January, 2002

31-01-02

Exhibition At Railway College: The Railway Staff College at Baroda is celebrating its golden jubilee on January 31. To mark its Golden Jubilee, the Railway Staff College at Vadodara has set up a permanent exhibition recording its own growth as well as the history of the Pratap Vilas Palace where it is housed. Many members of Baroda’s Gaekwad family were born and brought up in Pratap Vilas Palace. The college has Pratapsinghrao Gaekwad’s marriage album. The visitor can also see glimpses of the college’s inaugural ceremony on January 31, 1952, as well as the text of the speech by the then railway minister N. Gopalswami Aiyenger.

Teacher Awarded: Each year the Indian government awards contributions in the field of Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states. Tejas Vidyalaya teacher Dr. Ranu Mukherji’ won the award this year for her collection of 19 stories – Kise Pukaru – in the short story category. The prize money is Rs. 50,000. Earlier she had received the Gujarat Hindi Sahitya Academy award for her thesis on Saakhisahitya, a comparative analysis of Hindi and Gujarati lyrics written by saints in Gujarat.

Musical Recital: New Era School has organised Hemant Utsav, a Hindustani classical music recital at its premises in Nizampura on February 2 and 3. Eminent vocalist Aditi Upadhyaya (trained under Shobha Gurtu and Dinkar Kaikini) will perform on February 2 at 6.30 p.m. On February 3 at 10 a.m. Ghulam Hussain Khan (Raja Miyan) will perform. Kalapini Komkali (daughter of Kumar Gandharva and Vasundhara Komkali) will perform on February 3 at 6.30 p.m. Free passes are available at Kalpana Traders, Shoppe, B.M. Amin and Hotel Surya Palace.

The Cupid Connections: Artcore Contemporary Art Gallery will organise this show from 14th February. It will exhibit artworks by artist couples. Artists who are expected to participate: Jyoti Bhatt & Jyotsana Bhatt, Nikhileshwar & Swaroopa, Dr. Deepak & Uma Kannal, Heeral & Bunty, Vibha & Narendra, Molina & Yunnus Khimani, Vasudevan Akkitham & Manisha Doshi, Ganesh & Santana Gohain, Ratan Parimoo & Naina Dalal, Shashi & Anjum, Virendra & Shalini Patel, Kakoli & Bauni.

Ba Saheb: Play at Gandhinagar Gruh. With Arvind Rathod, Sangita Joshi, Kiran Bhatt, Alpesh Dixit. February 1. 9.30 p.m.

Catalogue Show On Metal Working: February 1 & 2. At WelcomHotel. 9.30 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.

Heritage Of Birds: The Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery has organised a special exhibition on February 2 to celebrate ‘World Wasteland Day’. The exhibition is on ‘Heritage of Birds’ and contains photographs and information about more than 40 different species of birds as seen in their natural habitat in wastelands.

30-01-02

Fluid Lignite Developed At MSU: Fluid lignite has been developed successfully by MS University’s Chemistry Department and it may become a viable commercial venture. The Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC) will set up a pilot plant for its manufacture. Fluid lignite is cheaper than furnace oil and LDO (Liquified Diesel Oil) which are presently used as industrial fuels. Prof. Surekha Devi and others at MSU took six months to develop the fuel, which is also more environment-friendly.

Music Competition: The finals of the All-India invitation Hindustani vocal classical music competition for the Udayan Indubhai Award will be held on February 3 at MSU’s Faculty of Performing Arts concert hall. The competition has been organised by Swar Vilas.

MSU Students Resent Exam Fee Hikes: MS University students have boycotted classes in science and technology courses and said that they would also disrupt medicine and home science classes. In some faculties, the fees have been raised from Rs. 90 to Rs. 150 and from Rs. 120 to Rs. 420. In medicine, a Rs. 300 hike has now made the fee Rs. 1200.

Second-Hand Kinetics: Kinetic plans to open special outlets called ‘Kinetic Renew Shoppe to sell second-hand Kinetic Honda scooters that have been reconditioned by experts. Customers will also get on-the-spot financing, free servicing and a warranty policy. Such outlets will initially be in Baroda and Ahmedabad, and then at 40 locations in the country.

Tennis Tournament: Polo Club’s ‘Open Baroda Tennis Tournament’ will be held from February 5 to 9 at Polo Club and Akota Stadium. Please collect the entry forms from Polo Club before 3rd February.

