Ahmedabad earthquakes

In the year 1819 Ahmedabad was devastated by an earthquake. "The city was shaken to its foundations by one of the most horrible earthquakes in its history, which destroyed many a noble specimen of art and took a heavy toll of human life and property. The population of Ahmedabad which had risen to 8,00,000 in the 17th century now dwindled to the incredibly small figure of 80,000 in 1819” (quoted from A Biographical Sketch of Sir Nowroji Pestonji Vakil by Prof Firoze C. Davar). It appears that Kutch Bhuj had also experienced a devastating earthquake simultaneously.

In the recent past on January 26, 2001, at about 8.45 in the morning, Kutch experienced another and probably more devastating earthquake when buildings in most of the towns of that district as also other parts of Gujarat were razed to the ground and there was considerable loss of life. Ahmedabad also experienced a similar earthquake of high magnitude at the same time when a number of buildings collapsed and many lives were lost. Some of the Parsi Panchayat buildings as also those of the Vakil Charity Blocks and some belonging to individual Parsis were also damaged. Fortunately there was no loss of any Zarathushti life, except of one Parsi lady married to a non-Parsi. The World Zoroastrian Organisation and the Bombay Parsi Punchayet as also some Parsis from India and abroad had come to the help of those in distress.

R. S. MEDORA

Ahmedabad