28-12-01

Portrayal 2001: Students from Bichhona Art Classes have put up an exhibition of their paintings of landscapes, charcoal portraits, oil and pastel water colours at Trisha Art Gallery, Jetalpur Road. The exhibition titled ‘Portrayal 2001’ will be on from 10.30 a.m. on 28th and 29th December.

Urs Celebrations: The 13th Annual Urs of sufi saint Khankahe Ehle Sunnat Haji Peer Saiyed Azimuddin Qadri began on 27th December at Dhanani Park, Memon Colony, Vadodara. The annual Urs will be observed till 30th December.

RUSLAN Play: RUSLAN, the cultural and literary wing of MS University’s Russian Language Department, will stage Bhisham Sahni’s play Haanush on January 7 and 8 at the C.C. Mehta Auditorium. The play is directed by Dr. Debal Dasgupta. Haanush was the first production staged by RUSLAN when it was established in 1979.

27-12-01

MSU Convocation: Kiran Bedi, the Joint Commissioner of Police (Training) at Delhi will deliver the convocation address as the chief guest at the 50th annual convocation of MS University of Baroda. The convocation will be held on 12th January 12.

The Zoo Story: Na ghar ka, na ghat ka! This is the sad story of one of Vadodara’s major attractions, the Sayajibaug Zoo. It cannot stay where it is because the Central Zoo Authority has opined quite rightly that it is too cramped. The municipal corporation decided to shift the zoo to more spacious premises at Ajwa, close to Sayaji Sarovar, 20 km from the city. Then there was the breach in the wall of the Pratappura Lake near Asoj in July that led to the inundation of three nearby villages. Officials are now afraid that a similar accident at the Sayaji Sarovar may cause a lot of harm to the zoo’s animals and visitors if the zoo were to be shifted to Ajwa. The shifting plan needs to be looked at again. Until then, the zoo is in the same tight spot.

Quiet Wednesday: Gujarat’s telecommunication and internet facilities including those in Vadodara were severely disrupted on Wednesday, 26th December due to major faults in the western sector of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s national network. The faults were in the Bilimora-Valsad section in Gujarat and around Indore in Madhya Pradesh. The culprit: careless road workers who may have unknowingly dug into optical fibre lines, or carefree rodents reclaiming their rights of way. Whatever be the cause, it doesn’t seem to take a lot of doing to close down the information highway.

Star TV Boycotted: Star TV and the city’s cable operators are having a little fight over the former’s jacked-up rates, and the latter have boycotted Star programmes. Last year, Star charged Rs. 18.50 per connection, which was later increased by Rs. 10, and now it seems that the operators are being asked to pay Rs. 40 per connection. The boycott bandwagon has been joined by Maruti Cables (Karelibaug), JVRD (Manjalpur), UDT (Waghodia-Ajwa), Shree Krishna Cables (Warasia), Sky Cable (Race Course-Gotri), United Cables (Tarsali), Niraj Cable (Ajwa), City Cables (Sayajigunj) and Akash Ganga (City).

Female Foeticide In Baroda: Sahiyar & Women’s Study Research Centre recently studied the falling sex ratio in Baroda. The findings are not very comforting, unless one happens to be in favour of female foeticide. In 1985-86, 922 more boys were born in comparison to girls; in 1998-99, this figure was 2,208. The cause is quite clearly sex determination tests and the subsequent abortions if the child is expected to be female. Of the 70 women covered by the study, 16 had the test done, 9 found that the child was male and one of them opted for an abortion, while all the 7 who found that it was female opted for abortion. Irrespective of the income group, the male child is preferred.

The District Votes: Over 72 % (74.69 % of the males and 70 % of the females) cast their votes in the Vadodara district Gram Panchayat elections on 23rd December. The highest polling was in Karjan (84.55 %), followed by Shinor (79.07 %), Savli (76 %) and Dabhoi (75 %). The lowest (64 %) was recorded in Vadodara (City). Vadodara (Rural) was better (74 %).

Medical Tourists In Baroda: Baroda’s dentists and plastic surgeons are quite pleased with what is loosely termed ‘Medical Tourism’. The vast difference in treatment costs between USA and India ensures that Indians head home for minor medical complaints that cost major dollars, and the facilities here are perfectly acceptable. Besides, areas such as plastic surgery and aesthetic dentistry are not usually covered by insurance companies abroad.

