some old Parsi mansions on the way to Gholvad. And it has a nice, homely hotel. The people are the best part of Dahanu. Extremely hospitable, exuding Zoroastrian warmth and charm, and offering windows to worlds you would not know existed just a couple of hours away from Bombay.