April, 2002

26-04-02

Cyberary At Railway Staff College: Vadodara’s Railway Staff College has modernised its library and converted it into a cyberary by combining its vast collection of books, journals and magazines with the computer centre. In addition to over 58,600 books in English and Hindi, the library also has access to 15,000 journals and reports and 103 magazines. Over 80 computers and 21 notebook computers linked with Internet facilities as well as V-Sat connections provide the users with the latest in information technology. In addition to cyber surfing, the library is also well equipped with the latest in audio-visual aids.

Health Management Course: Baroda Management Association (BMA) has been made the regional contact centre for the one-year post-graduate certificate course in Hospital Management & Health Management conducted by National Institute of Health & Family Welfare, Delhi.

Curfew Continues: In the Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas the curfew continues from 11.00 p.m. to 5.00 a.m. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers stays till 27th April.

25-04-02

Museum Lovers Form Society: Vadodara’s museum lovers have recently launched a voluntary non-profit organisation, Friends of Museum Society (FOMS), to promote programmes with the help of Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery (BMPG). Its first activity will be a workshop on terracotta pottery on May 24. On the anvil are workshops on ‘Textiles in Gujarat’, ‘Vavs (step-wells) of Gujarat’ and ‘Old Baroda, New Baroda’. The society has the active support of retired experts in museology, geology, archaeology, botany and art history. FOMS’ founder president is Professor V.H. Bedekar, who is the former Head of MSU's Department of Museology. The society has received approval, in principle, from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to hold exhibitions in Vadodara of the recent discoveries in Gujarat (though it is not possible for all to visit the sites of the discoveries, it is certainly possible to exhibit the findings). The organisation plans to publish newsletters that would be provided free to members. The annual and life membership fees are Rs. 100 and Rs. 500, respectively.

Curfew Continues: In the Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas the curfew continues from 11.00 p.m. to 5.00 a.m. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers stays till 27th April.

24-04-02

Curfew Relaxed For 18 Hours: The curfew was relaxed for all persons in the Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. on Wednesday, 24th April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 27th April. The ban does not apply to students appearing for the HSC and SSC examinations; by way of proof, students on two-wheelers have to carry their examination centre admission tickets.

Ceramic Workshop: Learn in only 10 days. Three batches: 27th April, 10th May, 23rd May. Contact Anju Pawar at POT-TREE (+91-265-643703).

23-04-02

BSNL Cellphone Services: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) may soon offer mobile services to residents of Vadodara. In all, 25 towers will be installed initially to cater to about 10,000 lines in the city and the service is likely to start by June 30. The BSNL mobile services will have an all-India roaming facility. The service will also be available to subscribers in Padra and Dabhoi.

MSU Annual Exams: Annual examinations began at some MS University faculties on Monday: Faculty of Engineering & Technology, Faculty of Home Science and Faculty of Arts.

Computer Courses For Children: ‘Boston’s Cyberkids’ is the name of a new computer academy for children (3 to 14 years). It will have special summer camps based on computer learning. The academy offers regular yearly courses too, as well as special schemes for mothers and working women. For further details: BOSTON’S CYBERKIDS, 6 Kanchanganga Apts., 1 Haribhakti Society, Race Course, Vadodara 390 007. Ph: +91-265-342511/325703. E-mail: <bckbrd_alkapuri@bostonci.com>

Short-Term German Courses: MS University’s Department of German will offer three short-term summer courses in German language during May and June. Anyone who has passed Class X with English as a subject will be eligible. For details, contact the department office between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. or phone +91-265-784371 or mail <germanmsub@yahoo.de>

Poster Competition: Women’s Studies Research Centre of MS University will hold a poster competition at the Centre on April 26 at 1p.m. The Centre will also display the students’ posters on the theme of Women’s Empowerment.

Curfew Relaxed For 18 Hours: The curfew was relaxed for all persons in the Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. on Tuesday, 23rd April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 27th April. The ban does not apply to students appearing for the HSC and SSC examinations; by way of proof, students on two-wheelers have to carry their examination centre admission tickets.

22-04-02

WWF Nature Camp: The Gujarat State Office of Worldwide Fund for Nature – India (WWF-India) has planned a nature trekking camp at Beaskund from June 7 to 18, 2002, to make people aware about the Himalayan environment. Trekking, rock climbing, river crossing, nature trails, birds watching, plant identification, etc., will be the main activities at the camp. There will be just one batch of 30 participants, so those interested should register their names before May 15. More details are available at WWF-India, Indumati Mahal, J.N. Marg, Vadodara (Phone: 436613).

