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February 2003

28-02-03

Digital Images By Preyas Mehta: An exhibition of digital images titled 'Emerging Layers' by Preyas Mehta has been organised at Abhivyakti Sanskruti Sthal, Kedareshwar Mandir, Near Kirti Mandir. March 3 to 9, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

27-02-03

Section 144 Imposed: The Vadodara police commissioner has issued a notification imposing Section 144 of the CrPC banning assembly of four or more persons in the commissionerate area from the midnight of February 27 to March 13.

26-02-03

Grapes Grown Successfully In Vadodara: Madhubhai Patel, a farmer at Ranoli near Baroda, has successfully cultivated grapes and won a prize at the recent exhibition organised by Baroda Agri-Horticulture Committee. He is the first farmer in Vadodara district to successfully cultivate the fruit, normally a traditional activity of Maharashtra's Nasik-Pune belt. Grape cultivation requires a substantial initial investment of about Rs. 50,000 and a farmer can get a subsidy of Rs. 24,200 per hectare for the first crop. Grapes can be sold at Rs. 20 a Kg. Gujarat government's Horticultural Department is now collaborating with experts from Gujarat Agricultural University to provide the necessary technical expertise.

Alliance Francaise's Classes: Alliance Francaise will start French classes in Baroda from 3rd March. This is the third centre of Alliance Francaise in Gujarat. Besides language skills, the centre will also promote cultural activities.

24-02-03

Film On Transition From Home To Pre-School: The Early Childhood Development & Learning Resource Centre (ECD-LCR) of MS University's Department of Human Development & Family Studies will release a CD featuring a 15-minute film titled 'From Home to Pre-school'. The film was part of Sucheta Jasrai's PhD thesis on an educational programme for tackling the transition from home to pre-school and identifying the problems faced by parents, teachers and toddlers. The film recently received a national award at a national video film competition organized by the Consortium for Education & Communication (CEC) of the University Grants Commission.

21-02-03

City Firm Gets BARC License: India's Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) under the Board of Radiation and Isotope technology has given a license to Baroda based ABS Medicare Pvt. Ltd. to manufacture a product invented by two of its scientists working in BARC. The product is a sterile hydrogel surgical dressing invented at BARC, and it will therefore receive royalty for the transfer of technology. The hydrogel is used widely abroad as a dressing for burns, surgical wounds, bedsores and lacerations of the skin. The product is developed by cross linking hydrophilic polymers like polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sterilisation through gamma radiation.

Aquatic Exhibition: An aquatic exhibition has been organised at the Sayajibaug by the Gujarat Fisheries Department and the Aquarium Association from 20th to 28th February. Sayajibaug did indeed have an aquarium of its own, built by the Sayajirao Gaekwad, but it was closed down in 1962 due to the lack of technical staff and it has since then been used as a shelter for snakes. Depending on the public response to this exhibition the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) may decide on setting up a permanent aquarium.

'Reflections' At Sarjan: Sarjan Art Gallery has organised a major group show from February 21 to February 28 featuring some of India's eminent contemporary artists: Tota Vaikuntham, Suhas Roy, Shyamal Dutta Ray, Shanti Dave, F.N. Souza, Jeram Patel, Jyoti Bhatt, K.G. Subramanyan, Manu and Madhvi Parikh, Bhupen Khakhar, Jayshree Chakravarty, Jatin Das, Aparna Caur, Aelay Laxman, Rekha Rodwittiya, Suresh Jayaram and Shibu Natesan.

Hemendra Bhatt At Akruti: Art therapist and artist Hemendra Bhatt will exhibit his recent paintings – pencil crayons on paper and oils on canvas – at Akruti from February 22 to March 1. Hemendra Bhatt studied painting at MSU's Faculty of Fine Arts in 1974 and took up art therapy as a vocation.

Shrishti Exhibition: A five-day exhibition of landscapes and paintings by Pankaj Vekariya and Falguni Vekariya will be on at Shrishti Gallery, WelcomHotel, from 22nd to 26th February (10 a.m. to 9.00 p.m.).

19-02-03

Taj Acquires Tropicana In Vadodara: It seems that the Taj Group (Tata's Indian Hotels Company Ltd.) has finally acquired the Vadodara based Tropicana Hotel & Convention Centre. The property may be branded as a Taj Residency property and run by the Taj Group on a management franchise basis. Besides the 86-room Tropicana, the Taj has two other properties in Gujarat: the 91-room Taj Residency Ummed at Ahmedabad and the 29-room Gir Lodge at Sasan Gir in Junagadh. Established in 1903, the Taj Group has 50 hotels in 34 locations in India and 11 international properties in the Maldives, UK, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Africa and West Asia.

MSU 'Dresses Up' For UGC Grants: The MS University campus was generally taken to the cleaners in preparation for the inspection, from 19th to 21st February, by a team from India's University Grants Commission (UGC). The visiting team will assess the utilisation of funds granted to MSU in the last Five Year Plan (FYP) and also prepare a report to decide the amount to granted in this FYP. Planning ambitiously to overhaul its infrastructure and go in for increased computerisation, MSU has proposed a budget of around Rs. 500 million for this FYP. Only if wishes were horses!

Last Show Of 'Pappa Jane To': After being staged on and off for 40 years, the play 'Pappa Jane To' had its last show on 16th February at Gandhi Nagargruh, Baroda. It was first staged in 1964 and had a total run of 168 shows in the city. Only six of the original nine actors still survive – Suman Shah (75), Natu Patel (68), Mahesh Parikh (61), Nayan Modi (65), Vrunda Trivedi (65) and Chetna Trivedi (48). Certificates were given on the 16th to all the 120 actors and actresses who have acted in this play from time to time.

