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.