31-12-05

Vadodara Day: On January 3, 2006, a music band will welcome passengers at Baroda's airport, railway station and bus station. The day will be celebrated as Vadodara Day; it coincides with the coronation day of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III. Many cultural programmes have been planned for the day. For the first time, an exhibition of articles used by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad will be displayed at the Fatehsinh Museum. At the end of the 'festival' celebrations the authorities will collect about 25,000 forms with suggestions from individuals regarding their vision for the city. These suggestion will form the basis for the final draft of the City Development Plan, which will be funded by the National Urban Renewal Mission.

Emergency Helpline: The Emergency Medical Services Council of Vadodara has started a helpline along with Lifeline Foundation to cater to accident and medical emergencies. Just dial 5559555 and an ambulance will reach the spot within a few minutes. The helpline will be a 24 hour service catering to all parts of the city. The council has tied up with six hospitals including SSG Hospital, Jamnabai Hospital, Unity Hospital, Bhailal Amin Hospital, Narhari Amin Hospital and Yogini Vasantidevi Hospital. The city has been divided into 25 zones. The Lifeline Foundation runs emergency services on the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway and National Highway 8. Paramedics, attendants, ambulance drivers and emergency room doctors of 25 hospitals and the Vadodara Municipal Corporation have been trained by the EMS council. The hospitals and ambulances are connected to the control room at Lifeline Foundation with wireless services. This project has received support from Apollo Tyres, GAIL and Voltamp Industries.

BCA Gets GM Sponsorship: The Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) has received a three-year sponsorship worth Rs. 3 million annually from General Motors (GM). This is the biggest sponsorship deal so far for the BCA. GM will give Rs. 2.6 million in cash annually, and the rest of the money in the form of cricketing gear and clothes with the sponsor's logo. BCA players in various categories (under-15 and up) will be involved in product promotion. Players like Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan may endorse GM cars.

Visa Extension Facilities: Foreigners of Indian origin staying in Vadodara can now avail of visa extension services at the foreigner's branch of the Police Commissioner's office (and the Superintendent of Police, Vadodara Rural, for district residents). Earlier they needed to go to Gandhinagar for this purpose.

Aircraft Maintenance Hub: An aircraft maintenance hub (service station) for small and medium domestic aircraft may be set up at the Vadodara airport. This has been proposed by the Gujarat government which believes that the Vadodara airport can become a major aviation base in western India. Land has been identified for the purpose and requisite details have been forwarded to the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Proposed to be developed by the end of 2006, the hub will cost the government about Rs. 200 million. The state government will later invite private parties to operate and maintain the facility. The developer or the operator will be given the maintenance facility on a lease rental basis.

Avro Hanger At Harni: The Indian Air Force's Rhino Squadron will soon have a state-of-art Avro hanger at Harni airfield. The facility will be developed at a cost of Rs. 83 million and will enable the SWAC (South Western Air Command) to service two Avro or AN-32 class aircraft at a time. The Rhino Squadron was started at Barrackpore (near Kolkata) in 1951 and now has its permanent base at Baroda.

Marathi Drama School: Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Natya Parishad has started its first branch in Gujarat at Vadodara. The organization trains people in theatre skills. Established a hundred years ago, it seeks to promote Marathi Natya Vangmay, Natya Kala, Natya Shastra and Rangbhoomi. Famous Marathi actors such as Mohan Joshi, Vikram Gokhale, Reema Lagoo, Smita Talwalkar and Dilip Prabhavalkar will hold regular workshops in acting, directing, scripting and other theatre skills.

New Mayor: BJP's Sunil Solanki has been selected as the mayor of Vadodara. Mamta Kale is the new deputy mayor. Dinesh Choksi is now the standing committee chairman.

Naturalist Gets Global Appointment: Gunvant M. Oza, the General Secretary of the International Society of Naturalists (INSONA), has been appointed a member of the Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM) of the World Conservation Union until the next IUCN World Conservation Congress, which is scheduled to take place in 2008.

Award For MSU Librarian: The Indian Library Association has awarded the 'Best Librarian Award' to Dr. Kautilya Shukla, librarian of MS University's Hansa Mehta Library, at the all-India library conference at Kurukshetra in Haryana. MSU has recently introduced fully automated smart cards at Hansa Mehta Library.

16-12-05

New Voters' List: On the directions of the election commission, the task of rectifying the voters' list and registering new voters will be started from January 1, 2006. Door-to-door visits will be made throughout Baroda, and new voters above the age of 18 will be identified. Details of physically challenged persons will also be noted. Existing identity cards will be checked. To ensure that they are not missed out citizens should ring up the election department on 2425656.

15-12-05

Municipal Elections: Of the 84 seats in the Baroda Municipal Corporation, the BJP won 76, the Congress 7 and others 1.

12-12-05

Poll Violence: Elections to the Vadodara Municipal Corporation were conducted on Sunday, 11th December. Sporadic incidents of violence marked the polling process. Repolling has been ordered by the State Election Commission at six polling booths in ward number 20. The voter turnout was low, just 43 to 45 per cent.

11-12-05

VMC Elections: As many as 407 candidates will contest for 82 seats in the Vadodara Municipal Corporation elections on December 11. Two seats have been uncontested. The BJP will field 82 candidates, Congress 82 candidates, other parties 77 and independents 166. Out of the total 977 polling booths, 378 have been declared sensitive and 99 hypersensitive. A poll staff of 3,998 aided by around 5,640 police officials will supervise election-related work.

09-12-05

Halts At Vishwamitri Station: The Vadodara division of Western Railways (WR) proposes to introduce halts at the (Vishwamitri station) near Manjalpur for at least five trains passing through the city. These halts will be in addition to the halts at the main railway station in Sayajigunj. This move is in response to requests from people who stay in Makarpura and Manjalpur. Besides, the main station in Sayajigunj is extremely crowded (40,000 passengers daily) and the halt at Vishwamitri will ease some of its load.

Book Fair: Organised by Ashish Book Centre, Mumbai. LMP Display Centre, Sayajigunj, Baroda. Till December 11. 9.30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Dum Pukht - Awadhi Food Festival: At Sayaji Hotel. Till December 18. 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

07-12-05

New Nursing College: MS University of Baroda and USA's University of South Florida (USF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up a Rs. 65-million nursing college, hopefully by 2006. The modalities remain to be worked out. The MoU also includes the mention of a 'School of Human Excellence and Ethical Leadership'. Details still have to be finalised. The nursing college will offer a bachelor's level course at the Sir Sayajirao General Hospital.

Lecture By Soli Sorabjee: Heritage Trust's 3rd Viraasat Lecture will be delivered by Shri Soli Sorabjee, eminent jurist and former Attorney-General of India Shri Soli Sorabjee. The subject will be 'Heritage Jurisprudence: Indian Context'. The lecture - at 5.30 p.m. on December 10, 2005, at Tropicana Hall, Hotel Taj Residency, Baroda - is open to all.

06-12-05

Kane Heads Wind Energy Body: Dr. Anil Kane, formerly vice-chancellor of MS University of Baroda, has been elected president of World Wind Energy Association (WWEA). He is founder chairman of the Indian Wind Energy Association (IWEA) and vice-president of WWEA since 2003. WWEA has over 200 members from 72 countries. Most of the members are national associations, scientific institutes and companies in related activities. Headquartered in Bonn, Germany, WWEA works for the substitution of fossil and nuclear fuels by renewable energy sources. Currently, 50,000 MW of electricity is produced by wind energy across the world. India is today the fourth largest producer (with 4,200 MW). In 2000, wind-power generation in the country was only 172 MW. The growth has taken place because from 2002 the government allowed an investor to deduct 80 % of the money invested in wind energy from his taxable income. Also, the government's Textile Upgradation Fund Scheme gave a 5 % subsidy for investment in windmills. Therefore, companies looked at the windmill sector for both energy requirements as well as investments. Of course, the energy grid remains by and large disconnected from the windmill grid and the supporting infrastructure is still weak. The investment per megawatt for wind and coal is the same, Rs. 45 million. Wind energy is environment friendly, but less efficient. However, the technology is improving and more efficient and powerful windmills are round the corner.

