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In the beginning of the 20th century, Parsis had vast agricultural lands where besides farming, tapping of toddy was a flourishing business. Some Parsis had brick kilns and breweries distilling liquors for the Rajas. The poor Parsis lived in huts on their small fields and traveled by bicycles and bullock carts. The well off had "havelis” — palatial bungalows, in the towns and traveled by horse-drawn tongas. A rain water harvesting system where rain water from washed roofs was chanel­lized to basement tanks was a feature in some of these large houses. This water was used for drinking throughout the year......