Phone Tapping: Tapping telephones, mobile phones, e-mail and other modes of communication may become legitimate for the state government once the draft Gujarat Control of Organised Crime Bill, 2001, approved recently by the state cabinet, comes into effect. The draft is being sent for to the Home Ministry in New Delhi for formal approval.

Collection At BODHI: Bodhi has introduced a coordinated collection of garments: skirts, pants, blouses, shirts, for the contemporary woman. In Black, Indigo and Maroon hand block printed in pure tussar silk. This collection beautifully blends the earthiness of traditional block printing with chic styling.

24-12-01

Vadodara Win: Jacob Martin and all-rounder Tushar Arothe steered Vadodara (314 for 5 in 50 overs) to a 25-run win over Saurashtra (289 for 8 in 50 overs) on 23rd December in the West Zone one-day Ranji Trophy cricket league match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. This was Vadodara’s first win and Saurashtra’s second defeat.

Sanskrit Antakshari: Over 300 Vedic scholars will participate in the Vedic congress to be organised by Baroda Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya and the National Maharshi Sandipani Veda Pratishtha of Ujjain between January 7 and 11. A refresher course will also be held between January 11 and 31 for teachers from different universities. Competitions will be held in the fields of Sanskrit drama, Sanskrit garba and bhangra, Sanskrit qawwali, Sanskrit elocution and Sanskrit antakshari.

Panchayat Polls: 446 village panchayats in Vadodara went to the polls on 23rd December. The administration had set up 975 polling booths across the district for the elections. There are over 763,000 voters who are eligible to vote. As many as 2,159 candidates were in the fray for the various sarpanch seats in the district and 8,194 candidates had filed nominations for the post of panchayat members. A staff of 2,000 persons of the district administration was on poll duty.

Reconstructive Surgery: During a marathon 300-hour surgical camp from January 1 to 13 over 450 leprosy patients with organ deformities will be operated upon at the SSG Hospital’s trauma centre at Baroda. As many as 35 surgeons from Gujarat and other states will perform the reconstructive surgery on leprosy patients who have been cured of leprosy but have deformed organs. If organ deformities can be corrected with the help of advanced plastic surgery, it helps in the resettlement of patients.

Empowering Women: The directors of Asian Development Bank’s project on promoting innovative technology for women will address a symposium on ‘Role of Banks in Empowering Women’ to be held on January 4 and 5. The symposium is being organised by MS University’s Centre for Continuing & Adult Education & Community Services for representatives of NGOs, academicians, research scholars and extension workers involved in work related to women development through bankable schemes.

Paediatrics Academy: Ravindra Pradhan has been elected president of the Vadodara chapter of Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) for 2002. Sanjeev Goel has been elected secretary and Bakulesh Chauhan has been elected treasurer.

21-12-01

Smoking Banned In Public: The Vadodara city police have issued a notification banning smoking in public places. This notification will remain in force till legal arrangements for the prohibition of smoking in places are made.

University Cricket: The West Zone and the All India University Inter-Zonal Cricket Tournament will be hosted by MS University from December 23 to 31; 38 universities will participate. The inter-zonal meet will be held from January 2 to 11 for which two teams from each zone will qualify. The other zonal tournaments will be held at Vijayawada, Bhagalpur and Aligarh. The Baroda Cricket Association has prepared a turf wicket at the DN Hall ground. Matches will also be held at the Motibaug, Western Railway, GSFC, Alembic, Gujarat Refinery and IPCL grounds. The Vizzy Trophy has also been allotted to MS University, from February 2 to 9. The Baroda Cricket Association will conduct the Vijay Merchant Under-16 knockout cricket tournament in Vadodara from January 1 to 16, 2002. Top 10 teams from all zones will take part in the tournament at IPCL, Alembic and Motibaug grounds.

Cosmetic Surgery Workshop: Baroda’s plastic surgeons will learn about the latest advances in the field of plastic surgery and share their experiences at a three-day workshop on cosmetic surgery and burns beginning on 21st December at the Gujarat Refinery Hospital. About 125 delegates are likely to attend the workshop.

Painting Exhibitions: December 23-January 2. Exhibition of paintings by internationally renowned Baroda based Bhupen Khakkar at Sarjan Art Gallery. Khakkar will also exhibit some of these works in Europe in March 2002. December 24-January 9. Exhibition of paintings by Delhi based Vinod Sharma, at Nazar Art Gallery. Sharma studied at MS University’s Fine Arts Faculty in the 1970s.