Art & Craft Festival: Till 12th December. 10.30 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. Parsi Agiyari Ground, Sayajigunj.

05-12-05

Modern Airport For Baroda: The Baroda and Rajkot airport will soon have some of the world-class facilities that the Ahmedabad airport now has. The Indian government has decided to include these two in the list of 35 non-metro airports to be equipped with many of the facilities available in major cities of the world. Among the new facilities: a larger apron to accommodate more aircraft, a parallel taxi track to reduce the time that an aircraft spends between take-off and landing, air-conditioning at the domestic terminal building, etc. The development of the 35 non-metro airports will cost about Rs. 70 billion.

Dual Status For PIOs: The overseas citizenship scheme, which allows persons of Indian origin (PIOs) residing in other countries to be granted Indian citizenship, has begun and been extended to all PIOs who migrated from India after January 26, 1950 (except those in Pakistan and Bangladesh). The Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) scheme was earlier applicable to PIOs residing in select countries only. It will now be applicable to PIOs in all nations which permit dual citizenship. The Prime Minister will formally launch the scheme on January 7, 2006, as a part of the fourth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas event (to be held in Hyderabad from January 7 to 9). A universal integrated electronics remittances gateway, enabling NRIs to send money back home, will also be announced during the event.

02-12-05

Helmets Compulsory: The helmet rule has finally come into force from 1st December in Gujarat for two-wheeler riders. Seat belts for car drivers are also mandatory. The fines for non-compliance: Rs. 50 for not wearing a helmet and Rs. 100 for not fastening the seat belts.

Baroda's Street Light System: Officers from the Bangalore Municipal Corporation and Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) visited Baroda recently to study the city's streetlight system. Baroda has among the most efficient street lighting systems in India, and the authorities in Bangalore would like to learn from the Barodian experience. The system uses less power, provides more illumination and causes less pollution. The Vadodara Municipal Corporation has been able to save 24,000 KW of electricity, and almost Rs. 10 million, every year. Mercury lamps were replaced by sodium vapour lamps, which use less power and provide more light, and regulators and timers were also incorporated to control the power usage. Baroda has roughly 50,000 street lights, which cost VMC Rs. 5 million per month.

28-11-05

Municipal Elections On Dec 11: Elections in five Gujarat municipal corporations - Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar - will be held on December 11, along with elections in four municipalities of Padra, Una, Morbi and Mehsana and by-elections in 21 seats of various municipalities in Jamnagar, Porbandar, Kheda, Navsari, Patan, Anand, Surendranagar, Junagadh, Amreli and Ahmedabad districts. November 26 is the last date for the filing of nominations. The scrutiny of papers will be on November 28 and the last date for the withdrawal of nominations is November 29. The counting of votes will be on December 13. Vadodara has 1.069 million voters spread over 28 wards.

Student Exchange Programme: The Faculty of Fine Arts at MS University of Baroda and France's Ecole Nationale Superierure Beau Arts (ENSBA) in Paris have started a student exchange programme. The programme will facilitate the exchange of three students, one each from sculpture, painting and graphic arts. The faculty is negotiating similar programmes with fine arts colleges in Sydney and Oakland.

BCA's Windfall from ODI: The final one-day international cricket match between India and Sri Lanka generated a profit of Rs. 10 million for the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA), its highest till date. This was the first international match organised by BCA after the India-West Indies match in 2001-02. Most of the proceeds came from media bookings and broadcast rights. Incidentally, the match was insured for Rs. 74.5 million.

Pathan Is UWB Ambassador: Cricketer Irfan Pathan has consented to be the goodwill ambassador of the United Way of Baroda (UWB). He is already a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. He will support major fund-raising efforts of UWB and endorse public awareness campaigns pertaining to female foeticide, HIV/AIDS, women empowerment and a cleaner Vadodara.

Jewellery Exhibition: Gold Plated, Ethnic, American Diamonds. By Shri Sringar. Trisha Art Gallery. Nov 26-28. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

15-11-05

New Pipeline From Ajwa: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation plans to lay one more water pipeline from the Ajwa reservoir to the city. Baroda presently receives water supply from two pipelines which were laid over 100 years ago when the Ajwa dam was constructed by Maharaja Sayajirao. The Ajwa dam provides water to 30 per cent of the city, the rest coming from bore wells and French wells in the Mahi river. The route of the new 10-km pipeline will be from Ajwa to Nimeta, and then to the Panigate, Tarsali and Nalanda water tanks in the eastern part of the city. The Rs. 90-million project will be financed by the National Urban Renewal Mission.

11-11-05

More Private Airlines: Three more private airlines may begin operations from Baroda in the near future - Air Sahara, SpiceJet and GoAir. Plans are being made at the airport for additional ticketing counters. Currently, only Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and Air Deccan operate from the city.

05-11-05

SSG Hospital To Have Emergency Unit Soon: Baroda's SSG Hospital may soon have an emergency medical services (EMS) unit. Helped by an American team and also the alumni of the Baroda Medical College (BMC), a two-year postgraduate course in emergency medical services will also be started. The EMS unit will be set up by the emergency medicine wings of the University of South Florida and the University of Illinois, Chicago, the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin and Dr. Chandresh Saraiya Charities. Dr. Saraiya is a BMC alumnus who has settled in USA. SSG Hospital does have a trauma centre but it is not equipped with emergency medical services which include other disciplines like paediatrics, obstetrics, pathology, surgery and orthopaedics.

Overseas Remittances: India tops the list of overseas remittances to any country by emigrant workers. The money Indian workers abroad send back home (about $ 20 billion in 2004) is higher than FDI inflows (around $ 4.5 billion a year). The remittance figures do not include the money coming in through the unofficial route. Money transferred through the unofficial route is huge and remains largely unaccounted for. The remittances represent an important resource for the development for the recipient country. They provide households additional resources to access basic social services including health care and education and the purchase of consumption goods. Remittances represent a potential economic tool for accelerating growth and development, and contribute directly to increasing the wealth of beneficiary families.

From Vikram Vasant Limaye: Dear Baroda-Online Team: You guys are amazing. You keep everyone of us (the ones who are outside Vadodara/India) updated. I am in Melbourne, Australia, doing my Masters. I really miss our Vadodara. That's the reason everyday I visit this site to breathe the fresh air of Vadodara. Believe me, everyday I visit all the wallpapers of this website. I want to tell people who are in Vadodara or about to leave Vadodara: "Guys, enjoy your every single second in Vadodara, believe me you will miss it when you stay away for a longer period." Vikram Vasant Limaye <vikramlimaye@rediffmail.com>

15-10-05

Railway Outsources Service: The Vadodara division of Western Railway plans to outsource its inquiry services - now available on phone number 131 - to a private call centre. The service may begin next month. The Vadodara division may thus become the first division in Gujarat to outsource its inquiry service. Patna and Bhopal already have this system in place. The '131' service provides basic information such as the scheduled and expected train timings.

04-10-05

Garbas Till Midnight: India's Supreme Court has relaxed the loudspeaker deadline during Navratri by two hours till midnight under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) rules. A Divison Bench passed an interim order under which the state could relax the ban for 15 days in a year. What this means is that garbas can go on till midnight. The earlier deadline was 10 p.m.

New Civic Centre: Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has opened a second city civic centre. It is located near Sayajibaug. The first civic centre is situated at Badamdi Baug.

Wildlife Photo Exhibition: International Society of Naturalists and Baroda Museum have jointly organised a week-long exhibition of wildlife photographs by Yogendra Shah, a photographer from Surendranagar, at Baroda Museum. October 4 to 10.

01-10-05

Electricity Cables To Go Underground: Many of Baroda's electricity supply wires will go underground soon. The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) and the Madhya Gujarat Vij Company Ltd. (MGVCL) are collaborating to remove overhead electricity lines from many areas of the city. This will remove the nuisance of the ugly and unsafe overhead lines and haphazardly placed electric poles. Underground cables are safer and provide more durable electricity supply. The project will cost Rs. 200 million and it will be taken up in a phases - first the main roads, then arterial roads and, feasibility permitting, the streets in the old city areas. Work has already begun on the Old Padra Road.

