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January 2003

31-01-03

Railway Exhibition: A train designed to depict 150 years of Indian Railways will halt at Vadodara on February 3 and 4. This 'Exhibition on Wheels' has 12 display coaches showcasing the history of railways in India, rail engines, rail coaches, passenger amenities, safety measures, freight services, railway electrification, signaling and telecommunications, rail tourism and suburban rail services. The train will parked be at the Goods Shed (which is near the parcel department). No entry fee will be charged from visitors.

Music Festival At MSU: MS University's Faculty of Performing Arts has organised a two-day music festival on 1st and 2nd February in the memory of Ustad Mawla Bakhsh, its founder principal, and Sufi Hazrat Inayat Khan, his grandson. Eminent musicians and academicians will present their compositions and lectures on the Sufi tradition in Gujarat.

Sports Tournaments: The All Baroda Carrom Tournament will be held at Sardar Vinay Mandir, Karelibaug, from February 7 to 10. The Open Baroda Badminton Tournament will be held at Bal Bhavan Society from February 6 to 9.

30-01-03

Major Fire At Kothi Building: A substantial portion of the 123-year-old District Collectorate Building, built by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad and more popularly known as the Kothi Building, caught fire late on the night of January 28. As the structure is mostly wooden the fire spread rapidly, and it took 20 fire engines and 70 firemen six hours to control it. Severely damaged or destroyed were sensitive documents and archival records of the local crime branch, local intelligence branch, gram rakshak department, weights and measures section and the geology and mining department. Initial reports suggest that the fire may have been caused by an electrical short-circuit. There were no injuries, and the initial estimate of the damage is Rs. 1.3 million.

29-01-03

Sagar Film Academy 'Produces' First Batch: Sagar Film & TV Academy, Baroda, had started a three-month course in acting last year. Thirty-six students of the academy's first batch were awarded their diplomas on 27th January by Gujarat Governor Sundar Singh Bhandari. The course covered Stanislavski's theory of method acting, Brecht's theory of alienation and Bharat Muni's 5000-years-old natyashastra. Students were also taught voice culture, diction and speech, Hindi, dialogue delivery, yoga, dancing, stunts and horse riding. The institute is likely to start courses in direction, television production, photography, editing and computer graphics.

28-01-03

Express Highway Inaugurated: The first phase – covering the 43.4 km stretch between Ahmedabad and Nadiad – of the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway was inaugurated by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on 28th January. The 49.9 km Nadiad-Vadodara section is included in the second phase and will be completed by December 2003. The first phase cost is Rs. 1,800 million, while the second phase is expected to cost Rs. 2,950 million.

27-01-03

Gujarat – The Most Connected State: Over 1500 towers, an 8,000-km optic fibre network and 3.5 million subscribers – all of this makes Gujarat today the most connected state in India. With the country's highest teledensity (5.75), the state may already have achieved the national teledensity target of 7; the country as a whole may do so by 2005. Unlike other states, where customers are concentrated in the metros and urban centers, Gujarat has a customer base spread across the length and breadth of the state. By November 2002 the state had over 750,000 cellular subscribers (there were only 400,000 subscribers till December 2001. While Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. dominates the landscape of basic telephony with about 2.85 million connections, the cellular market is dominated by Hutch. Reliance Industries Ltd. is yet to begin its commercial operations.

25-01-03

Suburbs To Be Integrated Into City: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) is considering major plans to integrate the city's suburbs by providing infrastructure and carrying out beautification drives. The corporation has drawn up Town Planning (TP) schemes for major suburban areas around Vadodara such as Atladra, Gotri, Gorwa, Harni, Sama, Sayajipura, Jambua, Kapurai, Kalali and Tarsali, areas that have been identified for their potential areas for urbanisation. The rate of growth of the city is 23 per cent each year, against the national Indian average of 24 per cent. Each TP scheme is being structured to accommodate a population of 30,000, on a basis of 220 persons per hectare. The selected areas will be provided with a sports complex within a five-km radius, a swimming pool within a three-km radius, and schools, leisure gardens, town centers, police stations, post offices, bus stops and shopping centers within a one-km radius. VMC has already developed five TP schemes for Atladra and two each for Gotri, Harni, Sama and Sayajipura.

Shortage Of Teachers At MSU Techo: About one-third of the teaching posts in the Faculty of Technology & Engineering at the MS University of Baroda are lying vacant. The faculty has 322 teaching posts, but its current strength is only 212 teachers. Of the 74 sanctioned posts of professors, 16 are vacant and 12 professors are expected to retire shortly. The present rules insist on a PhD for a professor's post, and it is difficult to get people who are doing research in technology or engineering. Besides, non-teaching jobs are more lucrative in engineering and engineers prefer not to opt for teaching as a vocation.

Census Of Migratory Birds: The Gujarat Forest Department will conduct for the first time a comprehensive census of migratory birds in the state. The enumeration will be done at 15 wetland locations in and around Vadodara and will be completed by February 2, World Wetlands Day. Non-Governmental agencies like the WWF and Animal Welfare Board will join hands with the Forest Department in this exercise.