Christmas Carnival: December 22, 4 to 9 p.m., at WelcomHotel.

Blind Car Rally: On December 23 the Motor Sports Association of Gujarat and Indian Express will organise a blind car rally, where visually impaired persons will be guiding the driver on the route. The proceeds of the rally will be donated to the Blind Welfare council of Vadodara.

Nonstop Skating Competition: December 24, 25, at MPC Gymkhana, for children under 12 years.

Pooja: On December 26, 16th Annual Shree Aiyappa Pooja Celebrations, at Pooja Ground bear Makarpura Bus Stop, 6 am onwards.

Fun Fair: At Baroda High School (ONGC), December 22, 5.30 p.m.

20-12-01

Award For Vadodara Cricketers: The Vadodara Ranji Trophy team which won the last title has been awarded Rs. 1.1 million by the Gujarat government. The team has won the trophy for the second time since 1957-58 by defeating Railways in the final. Baroda Cricket Association president Chirayu Amin has announced BCA’s decision to make its own cricket ground in the city. (Jacob Martin, Connor Williams, Nayan Mongia, Tushar Arothe, Himanshu Jadav, Valmik Buch, Ajit Bhoite, Zaheer Khan, Satyajit Parab, Irfan Pathan (Jr.,), Rakesh Patel.

Tax Raids: The income-tax department on 19th December swooped down surprisingly on one of Baroda’s better known builder groups. Over 16 premises of the group in Baroda, Surat and Mumbai were searched. The group is also involved in cable TV. More than 100 officials participated in the simultaneously carried our raids.

IPCL’s Suitors: Three bidders – Indian Oil Corporation, Reliance and the IPCL Employees Federation – have been shortlisted by the government for selling its stake in Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd. The detergents and soaps company, Nirma, is also in the fray. As of March 31, 2001, the Government of India held a 60 % stake in IPCL, financial institutions held 14.4 % foreign institutional investors held 2.4 %, domestic companies held 2.9 % and others held 20.3 %. Sales as of 2000-01 were Rs. 58,180 million and net profit was Rs. 2490 million. IPCL’s Vadodara complex is the oldest and comprises of several small and uneconomical units; its Nagothane complex is more modern.

New Head Of Muni Seva Ashram: Muni Seva Ashram’s founder Anuben Thakkar, 58, passed away on 18th December. Originally from a village in the Anjar District of Kutch, she came to Goraj village near Waghodia, in 1978, at the age of 35. Goraj then was a more or less barren area and Anuben built her seva ashram there in determined bits and pieces. The ashram’s modern hospital caters to the people of over 100 villages in the vicinity. The needy are provided subsidised or free medical treatment. The ashram houses the Arogya Mandir, a school, a creche, a home for the elderly, a home for mentally retarded women, ‘Gau Mandir’ and a vocational training centre. It is a hub of welfare activities where the needy find work and food. The Rs. 500 million super speciality Kailash Cancer Hospital is fast nearing completion. The institutions are spread over an area of more than 15 acres and employ a staff of 210. Anuben had a remarkable ability to promote the ashram’s activities in India and abroad. She thus attracted the needed funding as well as the necessary specialist persons to work on the ashram’s various projects. The trustees have decided that the administration of the ashram will now be handed over to Dr. Vikram Patel, who has worked closely with Anuben for the past 18 years.

Diesel Shortage: About 20 city buses of the Gujarat State Road Corporation in Vadodara were taken off the road reportedly due to shortage of diesel. Bus services in Makarpura and Race Course Circle areas were adversely affected.

19-12-01

Financial Crisis At VMC: The revised budget for 2001-02 presented on 18th December by Municipal Commissioner Vilasini Ramchandran showed that the Vadodara Municipal Corporation faces an estimated drop in income by Rs. 560 million, its worst-ever financial crisis. The acute economic recession, the resulting decrease in octroi collection and a skewed tax structure are supposed to be the likely reasons for the revised budget.

MSU Student Becomes Mr. Gujarat: Sanjeev Hazarika, a third-year Science student at MS University was selected Mr. Gujarat in the body building championship (60-65 Kg category) held at Mehmadabad. Planning to have a go at the Mr. India contest in February 2002, Sanjeev is being trained at the Sir Sayajirao Diamond Jubilee Gymnasium.

Suspected Jaundice Cases: A few suspected cases of jaundice have apparently been reported in two housing societies near the Bapod Jakat Naka on Waghodia Road: 91 cases in Samarpan Society and 30 in Mahalaxmi Society. Water contamination may be the reason for the outbreak.