City Boy For Maths Olympiad: Athrava Poundarik of New Era School will be participating in the Indian National Mathematics Olympiad (INMO) as a member of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) group. The INMO will be held on February 3 and will have 30 students from all over the country.

Railway Staff College: The Railway Staff College at Baroda will celebrate its golden jubilee on January 31.

Painting Awards: Maria Merchant, 13, a standard eight student of Utkarsh Vidyalaya, has won the Jawaharlal Nehru Gold Medal at the Shankar’s International Painting Competition for her painting ‘Wedding Reception’.

Meditation Camp: The Vadodara Vipassana Society will conduct a Vipassana Dhyan Camp on February 3 at the New Era English School campus at Nizampura from 12 noon. Those willing to join can ring up +91-265-434630 for details.

Adhura Toye Madhura: January 31, at Gandhi Nagar Gruh. With Apra Mehta and Phiroze Bhagat.

Jagjit Singh Concert: February 2, 8.30 p.m. At Polo Club.

25-01-02

Bomb Hoax At Nyay Mandir: An anonymous letter in Gujarati threatening to blow up the district court building at Vadodara was received by the police. The police were kept on their toes for several hours on Thursday, 24th January. The threat turned out to be false; an exhaustive search of the court premises by the police as well as the bomb disposal squad yielded nothing.

Sayajigunj Constituency Election: For the forthcoming assembly election on February 21 for the Sayajigunj constituency, the District Collectorate has issued the final list of registered voters. The total number of voters is 393,000. In the last assembly elections, there were 375,000 registered voters. The three major candidates are Jitu Sukhadia (BJP), Dalsukh Prajapati (Congress) and Jaspal Singh (Samajwadi Party).

Corrective Surgery For The Needy: The Shree Krishna Hospital in Karamsad has invited patients in need of corrective surgeries to take the benefit of its facilities and experts. The treatment costs (including the cost of implants and prosthetics) will be subsidised by the hospital. Patients can write to: Shree Krishna Hospital & Medical Research Centre, Gokal Nagar, Karamsad 388 325.

Alag Chata Lagolag: January 29: An Indian National Theatre play starring Muni Jha and Sujata Mehta and directed by Suresh Rajda. January 29, at Gandhinagar Gruh, 9 p.m. onwards.

Bhajan Sandhya: ‘Shraddanjali 2002’, by eminent playback singer Suresh Wadkar, at University Pavilion, January 26, 8 p.m. onwards. Wadkar is best known for his hits like Utsav, Parinda, Chandni and Maachis.

Anniversary Programme: 335th Birth Anniversary of Shri Gobind Singhji at Rania Plant. Organised by Comed Chemicals, January 27.

Digital Images (Kutch Earthquake): An exhibition of works by Pranav and Priyum Jyoti in digital images. At Shristi Art Gallery, WelcomHotel Vadodara. January 25 to 30.

Great Indian Bazaar: A show of photographs by Vivan Sundaram. At Nazar Art Gallery. February 1 to 16.

Patriotism Awareness Exhibition: A special awareness campaign exhibition, ‘Bharatiyatva, Faded Patriotism’ will be on at MS University’s Faculty of Fine Arts from January 26 to January 30.

Pottery Workshop: January 28 to February 8. At Sarjak, a wing of Sarjan Gallery at Hobby Centre. Ruchita Shah will train participants in various aspects such as wheel throwing, hand building, glazing and Raku firing.

Eat Your Fill: Special Republic Day menu at Havmor restaurant. January 26 to 31.

24-01-02

New Telephone Directory: The telephone department has asked subscribers to collect the new telephone directory from the respective Area SDE office on production of the telephone bill dated November 11, 2001. The customer service centres of the department are located at GIDC Makarpura, Kothi, Fatehgunj, Karelibaug and all taluka level headquarters.

Online Jain University: Vadodara management consultant Rajesh Khajuria and the Shree Samast Vadodara Jain Sangh plan to launch an online Jain university on February 3, The website will offer introductory foundation courses in Jainism. Prof. N.J. Vyas, head of M S University’s Philosophy Department, is also a member of the academic council of the virtual university. To begin with, the course content will be available in English.

Saree/Kurta Exhibition: Hand embroidered. Organised by Shrujan. January 23-25. 10.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. At Trisha Art Gallery, Jetalpur Road, Behind Snappy.