Photo Show On Cultural Heritage: Archaeological Survey of India, Vadodara Circle, in collaboration with the Department Of Museology, MS University, will organise a photo exhibition titled 'Cultural Heritage – Significance & Our Responsibility' from 26th to 31st January at the Faculty of Fine Arts. The exhibition will highlight the monumental heritage of Gujarat and Daman & Diu and the major conservation works carried out at centrally protected monuments in the state, especially the monuments affected in the 2001 earthquake.

2-01-03

NRI Parents Association Meeting: According to Mr. Madhusudan B. Mehta (president of NRI Parents Association) the next meeting of the association will be on 25th January at 4.30 p.m. at Rangoli Restaurant, Fatehgunj, Vadodara. All members and those parents whose children are abroad are requested to attend the meeting. The two-hour meeting will be followed by tea and snacks (at Rs. 50 per person). For more information please contact vice president N.G. Jambhekar (+91-265-2391562).

Encyclopedia On Baroda Jail: P.A. Gohil, the deputy jailer of the Baroda Central Jail, has compiled an encyclopedia (published by the jail printing press) covering the big and small details about the jail. Among the facts:
It is the first central jail in Gujarat
It was set around 1881 by the British
The estimated the cost of the 60 acres of land occupied by the jail is Rs. 2,490 million
It now has 1,567 prisoners and 29 television sets
One 26-year-old inmate graduated in Sociology while serving a life term.

Indian Food Festival: Till February 2, at Terra Firma, Hotel Tropicana, 7.30 p.m. to 11.30 p.m.

Paintings On Glass: Sarjan Art Gallery will exhibit the works of Suraj Gohel, a talented artist who paints on glass. January 27 to February 1. The theme for his show is 'Flowers'.

Sandhya Khode At Shrishti: Sandhya Arvind Khode is showing her paintings in the Warli and Madhubani styles at the Shrishti Gallery. January 21 to 30.

23-01-03

Toy Train's Engine Returns To Palace: Ranjitsinh Gaekwad received a priceless gift on his fifth birthday some 60 years ago from his father Pratapsinh Gaekwad. The gift was a fully functional toy train, complete with a steam engine and three coaches. The young prince and his siblings used the train to travel from Laxmi Vilas Palace to the palace school, which incidentally is now the Fatehsinh Museum. Pratapsinh Gaekwad had the train specially made by a London based company, Royal Locomotives. The royal family gifted the entire train in 1958 to the Vadodara Municipal Corporation so that all the city's children could enjoy rides on it at Sayaji Garden. Bollywood history buffs may remember that it was on this train that Shammi Kapoor sang the memorable song 'chakke pe chakka, chakke pe gadi' in the film 'Brahmachari'. In 1993 the train's engine was declared unfit for further use and mothballed in a shed at the Sayaji Garden; the train still continues to run, but it is hauled now by a diesel engine. Ranjitsinh Gaekwad therefore wants his engine back so that he can spruce it up and display it at the Maharaja Fatehsinhrao Museum. Graciously, a grateful city has agreed to return the gift to its original recipient.

AIR Vadodara Preserves City's Musical Legacy: All-India Radio Vadodara has begun the task of preserving Baroda's musical legacy by converting the rare records in its archives into CDs. About 100 rare records have already been converted into CDs and others are being digitised. AIR has several records of classical music masters like Ustad Faiyaz Khan, Shiv Kumar Shukla, Anwar Hussain, Vilayat Hussain Khan and others who have performed in the city. It also has a collection of some rare stage plays by renowned theatre artists like C.C. Mehta, Markand Bhatt and Yashwant Kelkar, besides records of instrumental artists like Dharmiklal Pandya (Manbhatt) and Dawood Khan (Sarangi).

New Netaji Statue: When the Baroda mayor garlands a new statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose at Wadi Wadi on his birth anniversary on 23rd January, art enthusiasts will be happy that the older statue, which was generally considered to be aesthetically unpleasant, will finally be replaced. The new statue has been sculpted in bronze by Ahmedabad based sculptor Jasuben Shilpi. Now several city artists and organisations are suggesting that two more statutes – that of Rana Pratap at Fatehgunj and of B.R. Ambedkar near the Gujarat Electricity Board office at Alkapuri – be replaced too.

2-01-03

Pavagadh Ropeway Accident: There was a major accident on Sunday, 19th January, which was caused by a snag in the ropeway that carries pilgrims and tourists to the top of the Pavagadh hills near Baroda. Seven persons died in the accident and 45 were injured.

The sequence of events:
11.00 a.m.: 56 trolleys of the ropeway were running when the system failed, with two trolleys crashing to the ground and three banging into pillars.
11.15 a.m.: Ropeway staff and locals begin rescue operations.
12.00 Noon: A Gujarat minister reaches the site to oversee rescue operations.
12.30 p.m.: Fire tenders from Baroda reach the site and join the rescue operations.
3.00 p.m.: Army helicopter makes sorties.
4.00 p.m.: Army team arrives from Baroda.
4.30 p.m.: Disaster management team reaches the site from Baroda.
7.15 p.m.: Rescue operations end with all the trapped passengers brought down to safety.

