Meet by the River at Zabie’s Farm, with a Hundred Friends!

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Kids admired the new red tractor

By Jawahar Malhotra

ROSHARON, TX: Though planned weeks ahead of time when the weather was soggy and raining for days at a stretch, this past weekend was glorious in contrast. Blue skies, with not a cloud in the sky, and moderate temperatures greeted the picnickers from the Indian Muslim Association of Greater Houston and its sister organizations Club 65 which caters to seniors and South Asian Youth Association which focuses on the younger end of the spectrum.

They converged on a tract of land by the banks of the Brazos River outside this tiny town of Rosharon which has been an overlooked community 40-minutes south of downtown Houston until recently as developers have built new affordable housing in the surrounding areas.

 Rozina Jafferali and Dr. Khalid Razvi with a gigantic squash freshly picked from the farm

Rozina Jafferali and Dr. Khalid Razvi with a gigantic squash freshly picked from the farm

But Rosharon still has much to offer those who are willing to forgo the city life and head for the lure of the open spaces. Such was the attraction for IMAGH co-founder Latafath Hussain who has been the main proponent of the organization and who has propelled its rise on the community scene, that he decided to take the plunge and move here from his suburban house in Seabrook.

Not just to live, but mostly to farm. It was a dream come true for Hussain and his wife Zabie when they bought the 13-acre tract by the Brazos River this past July. With their sons Zaid and Zain lending an occasional hand, they spent the past four months cleaning the land, setting up the fields, tilling the soil and planting the crops, working through deluging rainfall and scorching heat. They moved into an oversized trailer home and built up a huge patio deck and were ready for their first visitors.

Zabie Hussain and Aziz Ahmed.

Zabie Hussain and Aziz Ahmed.

The newly minted Zabie’s Farm met its first batch of curious well-wishers from the three groups as they all arrived in car-pools from across the Metroplex. Almost 100 members, including families, converged under blue skies and pop-up tents on Sunday, October 28 for lunch catered by BBQ Village and other snacks and desserts brought by other picnickers.

They lounged around the grounds, admiring the goats, chickens, honeybee hives and new tractor; walking through the orchards of guava, apple, orange and fig trees, picking up pecans from the ground around the 90 high trees above and plucking fruit off the blueberry, blackberry and pomegranate bushes. The kids and the young-at-heart went on a scavenger hunt for items you can find on a farm.

From left, Paru McGuire, Club 65 President; Shakuntala Malhotra Club 65’s oldest and first Life Member and Rozina Jafferali at the picnic table

From left, Paru McGuire, Club 65 President; Shakuntala Malhotra Club 65’s oldest and first Life Member and Rozina Jafferali at the picnic table

And when they got tired, they returned to the picnic tables to eat and mingle. Melba Beken spoke about the history of Rosharon and her husband Roy gave a brief background of the local economy. Never a shrinking violet, Abeezar Taybjee sang a country western song, followed by the 89-year-old Taiyeb Shipchander (fondly known as kaka or uncle) who sang a Bollywood number and Fatehali Chatur who delivered some jokes in Urdu and English. Jamil Chunawala provided the sound system and musical selection.