Curfew Relaxed For 18 Hours: The curfew was relaxed for all persons in the Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. on Monday, 22nd April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 27th April. The ban does not apply to students appearing for the HSC and SSC examinations; by way of proof, students on two-wheelers have to carry their examination centre admission tickets.

21-04-02

Curfew Relaxed For 18 Hours: The curfew was relaxed for all persons in the Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. on Sunday, 21st April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers has been extended till 27th April. The ban does not apply to students appearing for the HSC and SSC examinations; by way of proof, students on two-wheelers have to carry their examination centre admission tickets.

20-04-02

Pratap Vilas Palace May Be Declared A Heritage Building: A proposal to declare Baroda’s Pratap Vilas Palace, now being used as the Railway Staff College, as a heritage building has recently been sent to the Heritage Committee of the Western Railway. The Heritage Committee identifies all the station buildings and properties of the Indian Railways which are more than 100 years old. This palace is just a few years short of being a century-old. Once the committee declares it a heritage building then it will advise the authorities on how to maintain it. The palace was planned by Architect Charles Steven. Construction began on December 15, 1908, and was completed on July 30, 1914. The cost of the construction was approximately Rs. 900,000. After the merger of Baroda State in 1939 the palace was taken over by the Government of Bombay. The Indian Railways then decided to start a training centre for railway officers at the palace and on January 31, 1949, it was taken on lease from the government. In 1964 it was purchased by Indian Railways from the Government of Bombay.

Curfew Relaxed For 18 Hours: The curfew was relaxed for all persons in the Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. on Saturday, 20th April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers continues. The ban does not apply to students appearing for the HSC and SSC examinations; by way of proof, students on two-wheelers have to carry their examination centre admission tickets.

19-04-02

Vadodara ‘Passes’ First Day Of Exams: The first day of the SSC and HSC examinations passed off peacefully and no untoward incidents were reported from any of the examination centres in the city, though there were some minor goof-ups in the administrative arrangements. More than 21,799 students appeared for the SSC examination, while the HSC turnout was 13,310. In contrast to Ahmedabad, Baroda did not witness the boycotting of the exams by minority community students, thanks partly to the efforts by many people cutting across community lines that convinced the students to turn up for the exams.

INSONA Journal On Environment: ‘Environment Awareness’, the quarterly journal of the Vadodara based International Society of Naturalists (INSONA), has recently completed 25 years. The journal has a unique record of having more than a dozen United Nations Environment Programme ‘Global 5000’ laureates on its board of consulting editors. Founded in 1977 and edited by INSONA’s Gunvant Oza, it is believed to be the first of its kind to be established in any Asian or African country. The subjects covered include animal ecology, avian biodiversity, biological productivity, biosphere maintenance, climate change, coastal ecology, conservation evaluation, conservation policy, ecosystems, endangered biota, fresh waters, human behaviour towards nature, international waters, natural resources conservation, ozone depletion, plant ecology, protected areas, soils and erosion, etc.

Curfew Relaxed For 18 Hours: The curfew was relaxed for all persons in the Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. on Friday, 19th April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 20th April. The ban will not apply to students appearing for the HSC and SSC examinations; by way of proof, students on two-wheelers will have to carry admission tickets to the examination centres.

General Motors Expansion At Halol: Automobile giant General Motors has decided to expand its car manufacturing unit at Halol, near Baroda, at a cost of Rs. 5000 million. It now plans to manufacture multi-utility vehicles at Halol. Besides creating employment opportunities for 3,500 people, the expansion may also act as a catalyst for new ancillary units in the area.

18-04-02

Testing Times: The city’s authorities are taking unprecedented precautions to ensure that the examinations starting on 18th April pass off peacefully. The uncertain times dictate unusual measures. As many as 43,782 Vadodara city students are to appear for the SSC and HSC Board examinations which are to be conducted by the Gujarat State Education Board (GSEB). The SSC exams will begin at 9.30 a.m. in 76 centres across the city while HSC students will appear for their exams at 2 p.m. at 54 centres in the city. Elaborate security arrangements have been made at the 130 examination centres in the city. Over 2350 state government employees will be involved in conducting the exams in the district. In addition, 20 flying squads each comprising three members will also be deployed. It has been decided to deploy State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) personnel at the examination centres. Arrangements to transport the minority community students have also been finalised. Around 20 buses will ferry the students from the schools to the centres. An escort vehicle with armed jawans will accompany the buses. A mobile van will move with the buses. The respective police stations have been instructed to maintain a vigil and ensure enough back-up security to the escort vehicle along the route. Once the buses reach the centres, the mobile vans will be parked outside the centres and the personnel will stand guard at the centre. These armed personnel will be in addition to the police staff deployed at the examination centre. Additional mobile vans will patrol areas around the examination centres that are classified as sensitive. Prohibitory orders will be enforced as per the city police commissioner’s instructions within a distance of 100 metres of all the examination centres in Vadodara. The unauthorised entry of vehicles as well as persons has been prohibited from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. from April 18 to May 2 around all the examination centres.

