So I came across this review of Baroda by a certain Dr. Sid Shah (who lives in NY by the way !) and it got me all nostalgic and all. (Read All as jealous). I thought come on now, I have been in MS since well ages?I have been writing about all sorts of things and I haven?t yet written about one thing that I love the most?.my city ! So here goes?.a sort of ?Hatke? review on Baroda.
What?s in the name
First of all let me get this out of my system and yours too (it’s called artificial dialysis...get the joke ?). Is it called Baroda or Vadodara? Now the problem of the name is either not so politically motivated nor is it such a priority for anyone, I guess.
It?s now like Calcutta to Kolkatta (I cant even read the second one without twisting your face !) or Bombay or Mumbai (The former one was more suited for Pearl harbour?bomb..bay get it !!) or Cassisus Clay or Mohammed Ali all of which have some problem with some race calling them a name and the pride in themselves changing it to the real name?.but it?s not with Baroda. You see Baroda had lot?s of Banyan tress in earlier times and that?s where it gets it?s name. ?Vad? means Banyan in Gujarati (Banyan tree not Lux Cozy ?Banyan? stupid !!!) and that?s where it gets it?s name. Even the Municipal people call themselves VMC.
So what?s the problem ? The problem is that the local people?the youth and the media all call Vadodara as Baroda. Calling is Vadodara is out of style ! And the worst part is no one has problem with a colonial name as Baroda. Even Baroda is blurted out differently by different people?..a Kathiwadi calls it Barrrooowww-da like ?da? in Sauravda and A north Indian calls it ?Burodaaaa? . So what?s the problem you ask ! Well for your kind information eveytime I have to fill a form (online or otherwise) I get confused on what to write in the City column ! It?s a HUGE PROBLEM, someone has to sort it out !
Night life
Okay let?s cut the crap and come to the thing you have been looking for in the review. Baroda?s nightlife. Now considering the background of the city?with a huge popular cosmopolitan university like MS (not Mouthshut?Mahraja Sayajirao?these people na !!!) you would except it to have a rocking nightlife. You would be mistaken ! We have only one disco and that too a very expensive one. Apart from that we have a few private clubs who hold great parties on some occasions.
On New Years and Valentines you would easily find a place to shake your leg but if you are thinking about partying any other time like say Saturday night?.forget it ! It?s a very very boring city as far as nightlife is concerned?almost sleepy city !
Garba
Now this is nightlife for Baroda ! The nine night of Navratri ABSOLUTLEY rock in the city ! Baroda by far has the best Garba organized in the WORLD. The city is so rocking?so cool and so hip in those nine nights that who have to see it to beleive it. In a way it is Baroda?s own Mardi Gras !!! If you are planning to visit the city ?.do it in Navratri !!
Hangout places
Again there are very few Hangout places in Baroda. There are just two multiplexes?.INOX and Chandan. Inox is a cool hip hangout place?the best in the city but Chandan is far away on the highway. Apart from that there is a Goodies Café with is a cool hangout place?the area of Fatheganj if buzz with activity and so are the malls on RC Dutt road. But apart from that...except the MSU campus there isn?t much to hangout.
Romance Spot
If you are in Baroda?.below 25 years in age ?and not gay?.you would have been to Sindhrot bridge with your girlfriend sometime in your life. This is the only Romantic spot in the city?which is outside the city limits ! I take pride in being one of the first to discover and visit Sindhrot?now almost everyone does?.so I have find a new romance spot (Come on don?t expect me to reveal that too?.it too would become crowded?the what?s the point !)
Media
The Media isn?t pretty okie dokie. There are a few local TV channels run by cablewallahas but all in Gujarati and all they show is news?the cable network is slick (to compensate for the nightlife) and there is one good local Tabloid?.Baroda Times.
A friend of mine claims that BT is published from my home?..well it could be because of the sheer number of times I have appeared on the newspaper. You see Baroda is such a small city there are very few people and small amount of news happening all the time so when they don?t have anything?they do strange articles and call up a few people for quotable quotes?.I am a lucky one on there calling list so it wouldn?t be entirely impossible that you find my photo or quotable quote from me very frequently in the newspaper !
Eat out
Planning to eat out?.you are in a heaven. If you like fast food or wanna coffee apart from the regular franchices of MacDees, Dairy den, Café Coffee day, Barista, and all the famous Pizza places you have some specialities of Baroda. You have Frigtemp which is Baroda?s own Nirulas.
Frigtemp specializes in HotDogs and Cheese Rolls and they claims to have introduced the hotdog in India !! It is so popular out here that it is the only fast food chain with more than one branch in the city. Then you have Kalyan which is baap of all fast food. They introduced fast food in Baroda when people had not even heard of restaurants. San?s Sizzlers is another one that?s been around since ages.
If you like a quite family dinner you are in for a treat too. Sayaji and Havmor have been around since ages and have still maintened there quality and taste. The new players and personal favorites are Periyar, Azure (of Surya Palace), Early Bird Café and the new ?Only Parathas?
Like authentic Gujarati food try Sheel, Sasuji (what a name !!!) Mandap (of Express).
And yes I will kill anyone if they ask which is a nice place to grab some Dhokla !!
Ending
So if you like a nice quite homley life that is safe secure and peaceful Baroda is the place for you. If you like to Party?try somewhere else