living the regal dream: VADODARA ......

 A city of manydevelopmentVadodara, a city with a significant population from the service sector has always been seen as conservative. Ar. Dhirendra Patel, Principal Architect, Void, says this is changing, “Baroda has started experimenting with newer ideas and awareness has increased considerably. Major developments have been seen in the last five to seven years.” Vadodara has been blessed with a history few other cities enjoy, with the industrial belt around Vadodara being a catalyst for development. Ar. Rajnysh Rami, Interior Designer, Studio7 Designs says, “International executives from the industries are present in the city and they have indirectly pressured the development of Vadodara. Being a service sector oriented city, a lot of intellectual development has also been taking place.”Offering another perspective, Ar. Karan Grover feels Vadodara is developing with zero control. He says, “Baroda was stagnant over the last twenty five years when all the other cities were rapidly growing in terms of real estate. It is in the last eight years that we have seen a boom in property; and the demand is not consumer driver, it is anticipated consumerism.”educationEstablished in 1881, the Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) of Baroda is a testament of the rich educational fabric of the city, with thirteen faculties it is the only university in Gujarat with English as the medium of instruction.

“MSU is one of the best universities; however, it does not allow any other institution to come up, thus restricting growth,” says Ar. Nirav Hirpara, Director, Vadodara Design Academy and Chairman, IIID Charotar Center. “Education is a major component of overall development, and people eager to learn travel the distance to study, to the exteriors of the city,” he adds.Centrally located within the state, education is a major resource for the city of Vadodara. The Department of Architecture at the Faculty of Technology and Engineering, Maharaja Sayajirao University; Vadodara Design Academy; Parul Institute of Engineering and Technology; Navrachana Education Society; and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Technology are some of the leading architectural institutes in Vadodara. “Being an educational hub, the city is safe and offers affordable accommodation; making students feel very comfortable,” shares Ar. Rajnysh Rami.names, Vadodara, formerly known as Baroda, is strategically located on the major rail and road arteries joining Mumbai with Delhi and Ahmedabad earning it another moniker ‘the Gateway to the Golden Corridor’. The city is also known as Sayaji Nagri after its famous ruler Sayajirao Gaekwad and Sanskari Nagri which is a reference to its status as the cultural capital of Gujarat.The golden period of Vadodara started with the accession of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in1875, whose enlightened rule continued for over sixty years. He modernized the city by establishing compulsory primary education, a library system, a university and textile and tile factories, thus creating Vadodara’s image as an educational, industrial and commercial centre. “Maharaja Sayajirao was an incredible ruler, he knew the plight of the urban man; Vadodara today is the blueprint of what he envisioned,” says city veteran Ar. Karan Grover, Principal Architect, Karan Grover & Associates.