Municipal Polls: The election department of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation recently announced the primary voters' list for the forthcoming civic polls. The list has 1,006,452 voters. This is just a preliminary list which is subject to revision. The final list is expected to be out on October 21.

Dress Code At VMC: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) will soon have a dress code for its 150 Class I and Class II officers - black trousers and light grey shirts with identity cards pinned to the shirt pockets. The code is not compulsory, and ladies have been exempted. The municipal commissioner will also dress accordingly. Presently, VMC's Class IV employees have an all-white uniform.

New FOGSI President: Pankaj Desai, associate professor in the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Baroda Medical College, has been elected as the national president of the Federation of Obstetrics & Gynaecological Societies of India.

26-09-05

Indus Valley Museum: Global Heritage Fund (GHF) of USA may invest $ 1.2 million to set up 'Indus Centre', a museum featuring the Indus Valley civilization, at Baroda. The Indus Centre will also include an international research centre and conservation institute for research students and experts. The GHF has already established the Indus Heritage Trust (India) to raise funds for the project from within the country. The funds provided by GHF from USA will be for designing, conservation and planning. Founded in 2001, GHF works to save ancient sites around the world.

305 'Holidays' Annually: Did you know that 450,000 civil and criminal cases are pending in Vadodara's courts. The courts have worked for about 60 days every year for the last three years (instead of 135 days every year). The courts enjoy 23 public holidays, six weeks' summer vacation, two weeks' winter vacation, one week' Diwali vacation and a holiday on every second and fourth Saturday of the month. Each judge has about 15,000 cases on his hands, instead of the 500 cases he is supposed to handle. At least 150 judges are required to handle the cases quickly, but the court has only 30 judges.

09-09-05

Three ODIs In Gujarat: All the three One-Day International centres in Gujarat - Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Rajkot - have been allotted a match each when the Sri Lankan cricket team tours India in October-November this year. The Ahmedabad match will be a day-night one. The tentative dates: Ahmedabad on November 6, Vadodara on November 9 and Rajkot on November 12.

Helmet Rule Relaxed Again: The Gujarat High Court has again relaxed the helmet rule for two-wheeler riders, this time till November 30. The rule that made wearing of helmets compulsory will however remain in effect on state and national highways. The reason for the extension of the time limit was that there is a shortage of helmets with the ISI mark. It seems that another 3.5 million helmets are required to meet the demand.

Anjani Ambegaokar Honoured: Former Barodian and now NRI Anjani Ambegaokar was recently awarded the National Heritage Fellowship by the United States government for the promotion of Kathak. An MSU alumnus who had settled in USA in 1967, she is the first Indian dancer to get this recognition from the US National Endowment for Arts (NEA). Other Indians who have received this award in the past are sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, flutist T. Vishwanathan and tabla maestro Zakir Hussain. She runs the Sunder Kala Kendra Dance School in USA.

MSU Convocation: Montek Singh Ahluwalia (Deputy Chairman of India's Planning Commission) and Lata Mangeshkar are likely to be the chief guests at the annual convocation of MS University to be held on October 8.

National Book Fair: Parsi Agiyari Ground, Sayajigunj, September 9 to 18. 12 noon to 9 p.m.

07-09-05

Broad Gauge To Chhota Udepur: Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav recently laid the foundation stone for the conversion of the 99.27-km Pratapnagar-Chhota Udepur railway line from narrow gauge to broad gauge. Union Minister of State for Railways Naran Rathwa, who hails from Chhota Udepur, said that he will ask for the line to be extended to Dhar and at a later stage to Indore. The gauge conversion of 99.27-km-long line will be converted. Work on the line is expected to begin in October.

Makeover For Health Museum: A proposal has been floated to convert the Health Museum into a city museum-cum-art gallery. The proposal has been made to the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) authorities by Vadodara Initiative, a group of public spirited citizens who have even undertaken to raise Rs. 2. 5million to fund their idea. The building was constructed in 1935 by the British.

President's Award For Dr. Nanavati: Former director of MS University's Oriental Institute and former head of the Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit department, Dr. Rajendra Nanavati, recently received the President's award for research in classical languages. Associated with MSU for 19 years, Dr. Nanavati is the third academician from Vadodara to receive the honour. Earlier, late professor Arunoday Jani and professor Sureshchandra Kantawala (both of whom were directors of the Oriental Institute) had received such awards. The award carries a lifetime recurring amount of Rs. 50,000 per year.

President's Medal For H.J. Taparia: Deputy Chief Fire Officer H.J. Taparia of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) Fire Brigade was recently awarded the President's fire services medal for meritorious services. In his 21-year career, he has participated in rescue operations in Gujarat and elsewhere.

06-09-05

ASI Joins Hands With Heritage Trust: The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) recently signed an MoU with Baroda based NGO Heritage Trust for the conservation of the Champaner-Pavagadh ruins. The ruins have already received the World Heritage Site status of UNESCO. This MoU sets a precedent for more public-private partnerships to conserve heritage sites in India. ASI is understaffed to effectively look after its 5000 monuments. It should ideally have a staff of 10,000 (the Taj Mahal alone needs about 300 people). Incidentally, the ASI does not have a single architect of its own.

Art & Craft Shopping Festival: Till 12th September. 10.30 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. Parsi Agiyari Ground, Sayajigunj.

Ganesha Exhibition: On display at the Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery is a collection of 38 rare exhibits on Lord Ganesha. Lord Ganesha is depicted in his various manifestations through different media like painting, sculpture, terracotta, wood, metal, ivory and textiles. A majority of the exhibits are from the collections of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad. The exhibition will be open till September 25.

Lanxess ABS Gallery: 'Nomenclature', an exhibition of eight young contemporary artists. 4.00 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.

26-08-05

New Amphitheatre: Thanks to the initiative taken by some Barodians the city now has an amphitheatre. Located behind the Health Museum in Sayajibaug, it was made possible by a grant of Rs. 1 million by Gujarat Industries Power Company Ltd. Located. Culture groups now have an additional venue at their disposal, besides the MS University CC Mehta Auditorium and the municipal corporation’s Gandhinagargruh. The 100-feet wide amphitheatre, which can seat 500 people, was designed by architect Amit Shrivastava.

01-08-05

Teacher Training Institute: Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan will set up an Indian Institute of Education (IIE) in Baroda to train teachers for English medium secondary and higher secondary schools in Gujarat. The cost of the project is Rs. 200 million. The self-financed residential institution will admit 250 students from June 2006. It will have autonomous status and come up on the Bhavan's campus in Makarpura. IIE will offer four-year BA-Bed, BSc-Bed, BCom-Bed courses to students after passing Class XII board examinations. Admission tests will be conducted at the national level.

28-07-05

Flood Damage to City Infrastructure: According to preliminary estimates, the damage caused by the recent floods to the infrastructure of Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) may cost the civic body Rs. 3 billion. The damage to the storm water system may cost Rs. 1.27 billion. The other heads: water supply network (Rs. 720 million), roads (Rs. 670 million), sanitation works and drainage system.

29-06-05

Army On Alert: Four persons were killed in Baroda and surrounding areas due to heavy rain on Tuesday (28th June). Over the last two days some 15,000 people have been evacuated in and around Baroda. The evacuees are from 17 villages in Karjan taluka, 28 in Padra taluka and five in Naswadi taluka. The rain left four villages marooned - Puniad in Dabhoi taluka, and Sasrod, Nareshwar, and Simdi in Karjan taluka. The district administration has asked the Army and the Air Force to be on high alert. Several colonies on the city's outskirts remained inundated, and roads turned into waterways in places like Alkapuri, Gorwa, Subhanpura and Sayajigunj. Train and bus services have been badly affected. Over 20 trains were either re-scheduled or diverted on Tuesday because of waterlogging on tracks. GSRTC buses were also delayed and re-scheduled. To top it all, there was a strike by autorickshaws in protest against the rise in petrol and diesel prices. The air services, however, were unaffected. The Vishwamitri River was at 24 feet on Wednesday afternoon. The danger level of the river is at 28 feet. The Ajwa reservoir was at 208.3 feet on Tuesday (its danger level is at 214 feet) while the Pratappura reservoir was at 226.7 feet (its danger level is at 229 feet).