Municipal Commissioner Shifted: Member Secretary of Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB) and senior IAS officer, J.N. Singh, will take over as the next Municipal Commissioner at Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC). The present civic chief Vilasini Ramchandran has been shifted to Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC).

Prof. Upadhyaya Takes Over: The newly appointed MS University vice-chancellor, Prof. K.C. Upadhyaya, is expected to formally take charge from April 18. A biotechnologist presently teaching at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, he will be arriving in the city today.

Curfew Relaxed For 18 Hours: The curfew was relaxed for all persons in the Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. on Thursday, 18th April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 20th April. The ban will not apply to students appearing for the HSC and SSC examinations; by way of proof, students on two-wheelers will have to carry admission tickets to the examination centres.

17-04-02

Vadodara Division Loses Rs. 50 Million: The Vadodara Division of the Western Railways has lost Rs. 50 million due to train ticket refunds and cancellations during the recent tensions in Gujarat. There was further loss due to the cancellation of freight bookings.

Curfew Relaxed For 18 Hours: The curfew was relaxed for all persons in the Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. on Wednesday, 17th April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 20th April. The ban will not apply to students appearing for the HSC and SSC examinations; by way of proof, students on two-wheelers will have to carry admission tickets to the examination centres.

Forgotten Railway Station: Baroda’s Pratapnagar railway station is one of the oldest stations in the Vadodara division of the Indian Railways, but now with only four trains passing through it everyday it is not a money earner. Which may be the reason why it received scant attention when the division prepared to celebrate 150 years if Indian Railways. This station had its days of glory when the Baroda maharajas ruled. Some of the first trains connecting the district started from this station about 100 years ago. Even today the special coach used by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad for taking his guests around is preserved here. This station enabled the first narrow gauge train to run between Miyagam and Dabhoi; on the trial run the train for the first time had to be pulled by bullocks as there was no engine available that time.

16-04-02

Curfew Relaxed For 18 Hours: The curfew was relaxed for all persons in the Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. on Tuesday, 16th April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 20th April.

15-04-02

Pillion Riding Ban Irksome: The city police have reason enough to temporarily ban pillion riding on two-wheelers, but the ban does cause some problems. Going ‘Double Savari’ to school, college and tuition classes is ruled out. Those who want to get a lift to the railway station or bus depot, especially at odd hours or with luggage, are inconvenienced. Trips to the movies or other entertainment haunts are also out, unless you go singles.

Tough Times For Movie Halls: Baroda’s movie halls have a lot of odds stacked against them: the prevailing feeling of fear and uneasiness, the curfews, the impending HSC and SSC examinations, the ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers. All these factors have contributed to a drastic reduction in ticket sales. Even the theatres with new movies (Company, Ankhen, 16 December) are facing thin attendance. Late night shows are closed in most halls due to the curfew and some have reduced daily shows to two or three. Besides, people from the neighbouring villages in the district are also avoiding coming to the city. Chandan Multiplex, which is a few kilometres away from the city, is not so adversely affected.

Curfew Relaxed For 18 Hours: The curfew was relaxed for all persons in the Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. on Monday, 15th April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 20th April.

Curfew Relaxed For 17 Hours: The curfew was relaxed for all persons in the Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. on Sunday, 14th April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 20th April.

13-04-02

Curfew Relaxed For 17 Hours: The curfew was relaxed for all persons in the Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. on Saturday, 13th April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers has been extended till 20th April.

12-04-02

Exhibition of Paintings: Alliance Francaise of Ahmedabad invites you to an exhibition of paintings, ‘PATTERNS’, by Baroda based Kavita Shah. The exhibition shall remain open from 16th April to 25th April 2002 between 11.00 a.m. and 7.00 p.m. (Sunday Closed). At Alliance Francaise Opposite Gujarat College, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad.