The ropeway, which began operations 14 years ago, runs from Machi in the middle of the hills to the Mahakali temple on the hilltop.

Music As Therapy: Research conducted at Baroda Medical College's departments of Medicine and Psychiatry suggests that music may help to cure some psychosomatic disorders. The research studied the therapeutic effects of specific ragas of Hindustani classical music on specific psychosomatic disorders. The study was conducted, among others, by Dr. Nivedita Mehta, who is a doctor of medicine and a singer with a diploma in classical music from MS University's Faculty of Performing Arts. She presented her research findings at the 55th annual national conference of the Indian Psychiatric Society in Hyderabad. The research dealt with four different ragas: for essential hypertension, Raga Ahir Bhairav played in the early morning; for bronchial asthma, Raga Darbari Kannada played late at night; for insomnia, Raga Puria played late in the evening; for depression, Raga Bhim Palasi played in the afternoon. The basis of the study is the ancient medicine system wherein a disease is linked to the three 'doshas' caused by the imbalance in 'vaat, pith and kapha' (the elements – air, water and fire). An imbalance of these three manifests itself as a disease. The hypothesis being scrutinised was that the playing of certain ragas at specific times sets right the imbalances, as music creates certain rhythms that affect the human mind and can harmonise the imbalances. The research was a controlled study conducted on 80 patients at the OPD level at the SSG Hospital. The patients were tested on the basis of physiological, psychological and clinical parameters before and after the study. The study lasted for 45 days, during which the patients were made to listen to cassettes for 30 minutes everyday.

SSC & HSC Exams: About 654,000 SSC students and 312,000 HSC students (from 6700 secondary schools and 4000 higher secondary schools) will appear for the Gujarat Secondary Education Board examinations which will be conducted from 25th March to 8th April.

Vadodara's Water Woes: Vadodara's population is expected to increase from the current 1.5 million to 3.5 million by 2025, and the demand for water will jump from the present 290 MLD (million litres per day) to about 600 MLD. Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) now draws water from four French wells in Vasad, Poicha, Dodka and Raika, as well as from the Ajwa reservoir, 56 tube wells along Mahisagar and 22 tube wells at various locations within the city. The water infrastructure is designed for a capacity withdrawal of 270 MLD, but with the VMC drawing 290 MLD (about 64.3 million gallons a day) there is a lot of pressure on the existing tube wells and the Ajwa reservoir with the result that the water table is depleting fast at these locations.

MSU's Commerce Faculty May Be Split: New restructuring plans have recently been proposed for MS University of Baroda. If the plans are approved, the Faculty of Commerce, the largest faculty in the university with over 17,000 students, may be split into five mutually competing sections for the sake of administrative convenience.

21-01-03

Top 100 Schools: This year five educational institutions from Gujarat – Manav Kendra Gyan Mandir (Baroda), Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan’ V.M. Public School (Baroda), Rajkumar College (Rajkot), Sainik School (Balachadi) and Vallabh Ashram’s MGM Amin & VN Savani School (Valsad) – have made it to the list of the top 100 Indian residential schools. The list is published in the book ‘Guide To Good Schools of India’, written by Sandeep Dutt. The book was first published in 1999. The book also has an online version and can be accessed at www.goodschoolsofindia.com. The publishers, English Book Depot, are one of India’s leading bookstores. Sandeep Dutt is an alumnus of Doon School. Baroda’s Manav Kendra Gyan Mandir is also featured in the website www.boardingschools.com, a compilation of top residential schools of the world.

New VMC Commissioner: V.C. Patel, an IAS officer of the 1980 batch, is the new Vadodara Municipal Commissioner (VMC). He was earlier the Managing Director of Gujarat State Handloom Development Corporation. Arvind Agrawal, who held the post till now, has been shifted to Gandhinagar as the new Cottage Industries Commissioner.

Flower Arrangement Competition: Baroda Metropolitan Junior Chamber (BMJC) will organise an ‘Open Baroda Fresh Flower Arrangement Competition’ on Republic Day (January 26) at Hotel Express, Alkapuri, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Those who wish to participate may contact Madan Mahida (91-265-2391747) or Sandhya Modi (91-265-2339075).

Exhibition-Cum-Sale: Gujarat State Khadi & Village Industries Board has organised a 10-day exhibition-cum-sale of Khadi and village industries products at the exhibition ground near Kirti Stambh from 21st 30th January.

Baroda Festival: The ‘Baroda Festival’ will be held from February 7 to 9 at M.C. High School, Salatwada. It is organised every year by the Way to Unity Trust, an NGO, to highlight the culture and tradition of the Maharashtrian community in the city.

13-01-03

3 New Flyovers Planned: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) wants to build three new flyovers at an estimated cost of Rs. 440 million. VMC's General Board has passed the proposal, the money has been allocated, but clearance is awaited from the railway authorities. The 3 sites are:

• One at the Mumbai broad gauge railway crossing along the Makarpura GIDC Ring Road (25 metres wide, cost Rs. 140 million).
• One to connect Akota and Dandia Bazaar (700 metres long, 18 metres wide, cost Rs. 180 million).
• One to link Nizampura and Navayard D-Cabin area (cost Rs. 120 million).