27-06-05

Monsoon Arrives: The summer was so scorching and uncomfortable that people were eagerly looking forward to the monsoon. Now that the monsoon has arrived, with a bang rather than a whimper, some of the eagerness seems to have dissipated. Three days of heavy rain has disrupted normal life in the city and everyone is looking forward to a spell of sunshine so that the waterlogged city can dry up a bit.

Dual Citizenship: A simplified, one-page form for members of the Indian diaspora qualifying for dual citizenship will be issued by India's overseas missions and consulates from August 2005. In normal cases the process will take just two weeks. If there are any doubts, the process may take a little longer, but certainly not more than three months. Dual citizenship will be available to members of the diaspora who migrated from India after January 26, 1950, when India became a republic. It will, however, not be extended to persons of Indian origin, their children and grandchildren who migrated to Pakistan or Bangladesh after January 26, 1950. The dual citizenship will be extended to persons of Indian origin who meet these criteria as long as their home countries also allow dual citizenship in some form or the other. Earlier, dual citizenship was open to persons of Indian origin in 16 countries - Australia, Britain, Canada, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Cyprus, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.

Sexual Harassment Panel: The MS University will form a committee to redress sexual harassment cases on the campus. Following Supreme Court guidelines the committee will have 50 per cent of its members as females. India's apex court has made it mandatory for all government and non-government organisations to have a mechanism to deal with sexual harassment cases. In a recent survey by a university faculty member 68 per cent of the university's girls said that they were sexually harassed.

16-06-05

VMC Tries For World Bank Loan: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) is trying to get a loan of over Rs. 10 billion from the World Bank (WB). A WB team visited the city on 11th June to discuss the projects to be undertaken. According to the plans, Rs. 3.75 billion will be spent on drinking water projects, Rs. 1.45 billion on sewerage lines, Rs. 4 billion on storm water drains, Rs. 1 billion on laying new roads and Rs. 1.3 billion on the Vishwamitri River Water Front Project (including construction of mini-dams to conserve rainwater).

Fire At Gujarat Refinery: A major accident was averted at the Indian Oil Corporation's Gujarat Refinery on 15th June when the staff managed to isolate a fire that broke out in one of the pipelines connected to the newly rebuilt fluid catalytic converter (FCC) plant. Three fire-fighting units of the refinery, three from the Vadodara Municipal Corporation and two from the IPCL and GSFC plants took three hours to extinguish the fire. One person escaped with minor burns. The fire broke out just eight months after a major accident (on October 29, 2004) in which the FCC plant was totally damaged and two persons were killed.

Cyber Crime Cell: The Baroda police department will set up a separate cyber crime cell, the first of its kind in Gujarat, to tackle criminal activities in e-commerce and e-banking. The group, to be housed in Police Bhavan, will have 12 members and it will be headed by a sub-inspector. The staff is being trained by the CID Crime Branch and the Gujarat Crime Records Bureau.

03-06-05

New District Collector: Vadodara District Collector Bhagyesh Jha has been shifted to Gandhinagar and appointed Commissioner of Entertainment Tax. He will also hold the post of Director of Information Department. Bharuch Collector Rajiv Topno has replaced Jha as Vadodara District Collector. Junagadh District Collector R.K. Pathak has been transferred and appointed Vadodara Municipal Commissioner. He replaces G.P. Joshi, who has been appointed Director (Finance) in SSNNL (Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd.).

Compulsory Wearing Of Helmets: The Gujarat High Court had made the wearing of helmets compulsory in the state for two-wheeler drivers and pillion riders from June 1. Now the court has granted a temporary reprieve to the government by extending the date for the strict implementation of the order till June 16. The interim order was passed after the government stated that making available standard ISI mark helmets for 5.2 million drivers and pillion riders through vendors was a major task.

29-06-05

Army On Alert: Four persons were killed in Baroda and surrounding areas due to heavy rain on Tuesday (28th June). Over the last two days some 15,000 people have been evacuated in and around Baroda. The evacuees are from 17 villages in Karjan taluka, 28 in Padra taluka and five in Naswadi taluka. The rain left four villages marooned - Puniad in Dabhoi taluka, and Sasrod, Nareshwar, and Simdi in Karjan taluka. The district administration has asked the Army and the Air Force to be on high alert. Several colonies on the city's outskirts remained inundated, and roads turned into waterways in places like Alkapuri, Gorwa, Subhanpura and Sayajigunj. Train and bus services have been badly affected. Over 20 trains were either re-scheduled or diverted on Tuesday because of waterlogging on tracks. GSRTC buses were also delayed and re-scheduled. To top it all, there was a strike by autorickshaws in protest against the rise in petrol and diesel prices. The air services, however, were unaffected. The Vishwamitri River was at 24 feet on Wednesday afternoon. The danger level of the river is at 28 feet. The Ajwa reservoir was at 208.3 feet on Tuesday (its danger level is at 214 feet) while the Pratappura reservoir was at 226.7 feet (its danger level is at 229 feet).

27-06-05

Monsoon Arrives: The summer was so scorching and uncomfortable that people were eagerly looking forward to the monsoon. Now that the monsoon has arrived, with a bang rather than a whimper, some of the eagerness seems to have dissipated. Three days of heavy rain has disrupted normal life in the city and everyone is looking forward to a spell of sunshine so that the waterlogged city can dry up a bit.

Dual Citizenship: A simplified, one-page form for members of the Indian diaspora qualifying for dual citizenship will be issued by India's overseas missions and consulates from August 2005. In normal cases the process will take just two weeks. If there are any doubts, the process may take a little longer, but certainly not more than three months. Dual citizenship will be available to members of the diaspora who migrated from India after January 26, 1950, when India became a republic. It will, however, not be extended to persons of Indian origin, their children and grandchildren who migrated to Pakistan or Bangladesh after January 26, 1950. The dual citizenship will be extended to persons of Indian origin who meet these criteria as long as their home countries also allow dual citizenship in some form or the other. Earlier, dual citizenship was open to persons of Indian origin in 16 countries - Australia, Britain, Canada, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Cyprus, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.

Sexual Harassment Panel: The MS University will form a committee to redress sexual harassment cases on the campus. Following Supreme Court guidelines the committee will have 50 per cent of its members as females. India's apex court has made it mandatory for all government and non-government organisations to have a mechanism to deal with sexual harassment cases. In a recent survey by a university faculty member 68 per cent of the university's girls said that they were sexually harassed.

16-06-05

VMC Tries For World Bank Loan: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) is trying to get a loan of over Rs. 10 billion from the World Bank (WB). A WB team visited the city on 11th June to discuss the projects to be undertaken. According to the plans, Rs. 3.75 billion will be spent on drinking water projects, Rs. 1.45 billion on sewerage lines, Rs. 4 billion on storm water drains, Rs. 1 billion on laying new roads and Rs. 1.3 billion on the Vishwamitri River Water Front Project (including construction of mini-dams to conserve rainwater).

Fire At Gujarat Refinery: A major accident was averted at the Indian Oil Corporation's Gujarat Refinery on 15th June when the staff managed to isolate a fire that broke out in one of the pipelines connected to the newly rebuilt fluid catalytic converter (FCC) plant. Three fire-fighting units of the refinery, three from the Vadodara Municipal Corporation and two from the IPCL and GSFC plants took three hours to extinguish the fire. One person escaped with minor burns. The fire broke out just eight months after a major accident (on October 29, 2004) in which the FCC plant was totally damaged and two persons were killed.

Cyber Crime Cell: The Baroda police department will set up a separate cyber crime cell, the first of its kind in Gujarat, to tackle criminal activities in e-commerce and e-banking. The group, to be housed in Police Bhavan, will have 12 members and it will be headed by a sub-inspector. The staff is being trained by the CID Crime Branch and the Gujarat Crime Records Bureau.