Curfew Relaxed For 17 Hours: As the situation has improved further in Vadodara, the curfew was relaxed for all persons in the Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. on Friday, 12th April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers continues.

11-04-02

Curfew Relaxed For 17 Hours: As the situation has improved further in Vadodara, the curfew was relaxed for all persons in the Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. on Thursday, 11th April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 12th April.

10-04-02

SSC & HSC Examinations: The HSC and SSC Board examinations of students in Ahmedabad and Vadodara and other areas of Gujarat where board examinations were disrupted due to the riots are now scheduled to begin on April 18.

Curfew Relaxed For 16 Hours: The curfew was relaxed for all persons in Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. on Wednesday, 10th April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 12th April.

09-04-02

Vijay Chitale's Simple Wish
(This is the text of a letter which appeared in The Times of India on 6th April)

I was chief postmaster general, North-East circle, Shillong and now I have been transferred to Gujarat circle as chief PMG. My association with Gujarat is old. I had spent 11 years in the state as senior superintendent of post offices, Ahmedabad city division, principal, postal training centre, Vadodara, director of postal services, Ahmedabad, PMG, Rajkot and Vadodara. I have always told the staff of North-East about Gujarat postal circle and Gujarat: hard work, industry, enterprise of this populace. The North-East has been dubbed a disturbed area. Gujarat has been one of the most peaceful states in the country, minding its own business and marching towards prosperity, year after year. However, the present turmoil seems to have given a big setback to all this and postal service are no exception. May I recall this beautiful poem on post office: Messenger of sympathy and love, Servant of parting friends, Consoler of the lonely, Bond of scattered families, Instrument of trade and industry, Promoter of mutual faith and goodwill among men and nations. If the postal department can spur mutual faith and goodwill among nations, it can as well do so among the people of Gujarat, too. And we, the postal staff of Gujarat earnestly desire that this should happen and we should be able to contribute our bit to this goodwill. I am coming to Gujarat to take up the assignment and seek the co-operation of all the citizens of Gujarat state in running postal services promptly and efficiently. The disturbances should not deter us in our endeavor. I wonder why the post office should not be open to everybody and why our postmen should not be able to deliver the mail. The box and the bag in which we transport the mail have their own symbolic value, for everybody. In a postal bag, letters, packets, parcels sent by all reside happily and mingle well, irrespective of the religion, caste, creed, political ideology of the writers or recipients of such communication. Can the writers and recipients of such mail also not do ditto in the interest of everybody’s peace? Vijay Chitale, Shillong.

School-Cum-Therapy Centre: Vadodara NGO Disha has launched a school-cum-therapy centre for children with autism and mental disabilities. According to Disha’s president Prabha Mehta, a multi-disciplinary team of experts and professionals will provide specialised care and therapy to these children. Disha’s phone numbers: 325250, 300059 and 313169. E-mail: <dishatrust@icenet.net>

Curfew Relaxed For 16 Hours: The curfew was relaxed for all persons in Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. on Tuesday, 9th April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 12th April.

08-04-02

Curfew Relaxed For 16 Hours: The curfew was relaxed for all persons in Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. on Monday, 8th April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 12th April.

07-04-02

Curfew Relaxed For 15 Hours: The curfew was relaxed for all persons in Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. on Sunday, 7th April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 12th April.

06-04-02

Curfew Relaxed For 15 Hours: The curfew has been relaxed for all persons in Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. on Saturday, 6th April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 12th April.

New Residents At The Zoo: Baroda’s Sayajibaug Zoo has received two pairs of lions and a pair of Himalayan black bears from Chhatbir Zoo in Chandigarh. The four lions were obtained free with the permission of the Central Zoo Authority of India (CZAI). The bears were bartered for a pair of rare parakeets. The zoo presently has nine lions, most of them old. The animals arrived at the zoo on 3rd April. Special water ponds have been created in the cage of the Himalayan bears so that the cage remains cool throughout the day. Water will be sprinkled round-the-clock on the animals to keep them cool.

Workshop On Computers: The Community Science Centre will organise a summer vacation workshop on science and computers (a multimedia program) from April 29 to May 24. The workshop will include vedic mathematics, environment, experiments in Physics and Chemistry, aeromodelling and multi-media computer programmes.

Energy Pathway In Our Body: Ambalal Sarabhai Foundation for Health, Education and Welfare is organising a two-day seminar on ‘Energy Pathway In Our Body’. The seminar will be conducted by Rama Venkatraman from April 13 for various diseases like diabetes, blood pressure, spondolysis, depression and arthritis.