23-01-02

More VMC Taxes Proposed: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) administration has proposed a budget that calls for an additional income of Rs. 200 million by imposing new taxes and increasing the existing ones. The major proposals included in the draft budget:

• A change in the method of calculation of property tax, so as to allow for carpet area based calculation, which should rope in an additional Re. 80 million.
• Streetlight charges: Rs. 120 per year per taxpayer. More than Rs.100 million is spent on streetlights every year.
• An increase in water tax, to hopefully rope in Rs. 70 million.
• An increase in gas charges, to hopefully rope in Rs. 39 million.

New Police Commissioner: Mr. D.D. Tuteja has become Vadodara city’s new Commissioner of Police (CP) from Tuesday, January 22. The post has been upgraded to Additional Director General. He had been promoted to the IPS in 1974 from the state police services. Tuteja has worked in Vadodara as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (City) in 1972-73 and as a Deputy Commissioner of Police in 1992-93. He was also District Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Vadodara District and Special Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Vadodara Range.

His other postings: Bharuch DSP, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) at Ahmedabad, Junagadh Range Special IGP, besides being deputed to the Central government as CISF Commandant. His wife is a faculty member in MS University’s Home Science department and also a girls hostel warden.

Homeopathic Hospital: A homeopathic hospital set up by Lions Club of Baroda (Main) and Association for the Blind will be inaugurated at the School for Blind (Blind Home) near GEB Substation, Subhanpura, on January 26.

Balshree Award For City Students: Two students from Baroda’s Bal Bhavan Society have won the National Balshree Award for their creative writing skills. The students are Shreya Dasgupta of New Era School, Nizampura, and Nihar Kumthekar of Vidhyani Vidyalaya. The awards were given to them recently Ms Usha Narayanan at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.

IndusInd ATM: IndusInd Bank will open its first ATM in Vadodara on January 24 at 15, Vama Square, Ayurvedic College Teen Rasta, Panigate.

Expo-2002: A 3-day ‘Expo-2002 National Vendor Development Programme and Industrial Exhibition’ will be on at Parsi Agiari Ground, Sayajigunj, from January 24. It has been organised by Small Industries Service Institute, Ahmedabad, Federation of Small Scale Industries, Vadodara, Industries Commissioner, Gandhinagar, and National Small Industries Corporation. There will be a seminar on Vendor Development on January 25.

IT Show 2002: 25th to 27th January. 10 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. At Palace Garba Ground, Jail. Road, Opposite Narmada Bhavan, Baroda. Organised by Baroda Information Technology Association (BITA).

Hasya Kavi Samelan: January 25, 8.30 p.m. Organised by Maheshwari Yuva Munch. At Gandhinagar Gruh.

Mahesh Kumar & Party & Naresh Kanodia: January 27, at 9.15 p.m. At Gandhinagar Gruh.

19-01-02

Facelift For MSU Commerce Syllabus: Though it is subjected to minor housekeeping once every two years, the MS University Commerce syllabus has not undergone any major structural changes in the last 40 years. Since it’s about time now, a recently constituted 21-member restructuring committee will hopefully do some major renovations. The committee comprises of heads of all the departments, senior teachers and representatives of industry. It intends to finish its task within six months and implement the changes in the coming academic session.

Garden Club: Community Science Centre, an NGO, has started a garden club from 19th January. Interested persons should contact the office at DDE-ORG, Sarabhai Compound, Wadi-Wadi, Baroda, for registration or ring up 282115.

Yog Sadhana: Ambalal Sarabhai Foundation and Yog Niketan will jointly organise a new batch of Yog Sadhana from February 1 at the foundation premises. Those interested can contact the office at 1st Floor, Bombay Shopping Centre, Race Course, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Molecular Medicine Symposium: An international symposium on Molecular Medicine with special reference to the molecular and pharmacological aspects of allergy and related diseases will be held at Vadodara from January 20 to 23. A mini symposium on the ‘Role of proteomics, genomics and bioinformatics in new drug discovery’ will also be organised. The symposium is being jointly organised by Sun Pharma Advanced Research Centre (SPARC), MS University and the State University of New York, Buffalo, USA. Around 50 eminent scientists from USA, UK, Canada, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany are expected to present their latest development in molecular medicine.