03-06-05

New District Collector: Vadodara District Collector Bhagyesh Jha has been shifted to Gandhinagar and appointed Commissioner of Entertainment Tax. He will also hold the post of Director of Information Department. Bharuch Collector Rajiv Topno has replaced Jha as Vadodara District Collector. Junagadh District Collector R.K. Pathak has been transferred and appointed Vadodara Municipal Commissioner. He replaces G.P. Joshi, who has been appointed Director (Finance) in SSNNL (Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd.).

Compulsory Wearing Of Helmets: The Gujarat High Court had made the wearing of helmets compulsory in the state for two-wheeler drivers and pillion riders from June 1. Now the court has granted a temporary reprieve to the government by extending the date for the strict implementation of the order till June 16. The interim order was passed after the government stated that making available standard ISI mark helmets for 5.2 million drivers and pillion riders through vendors was a major task.

18-05-05

Helmets Compulsory: The Gujarat High Court has made the wearing of helmets compulsory in the state for two-wheeler drivers and pillion riders from June 1. The court has also directed that all encroachments on public streets and highways must be removed immediately and has fixed the responsibility on the police inspector or concerned officer of the local authority under whose jurisdiction the encroachments are found. The court’s order extends to traffic regulations like parking in residential and commercial complexes. The court also directed police officers in charge of highway patrolling to see that vehicles which are not ‘motor vehicles’ like bullock carts, camel carts and cycles have reflectors and said that separate traffic lanes for slow-moving and fast-moving vehicles must be marked.

Scooby Dhoom: Food Festival, at Sayaji Hotel. From 6.30 to 11 p.m.

06-05-05

HSC Results: Thirteen students got the top ten ranks in the recentlydeclared HSC Science Stream results. Eight are from Ahmedabad. Only two girls made it to the list. The first two ranks were taken by two students of Surat’s V.M. Desai Madhyamik Shala (the ninth ranked student is also from the same school). The pass rate was 54.96 per cent, four per cent more than last year. The pass rate was actually 30 per cent, but the Gujarat Secondary Education Board granted up to 30 grace marks to every student on the brink so that 8,000 more students passed. The pass rate for English-medium students was 64.25 per cent and for Gujarati-medium students it was 53.28 per cent. 4,715 students got distinction marks, 4,852 got first class, 10,150 got second class, and 12,700 got third class. Of the 42,195 boys who sat for the exam, 22,437 (53.17 per cent) passed, and of the 16,784 girls 9,980 (59.46 per cent) passed.

No student from Vadodara made it to the top ten of the Gujarat merit list. The pass percentage was 59.31. Of the 6,466 students who appeared from Vadodara, 3,836 passed. The top position from Vadodara is shared by two students - Saaransh Desai from Bright English Medium School, Karelibaug, and Sanket Mehta from New Era High School, Makarpura. In the second rank is Bhumi Agarwal from Don Bosco High School, Makarpura. The third place was taken by Jinil Doshi from Jeevan Sadhana (English Medium). Only three girls figure in the list of top ten.

This year there were 18,771 seats available in medical, paramedical and professional colleges, which should accommodate most of the 22,259 students who have secured up to 40 per cent.

The HSC general examination result for 2005 will be declared on May 16 and for SSC examination before May-end.

30-04-05

Wasteland For Corporate Farming: The Gujarat government will throw open 3.9 million hectares of wasteland - 19.89 per cent of the state's total geographical area of 19.6 million hectares - for corporate farming. A government resolution has been finalised to allow business houses and competent farmers to make use of the wasteland for conducting profitable business in agriculture. The maximum land to be allowed to a single entrepreneur will be 2,000 acres for up to 20 years lease. The hope is that the entrepreneur will develop micro-irrigation techniques and use biological waste to grow crops on arid land that is owned by the government but not in use. Most of the waste land is in Kutch and Banaskantha. This is the second step towards developing a free market in the farming sector. The first one was a government resolution issued recently to allow corporates to enter into contracts with individual farmers for producing particular crops.

Sanskrit Speaking Course: The Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthanam will start Sanskrit speaking course from May 10 at Shreyas Vidyalaya, Manjalpur. Details of enrolment are available on phone numbers 2656732 and 2642473.

CSC Summer Activities: The Community Science Centre (CSC) has planned special summer activities for students on subjects like vedic mathematics, calligraphy and science experiments. Details are available on phone number 2389749.

29-04-05

Law Course After HSC: MS University’s Faculty of Law will start a five-year self-financed integrated Law course from 2005-2006. Admission will be straight after HSC. Eligibility is 50 per cent in HSC exam and the aspirants will have to clear an entrance test. The cost per semester will be Rs. 7,500. The syllabus will be similar to that of other national universities. There is provision for 80 seats, 70 % of them for students from Gujarat.

Smart Cards In MSU Libraries: MS University will soon have 'Library Smart Cards' for students, teachers and researchers. To be introduced from August 12 (the birth anniversary of the father of library science S.R. Ranganathan), the barcoded, laminated, plastic smart card will have details like name, age, faculty, email ID and photograph of the student. Students will be able to use this facility at Sir Sayajirao Memorial Trust Library and Hansa Mehta Library. The Hansa Mehta Library has also launched its Web OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue) where one can check out the books available in the library and also search for a book by author name, book title or subject. The IP address of the site is http://172.21.11.2.

HSC Results: The Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) will declare the results of the HSC exams, held in March, on May 5 at 10 a.m.

Industrial Safety Course: A 9-month vocational training course on Industrial Safety & Fire Services has been started at the Baroda-based National Fire Academy. The course is recognised by the Union Ministry of Human Resources. Admissions will start from May 1.

Rajasthani Food Festival: Till May 12, 2005. 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. At Taj Residency. Also, live folk dances.

22-04-05

Course For Detectives: Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University has announced a one-year diploma course to train potential detectives. The course will start from June 2005. Only graduates will be eligible for the course. The university will run five centres in Gujarat - two in Ahmedabad and one each in Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot. Each centre will have 20 students. For practical training, the students will intern with police department, forensic science laboratories and private detective agencies.

Teacher Exchange Programme: Baroda High School (BHS) has entered into a teacher exchange programme with Mail Hill School, a UK-based chain of public schools. Under this tie-up, BHS Biology teacher T. Srinivas will go to teach in UK schools, and a teacher of Mill Hill will come to BHS to teach Economics and Business Studies.

18-04-05

Manoj Soni Is MSU V-C: Manoj Soni, a 39-year-old reader in Sardar Patel University (SPU) at Vallabh Vidyanagar, has been appointed vice-chancellor of MS University of Baroda. He succeeds K.C. Upadhyaya and took charge on 17th April. The youngest vice-chancellor ever appointed at MSU, he completed his degree and masters in political science from MSU's Arts Faculty in the 1980s. He did his Ph.D. from SPU, Vallabh Vidyanagar.

Vivekanand Memorial: A memorial is being set up for Swami Vivekanand at Dilaram Bungalow on R.C. Dutt Road. The spiritual leader had stayed at this bungalow in April 1892 as a guest of the Diwan of Baroda state. The bungalow has been handed over to the Ramakrishna Mission by the Gujarat government.

Acrylic Paintings: ‘Echo’ - an exhibition of acrylic paintings by Mumbai-based artistes Birendra Pani and Rajiba Lochan Pani. At Kaleidoscope Gallery of Contemporary Art, Subhanpura. Till April 30. 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

09-04-05

Model Sewage Treatment Plant: Did you know that the sewage treatment unit at Gajrawadi in Baroda is the only plant in the world that is based on nuclear radiation. The Sludge Hygenisation Research Irradiator (SHRI) of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) will soon attain its optimum treatment capacity of 110 cubic metres per day and produce 1,000 tonnes of organic manure annually. The field trials have been satisfactory and BARC may collaborate with private entrepreneurs to market the organic manure. Commissioned in 1992, the facility uses radioactive ‘Cobalt 60’ to irradiate and hygenise sewage. The technology involves irradiating sewage from across the city with Cobalt 60, a radioactive material. The process results in killing of al pathogenic bacteria in the waste. The resulting sludge is sun-dried and acts as organic manure. The Gajrawadi sewage treatment plant has been recognised by international agencies as a model project. It is considered to be a model plant because it not only makes the sludge pathogen free but also because the sludge can be used as manure. BARC had established the SHRI plant with the help of Vadodara Municipal Corporation and the Gujarat government. Vadodara has 100 per cent sewage treatment facility. Though organic fertilisers are available many of them are not pathogen-free. If farmers use conventional sludge without irradiating it, it has the same side effects as that of any chemical fertiliser. The irradiated sludge produced through the Baroda project can increase crop yield if used along with bio-fertilisers like rhizobium and azetobacter.

