14 heritage buildings in Vadodara get smart signages, more to follow suit

Speaking at the concluding ceremony of the event where panelists discussed spiritual, medical, sports, and heritage tourism in Vadodara throughout the day, Bera said the government would bring guests visiting the GMDC ground garbas in Ahmedabad to witness the grandeur of Navratri in Vadodara city.

“Vadodara is known as the cultural capital for its Garba celebrations. This time, when guests arrive in Ahmedabad to participate in the GMDC ground garbas, the government will bring them to Vadodara city to witness the spectacle of Navratri here… We will take care of their accommodation, meals, and travel while they can enjoy their stay and the festivities,” Bera said.

Later in the evening on Thursday, Bera inaugurated the smart signage at the historic Mandvi gate, located in the heart of the city. The signage has a QR code that will take visitors to the ‘My Vadodara App’ from where they will be able to get information about the heritage buildings.

The proposal to install smart signages for 150 heritage buildings in Vadodara was put forth by the Heritage Trust, which is patronised by the Royal Gakewad family of erstwhile Baroda state.

After Mandvi Gate, which got its signage on Thursday, 14 out of the 150 buildings identified by the Heritage Trust will receive the QR Code signages containing information in Gujarati and English by the end of August.

Sameer Khera, President of Heritage Trust, who made a presentation at the Heritage Symposium, said, “We have a list of a total of 209 heritage structures in Vadodara; of these, we have identified 150 for the smart signages. Today (Thursday), Mandvi gets its code and 14 buildings will have the QR-code signage plaques soon while 50 other buildings will be completed by Navratri…”

The other buildings that will soon have signages by next week include Central Library, Nyay Mandir, Lal Court, Sursagar Lake, Raopura Clock Tower, Khanderao Market, Kirti Stambh, Tambekar Wada, Kothi Record Block, Jaisinh Library, Sayajibaug, Baroda Museum and Sevasi Vav.

In his presentation, Khera also urged the administration to aspire to be a “UNESCO-nominated World creative city”. Laying down the way forward for making the application through the office of the Vadodara Mayor, Khera said, “We have to look at Vadodara not just as a town but in totality… We need sustainable development goals. There are seven categories of UNESCO for the creative city network… We must identify (the city’s strength) and an image of the economic benefits. We can also check if Vadodara can partner with the existing UCCN cities. The VMC should prepare the application through the Mayor’s office within the next 12 months.”

At the event, royal scion Samarjitsinh Gaekwad, who is a patron of Team Vadodara, spoke about sports tourism in Vadodara, which has produced several national sports icons.

Urging that the civic administration should attempt to prepare itself to host events during the possible 2036 Olympics to be hosted in Gujarat, Gaekwad said, “When I started the golf course, it was not a sport that was available in India… Today, I have already hired an international golf course designer to have the facility ready to qualify as a venue for international tournaments, if there is a chance… The city should similarly work on promoting sports by having a city sports body that includes the administrators.”

Vadodara Municipal Commissioner Dilip Rana also made public an ambitious plan of the civic body to convert the existing Nyaymandir into a city art hub, beginning with the Central Hall that will be utilised for banquets and exhibitions. Taking the audience through a presentation with AI projections of Nyaymandir in its renovated form, “The process might take about three years as we plan to put the massive structure to use in three phases. The right and left wings will be taken up later but initially, we plan to use the courtyard area for live performances and other such activities that can engage people,” Rana said.

The repurposed Nyaymandir and Lal-court across the road, which will be developed into an art centre, will be part of the upcoming “Heritage Square” around the Sursagar promenade, the VMC said at the symposium.