Exhibition Of Coins: An exhibition on ‘Coins of Native and Princely States’ of India will be held at the Department of Museology of the Faculty of Fine Arts beginning from January 22. It will continue till January 25.

Madhurima Exhibition: Salwar Kameez Ensembles & Sarees. January 21 & 22, 10 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. Trisha Gallery, Vishwas Colony, Behind Snappy Fast Food, Jetalpur Road. Designer: Minnie Mehra, Delhi.

Diamond Jewellery Exhibition: January 19 & 20. At ‘Shikhar’ Hall, WelcomeHotel. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. By Manek Gem-Art International, Mumbai.

Magic Show: By ‘Jaadu Samrat Mangal’ on January 19 & 20, 6.00 p.m. and 9.00 p.m. Venue: Near Gotri Police Station, Gotri.

Stage Comedy: ‘Jeva Chhiye, Tamara Chhiye’. An Upendra Trivedi production. January 21 & 22, at Gandhinagar Gruh. 9:15 p.m. Actors: Amit Divetia & Rupa Divetia.

18-01-02

Exhibition Of Durries: A collection of durries in cotton, jute, jute/wool blends and sunshine hemp in a large variety if sizes. January 19 to 26, at Bodhi, Akshar Chowk, Old Padra Road.

Paintings By Darshita Mankad: Sarjan Art Gallery, January 19 to 26, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Subject: ‘Village Culture – Silent Communication’. Inauguration by Ranjitsingh Gaekwad on January 19.

17-01-02

Exhibition of Historical Records: Barodians and other city lovers can see a unique exhibition of ancient historical records at the Records Office in the Kothi Collectorate premises. The Gujarat state archives department has given a week-long (January 17 to 23) opportunity to citizens to view the historical records preserved in the state archives. The massive archival collection contains more than 500,000 files and 10,000 books. One Pharsi language manuscript dates back to 1607. For those who love vague statistics, if all of the 58,000 packets of files were to be opened and laid end to end they would cover a distance of over 16 km. The collection of historical data and records was first started in the Baroda State in 1879 by Maharaja Khanderao Gaekwad. He encouraged his officers to preserve all old and new government documents in the State Records Office.

Passport Headaches Reduced: Passport formalities will be a bit easier now in Gujarat. To decentralise the process, all 29 offices of district superintendents of police all over the state will also function as passport application collection centres from February. These centres will accept fresh passport applications and forward them to the main office in Ahmedabad. The Regional Passport Office in Ahmedabad has already started two-day training programmes for over 80 police personnel from 29 districts.

NRIs, Your Acronym May Change: We refer to the semantic confusion that may be caused by India’s acceptance of the ‘dual citizen’. What term will we now use for an Indian who is a citizen of both USA and India? Will the dual citizen no longer be just an NRI? And, if USA permits dual citizenship with say Kenya, would the ‘Indian Dual’ be permitted to get the Kenyan citizenship too and re-classify himself as ‘Indian Triple’? Seriously, though, about 20 million Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) were given a present when the Government of India recently allowed them to opt for dual citizenship.

Some pertinent facts:

• Initially this will be for Indians in the US, Canada, UK, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, the countries that already provide it.
• Visa free entry and a 10-year passport, renewable for a fee.
• They can buy property, movable and immovable.
• Transfer of money will be governed only by Reserve Bank of India restrictions.
• They will be taxed only in the country of their primary citizenship.
• All those who were Indian citizens at the commencement of the Constitution, their descendants, and even those who had relinquished citizenship, will be entitled to dual citizenship.
• The People of Indian Origin (PIO) scheme will not be scrapped since many people do not wish to acquire dual citizenship.
• They will not have the right to contest elections, vote in them or serve in the Army.
• With security a concern, dual citizenship will be permitted only to those who ‘satisfy criteria in the legislation to be enacted to amend the relevant sections of the Citizenship Act1955’.

Even if a third of the 20 million NRIs opt for dual citizenship, the $ 100 each that they will pay as the initial processing fee for the dual citizenship passport will rake in roughly $ 600 million at one go. If NRI investments also increase as a result, India will benefit immensely. Such hopes are fuelled by the Chinese example, where non-residents contribute over 90 % of foreign direct investment (FDI).