Parking Spaces: The Gujarat High Court recently directed the state government to instruct all local authorities, including municipal corporations, to ensure that applications for change of parking spaces to any other use are not entertained. The order applies to all future applications as well as to all pending applications regarding changing or regularising the use of parking spaces.

Adventure Camps: Gujarat Nature Conservation Society will organise adventure camps in the Nature Park at Sindhrot every Thursday to Sunday with effect from April 21. For details contact 93272-33176.

08-04-05

Art & Craft Festival: Till 11th April. 10.30 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. Parsi Agiyari Ground, Sayajigunj.

Goan Carnival: Till 10th April. 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Taj Residency, Akota.

28-03-05

For MSU Botany & Zoology Alumni: This is an appeal from Prof. G.M. Oza: Hello all alumni of MSU's Botany and Zoology Department. This is Prof. G.M. Oza. My organisation INSONA would appreciate some involvement from your end in the field of environmental conservation and preservation for the cause of human welfare. As students of life sciences if you can put in your bit it would be a noble and highly acclaimed venture. Do give it a thought and contact me. Prof. G.M. Oza <insona@123india.com>

Message For Bright School (English) Alumni: I did HSC from Bright English Medium School in 1998. We have this group (brightians4ever) on yahoo groups. Do join this group. Hoping to hear back from some. I did B.E. Electronics from MSU Techo and am currently pursuing my Masters at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA. It's great to have a place like Baroda-Online which makes us feel that we are not far away from our land. It's great to see each and every link in www.baroda.com. A good brush-up of good old memories. Baroda is the place which would always stay close to our hearts and embedded in our memories. The moment we think of Baroda, we start to miss it badly. Proudly Barodians, that's how we would identify ourselves. A good site to keep in touch with fellow Barodians. Keep up the good work Baroda Online. Ashish Vora <ashishvora@gmail.com>

23-03-05

BCI Affiliation For MSU Law Faculty: The Law Faculty of MS University of Baroda has now received permanent affiliation from the Bar Council of India (BCI). A BCI team had recently inspected the faculty to make an assessment. The faculty had not applied for BCI affiliation since it was started in 1962. It will start a five-year integrated self-financed Bachelor of Law course from the next academic year along the lines of the National School of Law. There are seven national law schools in India which run a similar course.

17-03-05

GM Expansion: General Motors is investing Rs. 1 billion in Halol to double its production capacity to meet the demand for its passenger cars. This will help to expand the production capacity from 25,000 to 60,000 units a year and clear the order backlog for its Chevrolet Tavera car. The sales of Tavera had crossed the 10,000 mark in January; it was launched in mid-2004 launch. With the capacity expansion, the Halol plant will be able to make 80,000 units per year if need be.

Bullet Train: A feasibility study has been done by a Japanese firm on a bullet train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai. It may cover 500 kms in less than two hours. The cost for building the 500-km Shinkansen (bullet train) system would be Rs. 650 million per km. The Delhi Metro’s 66-km underground line cost was Rs. 2 billion per km. Bullet trains have been running in Japan for the last 40 years and can reach speeds of 300 km per hour (twice that of the Rajdhani trains). The system needs a dedicated track, covered with fencing all along to prevent accidents.

New Women’s Jails: Two new jails for women, with only women as staff, will be built at Rajkot and Ahmedabad. These jails will ease the burden on the Vadodara jail, which is presently the only women’s jail in the state. The new jails will allow relatives to meet the women prisoners more frequently, as they would be located closer home. As per the jail manual, the family can meet the inmates twice in a week, but due to the traveling expenditure involved relatives prefer not to visit the inmates often. The Rajkot jail will be for inmates from Kutch and Saurashtra and the Ahmedabad one for those from north Gujarat and nearby areas. At present there are over 300 women convict in Vadodara jail.

Colloquial Dialects: An exhibition of artworks by M. Pravat, Shruti Nelson, Arunanshu Chowdhary, Uday Mondal, Sachin Karne and Alok Bal. Kaleidoscope Gallery of Contemporary Art, BMC Chambers, Ellora Park Road, Subhanpura. Till March 24. 12 noon to 7.30 p.m.

09-03-05

MSU Convocation: At M.S. University’s 53rd annual convocation on 6th March most of the top honours went to women. Sixty women won 102 medals, while 42 men won 72 medals. Arti Sardana of the Faculty of Medicine won six gold medals, including the Indumati Thakorebhai Patel Memorial Gold Medal for topping the MBBS final exam and a gold medal for being the girl student with the highest percentage in the university. Vandana Raiyani of the Commerce Faculty won five medals and Jasmin Mehta of the Law Faculty won four medals.

Water Bodies Dry Up: Research conducted by the Gujarat Ecology Society (GES) at Vadodara has revealed that more than 60 per cent of the city’s water bodies have disappeared over the last 30 years. This has happened because the city planners have not exercised the proper control over construction activity. The unplanned building activity has filled up or choked the wetlands getting filled up or choked. Nine out of 10 municipal wards have waterlogging problems in the monsoon. Wetland degradation and waterlogging are interlinked. Most water bodies were once interconnected. The channels took care of flooding in one part by transferring excess water to some other part. Now the water flows out on to the roads and societies get waterlogged.

Art Show: Sarjan Art Gallery presents Being/Believing which includes the recent works of artist Anjum Chaturvedi. March 7-12. 12 noon to 8 p.m.

03-03-05

Dual Citizenship: Indian missions abroad will soon circulate a simplified one-page form to facilitate trouble-free grant of dual citizenship to qualifying members of its 25-million diaspora in 110 countries. The necessary clearances and notifications for the simplified form are being secured and they will be made available at Indian missions overseas in a couple of months. Some changes were required in the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2003, following the decision to grant dual citizenship to anyone who has migrated from India after January 26, 1950. The only other requirement is the country where the person of Indian origin has migrated after January 26, 1950, must also have enabling legislation to grant dual citizenship. Earlier, under the previous government, dual citizenship was proposed to persons of Indian origin in 16 specified countries - United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Israel, New Zealand, Cyprus, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Greece and Portugal. But now, it is technically available to every member of the 25 million Indian diaspora in 110 countries, so long as they fulfill the two main criteria laid down under the revised norms.

‘Kachra-Potu’ In Spanish: The Gujarati hotelier - hospitality entrepreneur is the in word now - is quite influential in the USA. However, a large majority of workers in the hospitality industry are Spanish speaking. To make employer-employee communication easier, the Cendant Hotel Group and the multi-cultural Food Service and Hospitality Alliance have brought out an 80-page guide of Gujarati to Spanish translations of everyday expressions. The guide also offers English to Spanish translations of terms used frequently by hospitality entrepreneurs. Cendant franchises over 6,400 hotels around the world under eight brands. Indian Americans are among the prominent franchisees of Cendant brands. According to the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), Indian American hoteliers own more than 20,000 hotels, which have one million rooms representing over 50 percent of the economy lodging properties and nearly 37 percent of all hotel properties in the United States. The market value of hotels owned by AAHOA members totals nearly $40 billion. AAHOA members create over one million jobs.

