A chikoo sculpture created for an earlier edition of the fest

The origin of the famous Dahanu-Gholvad chikoos can be traced back to 1890 AD, when the illustrious Parsi entrepreneur Sir Dinshaw Petit brought home a sapling of sapota from an excursion to South American rainforests. Due to the lack of space in his home garden, he entrusted it to his friend Ardeshir Irani, who lived in Gholvad, Dahanu, three hours (roughly 150km) from Mumbai. The sapling adapted to the climate of the coastal village and its plantation grew until a storm uprooted the cultivation. Then a local farmer Merwan Khodadad, grafted the fruit onto the Rhyne tree. With stronger taproots, the tree began to bear luscious, muddy brown chikoos round the year, leading to the economic development of the region.