16-01-02

STD PCO Operators Hit Hard: With the recent lowering of STD rates and the earlier announcement that Internet telephony would be legal from April 1, the revenues of India’s STD operators have been hit really hard, so much so that many of them may be forced to close shop. There are around 3,500 operators in the city and nearby rural areas, and they are asking for an increase in the commission percentage. Presently, they earn a commission of 24 paise per call, which they want stepped up to 40 paise. If the commission is not increased their current monthly earnings of Rs. 25 million may drop to Rs. 12.5 million.

13-01-02

Kiren Bedi’s Impromptu Convocation Address Wows MSU Campus: Kiran Bedi was well armed with wisdom and at her witty best as she pleasantly disarmed her audience while delivering the 50th Annual Convocation address at the MS University of Baroda on Saturday, 12th January. Departing from tradition, she spoke extempore. Besides being India’s first woman IPS officer, she boldly pioneered prison reforms when she was in charge of Tihar Jail. She has also introduced fairly innovative policing practices. It was in recognition of her heartwarming achievements that she was honoured with the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace. Drawing upon the feelings bred by her experiences, she peppered her words of no-nonsense wisdom with wit that was refreshing for a convocation gathering. Being Kiran Bedi, she spoke from the heart, but she spoke her mind. And the language was simple. Let’s see whether her message hits home.

Excerpts from her address:

• Our education provides literacy, employment and commerce but true education should produce good human beings. Ethics, values and humanity comprise Spiritual Quotient (SQ) which is as important as Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and Emotional Quotient (EQ).
• I want the freedom of speech. So, I decided not to prepare the convocation address. I would rather say what I feel today than saying what I would have felt 10 days ago.
• Your chancellor said, ‘I give you this degree, remember to be worthy of it in life.’ …This is a loaded statement and students who receive their degrees should know how they can become worthy of the degree that they are conferred today.
• If education does not provide the country with honest leadership and patriotic citizens, and if evils like the dowry system flourish under the patronage of educated boys and girls then that education cannot be education in its true sense.
• If the expensive education that the society, teachers and parents provide cannot bring forth more personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekanand, Sardar Patel and Subhash Chandra Bose then this education has failed to provide SQ.
• Students who received subsidised education oppose fee hikes and burn buses. But what have the students who passed out from this university given back to society after receiving subsidised education?
• Of what use would this expensive convocation programme and degrees be without SQ which provides one the skill to use knowledge?
• This university has many courses like applied mechanics, science, technology and arts but if education has to make a good human being, we need courses in applied non-violence, ethical leadership, human values engineering, conflict resolution, ethical management, communication skills, parenting skills and art of living.
• If classroom education does not provide SQ students should undertake to learn it through self-training.
• Read books from the education point of view not from the exam point of view.
• When I was at Tihar jail I reformed prisoners. They felt they were criminals because of society. When I trained policemen they say they are pressurised due to society. Both are ‘kaidis …. ek karmon ka kaidi hai, ek circumstances ka kaidi hai’.

Illegal Cassettes: The Baroda police on 11th January raided a factory in the Warasia area that was alleged to be making duplicate audio and video cassettes. Miscellaneous items worth over Rs. 160,000 were confiscated.

12-01-02

‘Bottoms Up’ At Baroda: Bharat Dabholkar will stage his musical comedy ‘Bottoms Up’ on January 26 and 27, 7.30 p.m., at the C.C. Mehta Auditorium. He is well known for his Hinglish comedies and musical effects in India and abroad. Last year he had staged ‘Oh No Not Again’ at Baroda. Tickets available at Shoppe, Goodies Cafeteria, Frigtemp.

Mexican Food Festival: ‘Fiesta Mexicana’, at Early Bird, Holiday Inn Hotel, January 11 to 20.

ICSI Coaching: The Vadodara chapter of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) will begin coaching classes for foundation and intermediate students from January 17. If interested, contact the ICSI at Office No. 1, 2nd Floor, Stop-n-Shop Plaza, R.C. Dutt Road. Phone: 331498.

New Cinema Hall: Priya is a new cinema hall at Gotri, near the Gokulnagar bus stop. Seating capacity: 1,200. Tickets: Rs. 30 for balcony seat and Rs. 15 for stalls. Air-cooled. Parking space for 250 cars. Designed by architect Arun Vakil, who also designed the Aradhana and Krishna cinema halls.