New Diploma Course: The National Institute of Mentally Handicapped, Secunderabad, will conduct one-year diploma course at K.G. Children Hospital which will begin from June 24. Application forms are available for the Central Government recognised diploma in special education (mental retardation) at the hospital.

05-04-02

Curfew Relaxed For 15 Hours: The curfew has been relaxed for all persons in Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 5.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. on Friday, 5th April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 5th April.

04-04-02

Curfew Relaxed For 13 Hours: The curfew has been relaxed for all persons in Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 6.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. on Thursday, 4th April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 5th April.

Renewal of Curfew Passes: All curfew passes issued thus far will be invalid from April 4, and the city police have asked pass-holders to get them renewed at the respective police stations. The new curfew pass format, prepared by Additional Commissioner of Police (Administration) Keshav Kumar, requires the pass-holder’s photograph, the purpose for which the pass is wanted, and the route to be traversed during curfew hours. These conditions will not apply to media persons; their identity cards or accreditation cards will be sufficient.

Water Supply Reduced: Saline water has seeped into the Fajalpur French well that is one of Vadodara’s prime sources of water. The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has therefore been compelled to restrict water supply to just once a day from 3rd April. The seepage, due to the high tide, took place last year too. This well supplies 15 million gallons out of the 50 million gallons of water required for the city.

Arts Faculty Building Restoration: The one-year restoration project on MS University’s historic Arts Faculty building is scheduled to begin from April 15. The faculty dome and the E-shaped building, formerly known as Baroda College, was already in a bad state when it suffered further damage in the earthquake last year. The scaffolding work for the restoration of the dome is being done with assistance from Larsen & Toubro. Karan Grover, an architect and president of Heritage Trust, has been appointed lead consultant for the project. Mumbai-based Gundu Rao, who specialises in architectural conservation of heritage buildings, will undertake the conservation task. MSU has initially sanctioned Rs. 6.2 million for the restoration project.

03-04-02

Curfew Relaxed For 12 Hours: The curfew has been relaxed for all persons in Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 7.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. on Wednesday, 3rd April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 5th April.

New MSU Vice-Chancellor: MS University of Baroda will get a new vice-chancellor after a wait of almost seven months: Prof. Kailash C. Upadhyaya, presently the OSD (Officer on Special Duty) at the National Centre for Plant Genomes Research, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. Earlier Dean of the School of Life Sciences at JNU, he specialises in Plant Molecular Biology. Born in Cassimpur, Uttar Pradesh, in 1946, he completed his masters from Indian Agricultural Institute and did his postdoctoral studies at Pennsylvania State University, USA. He will be the 13th vice-chancellor of MSU.

SAHMAT Exhibition: SAHMAT, Delhi, organised an exhibition of art and a music recital by Shubha Mudgal as a fund-raiser to help those affected by the Gujarat riots. More than 20 Barodian artists contributed to this effort by donating one of their works to the exhibition, among them: Jeram Patel, Jyoti Bhatt, Bhupen Khakkar, Rekha Rodwittiya, Surendran Nair, Vasudevan Akkitham, Rini Dhumal, Sachin Karne, Indrapramit Roy, Vijay Bagodi, Jaykumar, Soumen Das, Ajay Sharma, Pulak Sanpul, Sashidharan, Narendra Patel, Vinha Desaim, Shruti Nelson, Sumati Gangopadhyay, Abhay Gaekwad, D. Bhattacharya, Anjum Chaturvedi and Swarupa Shah. The exhibition and the music recital collected about Rs. 500,000 that SAHMAT will hand over to an NGO working in affected villages to which help is unlikely to reach.

Summer Films for Kids: The Vadodara Centre for Animal Rescue and Emergency has organised a Summer Film Festival which will screen three visually spectacular and sensitive films for both children and adults. The festival will be on April 18, 19 and 20 at Alankar Talkies.

Russian Language Course: Admissions for a self-financed short-term course in Russian language for beginners have started from 2nd April at the department of Russian Language. MS University. The classes will commence from April 4. For details. Ring up +91-265- 786336.

02-04-02

Relaxed For 11 Hours: The curfew has been relaxed for all persons in Wadi, City, Panigate, Navapura, Raopura and Karelibaug police station areas from 8.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. on Tuesday, 2nd April. The ban on pillion riding on two-wheelers will continue till 5th April.