Jacob Martin Will Lead Vadodara: The 14-member Vadodara team for the opening Ranji one-day cricket match against Maharashtra at Mumbai on December 22 has been announced by the Baroda Cricket Association selection committee: Jacob Martin (captain), Satyajit Parab (vice-captain), Rohan Salvi, Nayan Mongia, Tushar Arothe, Atul Bedade, Zaheer Khan, Rakesh Patel, Ajit Bhoite, Irfan Pathan (Sr.), Valmick Buch, Yusuf Pathan, Himanshu Jadhav and Connor Williams.

Nomination For Arun Agnihotri: Baroda based theatre artist Arun Agnihotri has been nominated for the ‘Honorary President Award 2002’ by the Danish Centre of International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People. The award, given once in three years, selects individuals from all over the world who have shown noteworthy excellence in theatre for children and made remarkable artistic contribution towards people’s education.

Laboratory Technology Course: Ambalal Sarabhai Foundation will start a new batch of its Medical Laboratory Technology course for science graduates from January 1, 2002. Interested students should contact the foundation office at Bombay Shopping Centre, Race Course Circle, Vadodara.

Bakery Workshop: Bakery and confectionery experts will conduct a workshop on culinary skills on December 22 and 23. Interested persons should contact 105, Lillier, Akota Padra Road, or ring 303440 for registration between December 18 and 19.

17-12-01

Major Fire Near GSFC: A major fire broke out opposite the Gujarat State Fertiliser Corporation (GSFC) on 14th December in godowns of Colgate Pamolive and two transport companies. Though the damage is estimated to be over Rs. 30 million there were no injuries. The fire brigade departments of Vadodara Municipal Corporation, Indian Petrochemicals Corporation, Gujarat Refinery and Heavy Water Plant were pressed into service and were able to control the situation in six hours. The godowns stored inflammable materials like tar, chemicals, cosmetics, medicines and plastic products. Another fire broke out in the Auto Electric Company at the Makarpura GIDC on the same day, causing damage of about Rs. 700,000.

15-12-01

Doppler Radars For Police: The Baroda traffic police will be deploying Doppler radars to detect overspeeding and quickly note the vehicle’ registration numbers. Ten breath analysers and 50 wireless walkie-talkie sets have also been ordered.

New EME School Chief: Major General M.G. Girish has taken command of the EME School at Baroda. Earlier the Additional Director General (Resource Management) at the Army Headquarters, New Delhi, he was commissioned into the Corps of EME in 1966. He is a mechanical engineer with a postgraduate degree in management science and an alumnus of the National Defence College, New Delhi.

14-12-01

Swar Vilas Recital: Classical music recital by Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande, vocalist, on December 16 at the Institution of Engineers Auditorium, Race Course, at 6 p.m. She will be accompanied by Bharat Kamath on the tabla and Suyog Kundalkar on the harmonium.

Computer Paintings Exhibition: Yogini and Ankur Patel’s paintings are on show at the Shrishti Gallery at Hotel WelcomGroup. Ankur studied Applied Arts at MS University’s Fine Arts Faculty. The exhibition is open till December 16, daily 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Aesthetic Experience: This was the title for an experimental workshop in new media art that was recently organised by Baroda’s Art Underground. The prints of the workshop are on display at the Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, till the end of December. The workshop included eminent painters: Bhupen Khakkar, Gulam Mohammed Sheikh, Jyoti and Jyotsana Bhatt, Dhruv Mistry, Rekha Rodwittiya, Surendra Nair, Sureesh BV, Joejo, P.D. Dhumal, Dashrath Patel, Nataraj Sharma, Rahul Gajjar, Navjot Altaf and Amit Ambalal. The Workshop was supported by Jyoti Ltd. and the Chinmaya Mission, Delhi.

Forthcoming Plays: ‘Adhura toy Madhura’ (December 15 at Gandhinagar Gruh, 9.30 p.m.). ‘Ramta Ramta Gamta Thaiye Re’ (December 16 at Gandhinagar Gruh, 9.30 p.m.). ‘Khara Cho Tame’ (December 17 & 18, at Gandhinagar Gruh, 9.30 p.m.).

Book Exhibition: At Maneesh Bookshop, Manubhai Tower, Sayajigunj. Up to December 16, 10 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.

Food Festival: Stir Fried Food festival at Terra Firma, Holiday Inn. Till December 16.