Prizes For Professors: Archaeologist Professor V.H. Sonawane’s paper on ‘Early Farming Communities of Gujarat’ and Professor Dilip Mohite’s paper on ‘The Post Cold War Indian Foreign Policy: Continuity & Change’ have won the Hari Om Ashram Prerit Bhaikaka Inter-University Smarak Trust Prizes for 2000-2001. The prizes have been instituted by the Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar.

Painting Workshop: The International Society of Naturalists (INSONA) will conduct an interactive creative workshop where children can express their thoughts and ideas about nature and wildlife through painting and other art forms. The workshop will be at Kirti Mandir on January 20. Parents will be allowed to guide their children through the programme.

Music Programme: Kedar Art Research and Faiyyaz Khan Memorial Trust have organised a classical rendition of thumris and ghazals by Prachi Vaidya Dubale at Surya Palace Hotel. January 12, 7p.m.

Krishna Leela: An award-winning artist from Mathura will present Krishna Leela at Prem Prakash Ashram, Warasia. January 13, 5.30 p.m.

Professionalism In Art: Nita Thakore’s Centre for Contemporary Fiber & Textile Arts has organised a one-day exercise in professionalism in the arts to be conducted by artist Rekha Rodwittiya on January 26. The exercise will focus on certain elementary training that young persons who have decided on the arts as a full-time career need to take into account.

Get A Phone In 48 Hours: Vadodara Telecom District will provide new telephone connections under the ‘Phone on Phone’ scheme to people in areas served by the Fatehgunj, Gorwa, Sayajigunj, Manjalpur, Wadi, Gotri, Karelibaug, Jawaharnagar, IPCL and Nizampura exchanges. Interested customers can dial 517600 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on working days for the registration of a new telephone (including ISDN connections). Personnel from the telecom department will visit the customer’s place between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on the same day with blank application forms. A demand draft or cheque of Rs 1,000 will be collected from the customer along with the application form. The new connection will be made available within 48 hours on receipt of the completed application, subject to the cheque being cleared and the availability of cable pairs.

You Can Help Your Baroda: MS University’s Faculty of Arts dome has been much in the news of late. The foundation stone for the Arts Faculty, formerly known as Baroda College, was laid by Sayajirao Gaekwad III on January 8, 1879. The college later evolved into the MS University of Baroda. The faculty’s dome, inspired by the Gol Gumbaj at Bijapur, is the second largest in India, and it is in need of urgent repairs. To highlight this need and raise the funds for its renovation, a human chain of over 800 MSU students and staff was formed around the Arts Faculty building on 8th January. The students and teachers also submitted a memorandum to the Vadodara District Collector and appealed for co-operation to preserve the building. This building has more than just architectural significance, for it has been the place where intellectuals such as Sri Aurobindo, Vinoba Bhave, Rang Avadhoot, Kaka Kalelkar, K.M. Munshi and Meghnad Desai came to as faculty or as students. The restoration project needs about Rs. 50 million, of which only Rs. 7.5 million have been committed so far.

Board Examinations: The SSC and HSC examinations conducted by Gujarat State Examination Board have been scheduled to begin on March 11.

MSU Exam Fees Hiked: MS University has increased the examination fees. Ph.D. students will now pay Rs. 7,500 (up from Rs. 1,500) and M.Phil students will pay Rs. 3000 (up from Rs.1000). Undergraduate and postgraduate students will pay Rs. 300 to Rs. 380 depending upon the number of papers.

Baroda Win Ranji Match: Baroda won by six wickets against Maharashtra and secured 8 points on the final day of the four-day West Zone Ranji Trophy league match at the Nehru Stadium, Pune, on 8th January. Baroda now has the second spot (after Mumbai) in the West Zone league, ahead of third-placed Gujarat, Maharashtra (4th) and Saurashtra (last).

Computer Course: The Community Science Centre has announced a 30-day computer programme for professionals, executives, graduates and housewives from January 17. The content: computer fundamentals, WOS, Office-2000, Internet. To register, contact ‘Nandanvan’, DDE-ORG, Sarabhai Chemicals premises.

Explosion At Sun Pharma Lab: Fire brigade officials are investigating the cause of an explosion which took place in the microbiology laboratory of Sun Pharma Advanced Research Centre (SPARC) on Akota Road at around 3 a.m. on 7th January. There were no injuries. The fire brigade took less than an hour to put out the fire that followed the explosion.