02-03-05

NID Redesigns Roti Chakla: Suhasini Bawankule, a toy design student at the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad has designed a roti chakla that rotates on its own. The design enables a reduction in the friction between the roti and the chakla. The chakla can be made of a variety of materials depending on the user group. The idea is to make it easier to prepare the ‘properly round’ roti. Suhasini is a ‘designpreneur’ at NID’s National Design Business Incubator (NDBI). The incubator encourages people to develop their ideas and become entrepreneurs making use of NID’s institutional support.

28-02-05

Mobile ICCU: A mobile Intensive Critical Care Unit (ICCU), claimed to be the first of its kind in Baroda, has been launched by the Baroda Heart Institute & Research Centre (BHIRC). The unit can provide ventilatory support, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and intravenous fluid management while transporting the patient to a hospital. It is thus able to initiate prompt reaction and treatment during the ‘golden hour’ - the most critical period after a heart attack. The centrally air-conditioned vehicle accommodates one nurse, two paramedical staff, a doctor, the patient and two relatives. Once the ambulance is dispatched it remains in constant communication with medical consultants at the centre. To call the van, people can ring up the BHIRC helpline number (9898500101).

Manhole Covers Stolen: Thieves walk away with all sorts of things. The Fatehgunj police have recovered 202 manhole covers from a scrap dealer’s premises in Baroda. The scrap dealer was arrested for possessing the stolen goods. Incidents of thefts of manhole covers have been reported from different parts of the city recently.

Thanka Paintings Workshop: Baroda Museum & Picture gallery is holding a workshop on Thanka paintings. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. February 28 to March 4. At the museum.

Red Dragon: Taj Residency is holding a Chinese Food Festival - called Red Dragon - at Upper Deck. Till March 24. 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

18-02-05

Fusion Wear: Wildflower presents a collection of fusion wear by fashion designer Priyanka Bapna. The exhibition includes a collection of Doria and Kota fabric. February 18-20. Trisha Art Gallery. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Coins & Notes Exhibition: Historic coins and currency notes will be exhibited on February 25 at Manubhai Towers, Sayajigunj.

Coins Exhibition: The Museums Association of Gujarat and MSU's Department of Museology present an exhibition of ancient Indian coins at the exhibition hall of MSU's Faculty of Fine Arts. Dating from 6th century BC to 8th century AD the collection belongs to numismatist S.K. Kapoor. March 2-4. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Art Show: ‘Feb Group Show’, an exhibition of contemporary art featuring the work of 32 artists presented by Uttarayan Baroda. Till February 27. Bayer ABS Gallery. 4 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.

Playtime: Stagecraft presents Mahesh Dattani’s ‘Tara’. February 19. C.C. Auditorium. 7.30 p.m.

Dance Programme: ABN AMRO Bank and Anand Vidya Vihar present ‘Mahabharata - The Game of Dice’, a multimedia dance production that draws inspiration from Kathakali, Chhau and contemporary dances. February 23. C.C. Mehta Auditorium. 7.30 p.m.

Seminar On Ageing: A Seminar on ageing process, problems and solutions has been organised by the Retired Officers’ Forum. Hotel Express Alkapuri February 19. 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Food Festival: Azure, the multi-cuisine restaurant at Hotel Surya Palace, has an ongoing food festival called ‘Noodles & Dim-Sum Festival’. Both veg and non-veg delicacies are available. Till February 28.

08-02-05

BMA Convention: The Baroda Management Association will have its annual management convention on February 15 and 16 (at Taj Residency Vadodara, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). The theme this year: ‘Fine Art Of Path Making - Managing Discontinuity & Navigating Through The Future’. Among the speakers: Suresh Prabhu (MP), District Collector Bhagyesh Jha, Rasna chief Piruz Khambatta, McCann Erickson president Santosh Desai, William Miller and Debra Miller from Global Dharma Centre, tax consultant Mukesh Patel.

Tribute To Chekhov: To commemorate the Russian author on his death centenary year, MS University’s departments of English, Gujarati, Hindi and Russian have organised a national seminar - ‘A Literacy Tribute to Anton Pavlovich Chekhov: 1860-1904’ - on February 25 and 26. The programme includes lectures, plenary sessions, presentation of papers, audio-visual show, workshops and panel discussions. Teachers and students from universities and institutions across the country will share their views.

05-02-05

New Rules For Engineering Admissions: A recent University Grants Commission (UGC) circular says that all central government deemed universities and national institutes should follow the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) merit list for admissions. So, students from Gujarat wanting to get admission into institutes like Dharam Sinh Desai Institute of Technology (DDIT) and Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT) will have to compete with students from the rest of the country. Gujarat's students will have to compete with other students for 1,595 of the 9,780 seats in the state. Since 50 per cent weightage is given to the HSC score students will not be completely burdened by AIEEE. Around 90 per cent of the students passing their HSC (Science) exams are from Gujarati Medium schools and they will find it difficult to appear for AIEEE, which is conducted in English or Hindi.

NGO Fair: About 100 NGOs in Baroda are participating in the three-day NGO Fair - United Way Mela 2005 - which began in the city on 5th February. The fair is hosted by United Way of Baroda, an umbrella organisation of NGOs. Expected to draw a crowd of 200,000, the fair is an opportunity for NGOs to showcase their activities, raise funds through food courts and game zones and also educate people about the services available in the city.

Forum For Contemporary Theory: The Forum For Contemporary Theory inaugurated its centre recently at Baroda after receiving an annual grant of Rs. 5 million from the Ford Foundation. The centre will have scholars form SAARC countries and will have a fellowship and publication programme. The publication programme includes a bi-annual journal of contemporary thought. The centre will train around 80 students in the theory subject and institute a fellowship programme for students from disadvantaged communities of the state. Professor P.C. Kar of MS University’s English department has been appointed as convener of trustees.

04-02-05

Indians Eating More Snacks: Indians gobble up more snacks, chips, juices, biscuits and noodles than their global counterparts. Colas, tea and chocolates are yielding ground to breakfast cereals. These are among the findings of a new AC Nielsen global study on foods and beverages. The Indian branded foods and beverages sector grew faster (5 per cent) than the global average (4 per cent) last year. The major factors responsible for this phenomenon: the increasing trend of eating out, more affordable products, and the desire for healthier food options. It seems that lifestyles are changing, incomes are rising and the retail environment is getting consumers to redefine their purchases. Of course, for a reality check there is always the ‘other’ India, the country that is not within the AC Nielsen ‘sample’. Small parts of Baroda and Ahmedabad and Rajkot and Surat - and maybe a handful of other towns in Gujarat - would possibly live up to AC Nielsen’s idea of India, but certainly not the rest of the state. Who cares, though? Certainly not the ‘happening people’!

03-02-05

Hi-Tech Agriculture: The government owned Gujarat Green Revolution Co. Ltd. (GGRCL) aims to bring 750,000 acres under hi-tech agriculture at a total investment of Rs. 15 billion - Rs. 6 billion subsidy from the state, Rs. 6 billion through the debt route and Rs. 3 billion contributed by Gujarat State Fertilisers Co. (GSFC) and Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilisers Co. (GNFC). GGRCL will help farmers with drip-irrigation and sprinkler facilities and provide seeds developed by GSFC and GNFC. It will also provide fertilisers, bio-fertilisers and herbal insecticides, as well as marketing support.

29-01-05

Award For Ratnamala Surve: Ratnamala Surve, an Assistant Sub-Inspector at Vadodara Police’s Local Information Branch (LIB), has become the first policewoman in Gujarat to be awarded the President’s Police Medal. The award is special as it is usually conferred on higher-ranking officers. When she began her service, there were only five women constables in the Vadodara rural police; there are over 50 women working now. This is the second time in two years that a national award has been conferred on a constable from Vadodara. Last year, constable Bachhubhai Rathwa, posted at Chhotaudepur, received a gallantry award from the President.

24-01-05

City Lakes May Be Revived: The Society for Clean Environment (SOCLEEN) is working on a plan to revive 12 lakes in Baroda city which have dried up or been polluted. As a pilot project the NGO will adopt the Gotri and Gorwa lakes. The feasibility was discussed during a recent seminar in which experts from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and industrial houses participated. SOCLEEN president V.V. Modi says that the groundwater level in Vadodara is going down and “We want the lakes to be made functional as well as attractive. Also, the lakes should have recreation facilities surrounding them.” Within Vadodara Municipal Corporation limits there are around 40 water bodies including the lakes at Sarasia, Warasia, Siddhnath, Wadi Wadi, Manjalpur, Makarpura, Nizampura and Sama. Some of these lakes exist only on paper.