Parsi Food Festival: December 14-20. At Mirch Masala, 7.30 p.m. onwards.

13-12-01

Multiplex, City’s Latest ‘Status Symbol’: Baroda’s first multiplex – Chandan Multiplex – should be operational this month. It is getting its final touches at Sherkhi village on Sevasi Road, a 10-minute drive from Gotri Road. In terms of size, it will be the biggest movie joint: 200,000 sq. ft of land area, three halls that can seat 600, 600 and 300 persons, a recreation centre with bowling and other frills and the mandatory eating areas. Ticket prices will depend upon the movie and will vary from Rs. 50 to Rs. 75. The movies slotted for the beginning are Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Monsoon Wedding, Rush Hour 2, Bawandar and Tere Liye. Plans are that English films (minus the Hindi dubbing) will be screened regularly. Chandan is owned by CBS Entertainment Ltd., who own Chandan Cinema at Mumbai.

Ajwa Ropeway: The Gujarat government has invited suggestions and objections pertaining to the proposed Ajwa ropeway from Ajwa Park to Ajwa Fun World. Objections and suggestions can be submitted till December 20 at the Vadodara District Collectorate, Room No. 8, Chitnis Department.

GEB Chief: Senior bureaucrat Manjula Subramanium has taken up charge as the chief of Gujarat Electricity Board after the resignation of Nalin Bhatt.

Adventure Camp: This is being organised by State Mountaineering Organisation at Pavagadh from December 25 to 31 for children (8-13 years). The children will be trained in night camping, night trekking, rock climbing, etc. The details of the adventure camp can be obtained from the Vadodara District Sports Office, Narmada Bhavan, 4-C Block.

Exhibition: Creative painting with the help of computer graphics. Organised by Ankur Patel and Yogini Patel at Shristi Art Gallery. December 11 to 16. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Safety Conference: The Gujarat Safety Council and the Factory Inspectorate, Vadodara, will organise the annual state level safety conference on 14th and 15th December at the C.C. Mehta Auditorium of MS University. 650 delegates are expected.

10-12-01

Vadodara Win Ranji Match: Vadodara defeated Saurashtra in the West Zone Ranji Trophy league cricket match by an innings and 184 runs on 8th December (which was only the third day of the match) at Rajkot’s Municipal Corporation cricket ground. The scores: Vadodara 509 (1st Innings); Saurashtra 115 and 210. The last game in the West Zone is against Maharashtra.

Nakli Vaseline: The Vadodara police have sealed a home-operated factory in Sharda Society, Warasia, that seemed to be manufacturing ‘winter jelly’ and illegally marketing under the ‘Vaseline Gold’ brand name which belongs to Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL). Three persons were arrested.

Nalin Bhatt Resigns: Gujarat Electricity Board chairman Nalin Bhatt has submitted his resignation to chief minister Narendra Modi following his appointment as general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party state unit.

8-12-01

Hansa Mehta Library: On the occasion of the international Book Year, MS University’s Hansa Mehta Library has organised a major book fair along with some Baroda book-sellers at the Central Hall of the Arts Faculty. A wide range of books is available at a 10 % discount. This will be on from 4th to 8th December. Incidentally, the total collection of books at MSU’s institution and department libraries is around 700,000. Hansa Mehta Library caters to the needs of nearly 100 MSU departments, remains open to students for 14 hours daily and serves 35,000 students. Nearly 1,500 to 2,000 students visit the library everyday, but it has a staff of just 75 employees. Amazingly, the book stock was verified more than 30 years ago. The stock verification exercise requires the closing down of the library for six months!

Sandalwood Tree Stolen: MS University’s Botanical Gardens has been hit by another sandalwood tree theft case. According to the complaint filed at the Sayajigunj police station, the tree is 50 years old and worth maybe Rs. 8,000. The tree was 8 feet high and had a base diameter of one foot. In the last two years about four fully-grown sandalwood trees have been felled from the MSU campus.

Foundation Course: Baroda Productivity Council (BPC) is offering a nine-month foundation course in Business Administration & Information Technology from February 5, 2002. Registration will be between December 14 and 18. Further information can be obtained from BPC on +91-265-312431.

07-12-01

Sri Aurobindo Ghosh And Baroda: Sri Aurobindo’s followers observed his 51st death anniversary at Baroda’s Sri Aurobindo Niwas, which served as his residence from 1894 to 1906. He was the private secretary to Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad III. He began his association with Baroda by teaching French literature and then he was professor of English while he served as the vice-principal of Baroda College (MS University’s earlier avatar).