Course In Jain Studies At MSU: MS University has started a Jain Academy Education & Research Centre to teach courses in Jainism as well as undertake research in ancient literature. The Shree Kalidas Sakarchand Doshi Trust and the Jain Academy Education Research Centre have provided MSU with a grant of Rs. 1.1 million to start the course. Dr. L.M. Joshi, from MSU's department of Sanskrit. Pali and Prakrit, has been appointed co-ordinator of the programme. The first certificate course began on 11th February with over 25 students. The course fee is Rs. 330 and those who have passed HSC are eligible for admission. The medium of instruction is English, but a student may choose any language for examination purposes.

Satellite Imagery For City Planning: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) will use satellite imagery and a powerful cartographic software called 'ArcFM' to study physical features and correspondingly create a 3-dimentional image of various grids and networks within the city. The pilot project will cover Ward 6 – roughly 20 Sq Km of the Sayajigunj and Akota areas. The project will utilise the services of the NRSA (National Remote Sensing Agency). A consultancy agency is helping to digitise VMC's vast service database and put it into a software called GIS (Geographic Information System).

Yoga & Naturopathy Workshop: Ambalal Sarabhai Foundation will organise a two-day workshop on Yoga and Naturopathy on February 22 and 23. It will be conducted by Dr. Srinivas Solapurkar. The programme will be conducted every Saturday and Sunday. For details please contact the foundation office (1st Floor, Bombay Shopping Centre, Race Course) between 9.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m.

Diploma Course For Teachers: The Medical Care Centre Trust will conduct a one-year diploma course from June 2003 for training teachers for mentally challenged children at K.G. Patel Children Hospital. The diploma is recognised by the Government of India. The qualification needed is HSC or above. Interested persons may apply before April 30. For further information, please contact the co-ordinator, Medical Care Centre Trust, K.G. Patel Children Hospital, Jalaram Marg, Karelibaug, Baroda 390 018.

New Museum Director: The General Administration Department of the Gujarat government has appointed K. Soman as the Director of the Museum & Picture Gallery, Vadodara.

17-02-03

Memorabilia For Gaekwad Fete: An exhibition of rare photographs and other memorabilia depicting the emancipation of women in the old Baroda State has been planned by MS University's Department of Museology at the Faculty of Fine Arts from March 11 to commemorate the 140th birth anniversary of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad. The Sayajirao Gaekwad Smarak Trust has appealed to the people of Vadodara to participate actively in the exhibition by lending any memorabilia that their ancestors may have passed on to them. Please contact Bansidhar Sharma, C-90 Sukrutinagar, Diwalipura, Old Padra Road, Baroda (phone: +91-265-2334630), or M. Gandhi, 9 Sargam Apartment, Piramitar Road, Dandia Bazaar (phone: +91-265-2427977).

Computerised Mapping Of Pipelines: Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has decided to carry out computerised mapping of underground lines in all the 26 municipal wards. The computerised mapping will cover all the details of underground pipeline networks and help the corporation identify leakage points quickly and precisely. The project cost will be Rs. 8 million.

03-02-03

Buddha Statue At EME Mandir: A statue of Lord Buddha will soon be installed at the EME Temple complex which houses the famous Dakshina Moorthy Temple. The statue has been sculpted by Devdatta M. Haldankar of Baroda Museum. The EME Temple, constructed in 1965 under the patronage of the founder Commandant of EME School A.F. Eugene, is the only one of its kind in India as it is made of aluminium and has symbols of five religions. The four entrance doors, made in semi-elliptical shape, represent Jain architecture. The prayer hall is dome-shaped and depicts Islam. The top of the dome represents Buddhism, a 70-foot tower depicts Christianity and the Kailash on top symbolises Hinduism. The temple complex houses about 106 sculptures, some dating back to the 7th century.

Theatre Personality Passes Away: The passing away of renowned theatre personality Yashwant Kelkar on January 11 was not extensively covered. He was the first National School of Drama student from Gujarat. Besides teaching drama at MS University's Faculty of Performing Arts, he was also a meticulous theatre technician. He had acted in over 125 plays and had directed 75 plays in Gujarati, Marathi and Hindi. He won the Gaurav Puraskar for his work in Gujarati theatre, the Gujarat Sangeet Natak Akademi award, and the Maharashtra State Literary Award for his Marathi book 'Natya Nirmiti'.

Lawyers' Study Circle: Baroda has its own lawyers' group; it's called the Lawyer's Saturday Club and has about 70 members. It began as a study circle of close friends in 1997 and blossomed into a 'club' in December 1998. Former Chief Justice of India M.N. Venkatachalliah was present at the first anniversary of the club. A typical club 'session' has some expert delivering a paper on a specific topic, followed by a lively discussion. Its website <www.lawyerssaturdayclub.com> is being inaugurated by former Supreme Court judge Justice G.T. Nanavati.

01-02-03

VCCI 2003 Expo: About 500 small and medium scale manufacturers from all over India will display their products at the VCCI 2003 Exhibition from February 6 to 10. The event has been organised by Vadodara Chamber of Commerce & Industry (VCCI). Separate visiting hours have been allotted for business visitors (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and the general public (3 p.m. to 8 p.m.).