Crematorium For Pets: The Vadodara Centre for Animal Rescue and Emergency (VCARE) has opened a crematorium for pets on the outskirts of the city in Lakdikui village. Arrangements have also been made for the ashes to be carried away in urns. Presently, pet owners use the existing facility at a municipal dumping yard near Kalali.

22-01-05

Real Estate In Dubai: More and more people are shopping for real estate in Dubai. The emirate allows citizens of other countries to buy property there and realtors promise good deals. Besides, you do not have to shift to Dubai. You can rent out your apartment and earn quite well. A major advantage in buying property in Dubai is that the government offers a residence visa for those who buy property in the emirate. With the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowing individuals to make remittances overseas to hold immovable property or shares under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme, individuals can now make purchases without having to seek any permission from the RBI. Individuals can also open, maintain and hold foreign currency accounts with a bank outside India to make remittances under the scheme without prior approval of the RBI.

21-01-05

Mobile Phones Banned On Campus: To prevent the misuse of technology among students following a widely publicised scandal in a New Delhi school, the Gujarat government has banned the use of mobile phones in all schools and colleges in the state. The Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board as well as most of the state universities had already imposed a ban earlier.

20-01-05

Art Exhibition: An art exhibition for tsunami relief, titled ‘Grave in the Ocean’, is on at Sarjan Art Gallery. 12 noon to 8 p.m. Till January 25.

Traditional Embroidery: Shrujan has organised an exhibition and sale of traditional masterpieces hand-embroidered by women of Kutch. January 21-23. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Trisha Gallery, Jetalpur Road.

Herbal Technology: National Seminar on January 28 (9 p.m. onwards) at MS University’s Department of Botany.

Dance Programme: Ghargharika presents a Manipuri dance recital by Priti Patel at Abhivyakti Sankrutik Sthal. 8 p.m. onwards. January 30.

19-01-05

Global Film Centre In Gujarat: The recent Vibrant Gujarat Meet threw up all sorts of ideas. One of them was a Global Film Centre, a plan by an Australia based film and television production company. The objective is to create a low-cost state-of-the-art production center for filmmakers across the world. A consortium of international organisations largely based in Hong Kong came to the meet at the invitation of the Gujarat government. The global film center, planned by film-makers, architects and market research consultants, includes a theme park, a film centre and facilities for pre-production, production, post production, research, animation, special effects, script analysis and international collaboration. It also includes a film, radio and television school, a centre for fashion, photography, dance and performing arts, museums, and an IT centre with the latest technologies for digital transfers and projection. If successful, the centre can become a hub for global outsourcing of post-production facilities. The center may be at Gandhinagar or Bhuj, but the decision is still a long way off.

Infrastructure Development Fund: The Gujarat government intends to set up a Gujarat Non-Resident Infrastructure Development Fund with a corpus of $ 100 million as well as a Gujarat Non-Resident Charity Fund. Contributions for the infrastructure fund will come from non-resident Indians (NRIs), including NRGs. Besides regular infrastructure projects like roads and ports, the find will invest in projects like universities and potentially profitable scientific laboratories. A Mauritius based private equity fund is likely to be set up where NRI contributions can go. Funds from the Mauritius entity will then be transferred to a domestic trust. About 70 per cent of the funds will be invested on projects in Gujarat and the rest outside the state. A private sector fund management company may be allowed to handle this fund. Large figures are invariably talked about when it comes to the total investment potential in Gujarat till 2020 - estimated to be around $ 200 billion. The state can be divided into four regions, each with its own strengths. Kutch has its ethnic wealth, bio-diversity and ports. North Gujarat is strong in castor and isabgol. South Gujarat, close to Mumbai, is an industrial hub and has a robust diamond industry. Saurashtra is strong in agriculture and petrochemicals. Roughly 22 per cent of all retail funds mobilised by companies during their public issues in 2003-04 came from Gujarat.

17-01-05

Hanging Sculptures: Twenty-one sculptors have organised a rather unconventional exhibition. They have put put together what is claimed to be India’s first ‘Hanging Sculpture’ show. With Baroda's historical Kirti Mandir as its backdrop, their works are being displayed at Abhivyakti Art Gallery. The medium used is diverse: ceramic, fibreglass, metal, wood, bronze, cloth, paper and glass. Availability of space is one of the reasons why the sculptors decided to go for this unusual form of display. The prices of the works vary from Rs. 4,000 to Rs.55,000. It seems that a part of the sale proceeds will be donated for the benefit of the sunami victims. January 16 to 31. 10.30 A.M. to 7.30 P.M.

16-01-05

Handicrafts & Handloom Festival: Parsi Agyari Ground, Sayajigunj. January 15 to January 26. 11.00 A.M. to 10.00 P.M.

12-01-05

Landscape Design For Champaner-Pavagadh: Heritage Trust, Baroda, will make a presentation on Landscape Design for Champaner-Pavagadh, the World Heritage Site, on January 13. The presentation will be by teams from the Landscape Architecture Department, University of Illinois, USA, and Heritage Trust, Baroda. The teams will be lead by Prof. James Wescoat and Prof. Amita Sinha. Mrs. Jayaben Thakkar, Member of Parliament, Vadodara, will be the Chief Guest. Dr. Mrunalinidevi Puar, Chancellor of M.S. University of Baroda, and Mr. Dinesh Brahmbhatt, Collector of Panchmahals District, will be the guests of honour. The presentation will be followed by the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Axis Group Ltd., USA, for financial and technical support for conservation projects at Champaner-Pavagdh. Venue: Taj Residency Baroda, at 5.30 p.m. on January 13, 2005.

10-01-05

Artists To Exhibit In Delhi: Some Baroda based artists will display their work at the triennial in New Delhi that is to be hosted by Lalit Kala Akademi. The work includes paintings, prints and installations. Kavita Shah, who also runs a printmaking workshop, will display her work titled 'Quintuplet' a series of five vase prints depicting warfare in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, concentration camps, the Hiroshima bombing and the Godhra carnage. Jayant Rabadia, who teaches in M.S. University’s Fine Arts Faculty has used fused glass to depict transitions in art over the years in his work titled, 'Crate 2005'. Trupti Patel has created an installation titled 'Portal'; the structure resembles a doorway and symbolises the path that humanity has forgotten. Artists from 40 countries will feature their work at the triennial at Ravindra Bhavan (January 15 onwards).

07-01-05

Diploma In Pediatrics: K.G. Patel Children Hospital has begun the admission process to DNB Pediatrics for two seats. Please apply before 14th January. Application forms are available at K.G. Patel Children Hospital, Jalaram Marg, Karelibaug, Vadodara 390 018. Interviews will be held on 23rd January. The K.G. Patel Children Hospital is accredited by the National Board of Examinations, New Delhi, for conducting the 3-year postgraduate diplomat in Pediatrics.

04-01-05

Cricket Museum In City: The Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) plans to set up a cricket museum in the city.The BCA has started collecting material associated with Vijay Hazare’s career and plans to source memorabilia associated with other cricketing greats from the city. The collection will be displayed at the BCA office initially and later at a museum proposed to be set up at the BCA stadium.

Alumni Help For SSG: The Alumni Association of Medical College, Vadodara, has pledged over $100,000 for the renovation of medical facilities at the SSG Hospital. USA based Dr. Gopal Mazmudar contributed $111,111. Dr. Mazmudar was with the 1960s batch of the Paediatrics Department in the college. Among the prime objectives is the renovation of the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Departments of SSG Hospital. Also, 200 new beds will be added to the general ward. The projects were initiated by ‘Holy Care’ and the hospital authorities. ‘Holy Care’ is a Rs. 110 million project involving 50 wards, 30 of which have already been renovated.