IPCL Roadshow In London: The Indian government will begin a week-long roadshow in London on 10th December to try and rope in bidders for its stake in Baroda based Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd. December 18 is the last date for companies to put in their ‘initial expression of interest’ for a 26 % stake in the country’s second largest petrochemical company. It is hoped that global majors like Dow Chemicals and Mitsubishi Chemical will bid, along with domestic companies like Reliance and Indian Oil.

Art Exhibition: Avantika Bawa, who studied Painting at MSU’s Faculty of Fine Arts, now teaches at the College of Art in Savannah, USA. She has organised a show of works on paper tilted ‘Carry On? Drawing’ by a few emerging US artists at Artcore Gallery, Baroda, on December 13-14.

Workshop On Creative Paper-Making: To be conducted by print-maker Anupam Chakraborty at the Vadodara Centre for Contemporary Fiber/Textile Arts (Sainath Avenue, Fatehgunj Main Road) between December 15 and 21. Anupam taught briefly at the Department of Graphics, Faculty of Fine Arts, MSU.

05-12-01

Blast At Factory: A fairly powerful explosion at the Sujat Fine Chemicals factory in the Nandesari Industrial Estate near Baroda killed two employees and injured one on Tuesday evening. All three are from the nearby Rupapura village.

Train Coaches Derail: Two bogies of the Gorakhpur Avadh Express train jumped the railway tracks at Vadodara early on Tuesday morning. The accident may have occurred due to loose shunting at the railway yard. There were fortunately no casualties. The derailment caused some disruptions on the busy Mumbai-Delhi route, delaying most trains passing through Vadodara.

04-12-01

Police Chief Promoted: Vadodara police Commissioner J. Mahapatra has been posted as the Additional DG (Police Reforms) to Gandhinagar in place of the retiring Hiralal. Mahapatra hands over the reins to the Special Inspector General of Police of Vadodara Range, Deepak Swaroop, who will hold charge till a new CP is appointed. The Vadodara commissioner is an IG grade posting. Special IG (Armed Units) D.D. Tuteja is now the Director (Security) & Chief Vigilance Officer of Gujarat Electricity Board at Vadodara. R.V. Jotangia, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), Vadodara City, has been posted as Superintendent of Police, Narmada District. 

03-12-01

Vadodara Lose To Mumbai: Mumbai defeated Vadodara by an innings and 141 runs in the West Zone Ranji Trophy cricket league match that concluded at the IPCL Ground here on 2nd December. Mumbai have two victories from two matches. Vadodara, with two defeats from two matches, will play Saurashtra next week. Vadodara are the current Ranji Trophy champions, but they missed their key players: Connor Williams, Jacob Martin, Rakesh Patel, Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan Jr., who were either representing India elsewhere or were included in the teams playing the touring English side.

Life Partner Selection: The Society for Physically Handicapped (SPH) has planned a life partner selection convention on December 20. If interested, please ring SPH on 792242.

MSU Lecture: A Talk by Gunvant Shah on Pustak ane TV (Books Vs TV) will be delivered at the Central hall of MSU’s Faculty of Arts on 4th December at 10 a.m. on the occasion of the International Book Year.

‘Waste’ Workshop: A workshop on the subject ‘Best from Waste’ has been organised by the Gujarat Information Department and R.K. Arts Centre from December 8 to December 15 at Shriji Art Gallery near the railway station. December 6 is the last date for filing names.

01-12-01

Procession of Lord Narsinhji: Elaborate traffic arrangements were made in Vadodara for the annual procession of Lord Narsinhji which commenced on 30th evening. The religious procession began from Narsinhji Pol in Mandvi at 5 p.m. and converged at the Narsinhji Temple on Saturday at 7 a.m. Many roads in the walled city area were closed to the public from 2 p.m. on Friday till Saturday morning. Incidentally, Narsinhji Pole was earlier called Vanik Pol, then Madan Mohanji Ni Pol, then in Samvat 1794 it got its present name. This procession has a 250-year-old history.

Table Tennis: The sub-junior national table tennis championship is being conducted in Gujarat for the first time. Over 500 participants from about 25 teams are expected to take part, from December 14 to 21, at the indoor tennis court at Lakshmi Vilas Palace, Baroda. The participants will be in two age categories: under-12 and under-14.