Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda


The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, formerly Baroda College is a public university in the city of Vadodara, in Gujarat state, India. Originally established as a college in 1881, it became a university in 1949 after the independence of the country. It was later renamed after its benefactor Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the former ruler of Baroda State.
The university offers undergraduate, post-graduate, and doctoral programs. It houses 89 departments spread over 6 campuses covering 275 acres of land.

History

The university has its origins in the Baroda College, established in 1881 by Baroda State. The main building, which houses the Faculty of Arts, was designed by Robert Fellowes Chisholm in Indo-Saracenic architecture style, in a fusion of Indian and Byzantine arches and domes in brick and polychromed stone. The main dome on the convocation hall was modelled after the great dome of the Gol Gumbaz in Bijapur.
Pratap Singh Gaekwad of Baroda founded the university in 1949 on the wishes of his grandfather, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, and settled the "Sir Sayajirao Diamond Jubilee and Memorial Trust" which exists to date, catering to the education and other needs of the people of the former Baroda State.

Faculties

Faculty of Science

The old Baroda College founded in 1881 consisted of Arts and Science sections. The Faculty of Science started its independent existence in March 1951 with Dr C.S. Patel as its first dean. The Old Building which houses the Faculty of Science at present was completed in about 1934 in the reign of Sayajirao Gaekwad III. It is conspicuous by its small copper dome and is flanked on the west by the building of Faculty of Education and Psychology and on the east by the majestic building of the Old Baroda College, now the Faculty of Arts.

Department of Physics

As a premier centre for Physics learning in India, the department, established in 1949, offers U.G., P.G. and PhD programme and is a sponsored department of Department Of Science and Technology, Government of India under FIST programme. In M.Sc., students are offered Solid State Physics, Electronics and Communication, Nuclear Physics, and Molecular Spectroscopy as specialization. The department is also equipped by two of the oldest and famous observatories:
Astronomical Observatory and Meteorological observatory.
Researchers are provided with advanced technologies including FTIR-4100 Spectrometer, Thermal Analyser, AFM, Workstations-4, Cluster Computing facility, etc. which help them in researching on Condensed Matter Physics, Material Science, Experimental Nuclear Physics, Spectroscopy, Theoretical Particle Physics and Astrophysics.
It is one of the oldest Physics departments in India, which adopted advanced curricula based on Courses viz, Berkeley Physics Course, Feynman Lecture Series, etc. under the leadership of S.K. Shah and H.S. Desai. Department has an active society, notably 'The Physical Society MSU Baroda'. Department of Condensed Matter Physics has been sponsored for researches in coordination with TIFR and BARC by DST-FIST as a major beneficiary. Department is indulged in a number of active researches with record endowments. The university holds the accolade of having worldwide spread Departmental alumni, includingNobel Laureate cum President, Royal Society, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan.

Dr. Vikram Sarabhai Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology

Established in 2012, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology is an interdisciplinary research institute which integrates several departments of the Faculty of Science. The centre was established with the financial support of the Government of Gujarat. The institute started a 5-year Integrated M.Sc. programme in Cell and Molecular Biology in 2012. The course offers 30 seats each year, which are filled through a common entrance exam.

Department of Computer Applications

Formally established in 2013, the department offers three programmes, Bachelor of Computer Applications, M.Sc. in Information Technologies and M.Sc. in Software Technologies.

Department of Biochemistry

The Department of Biochemistry was established in 1955, under the Chemistry Department, and was headed by Prof. C.V. Ramakrishnan, father of 2009 Chemistry Nobel Laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan). The department has a Center for Nutritional Studies.
The department was awarded an Excellent status in 2006 by FIST, a Government of India accreditation agency. It imparts master's degree courses in Biochemistry & Medical Biotechnology with a force of around 50 research students.
The Biochemistry Department offers courses in enzymology, genetics, molecular biology, neuroscience, plant biochemistry, endocrinology, clinical biochemistry among others. The department conducts research in areas including bacterial cooperation, polyketide synthase clusture, antibiotic resistance, Apoptosis, phosphate solubilisation, nitrogen fixation, probiotics, heavy metal toxicity, diabetes, prostate cancer, female infertility, endophytes, magnetoliposomes, protein folding, and vitiligo.
The department was funded under the DST-FIST I programme under which new equipment has been purchased and infrastructure facilities strengthened. The department has received support from UGC-DRS, UGC-DSA and COSIST programs.
The department has a strong base in Microbial technology and the main focus of the program is on Genetics, Molecular Biology, Industrial Microbiology, Immunology and other areas allied to Microbiology and Biotechnology. Basic training is given in Microbiology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Developmental Biology, Genetic Engineering, Biochemical Engineering and some aspects of Biophysics, Biostatistics, Environmental Biology.
The areas of research in which the department is engaged are:
Courses offered:
– Doctoral program
– Master of Science in Biochemistry
– Master of Science in Medical Biotechnology
– Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Biochemistry

Faculty of Performing Arts

Classical music

Maharaja Sayajirao Rao Gaekwad was a patron of Indian classical music. Ustad Moula Bux founded the Academy of Indian Music under the patronage of Sayajirao, on 26 February 1886. This academy later became the Music College and is now the Faculty of Performing Arts of The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. Apart from Moula Bux, Sayajirao's Court boasted of artists like Ustad Inayat Khan and legendary Agra Gharana Aftaab e Mousiqui Ustad Faiyyaz Khansaheb.
After educationist Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande's music curriculum was introduced at the college, Gayanacharya Madhusudan Joshi became the first recipient of a diploma in Music in the history of music education in India.

Dance

The MSU started the first dance programme in India in 1950.
In 1880, the Maharani Kanta Ben of Tanjore was married to Baroda's Maharaja Sayajirao III Gopalrao Gaekwad, a prince who established the Baroda College as one of his first public acts. It was later absorbed into the university that bears his name. Chimnabai I was knowledgeable in Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music and brought a troupe with her: two dancers, two nattuvanars, and two teachers. Others followed: Nattuvanar Appaswamy and his dancer wife Kantimati, who had studied with Kannusamy and Vadively, two members of the Tanjore Quartet. After Appaswamy's death in 1939, Kantimati and their son, Kubernath, left to teach in Lucknow and worked in film in South India until Maharaja Pratap Singhrao Gaekwad called the Tanjorkars family back to Baroda in 1949, to teach in the music department in the Palace Kalavan which was later absorbed into MSU.

Faculty of Arts

The Faculty of Arts building is known for its Gumbaz which has been modelled on the ‘Gol Gumbaz’ of Bijapur, and has often been rated as the finest dome for Educational Institutions in India.

Departments

Department of Education and Psychology

Faculty of Management Studies

Popularly known as FMS Baroda, was established in 1984 in the city of Vadodara. The courses are approved by All India Council for Technical Education.
The institute offers the specialization in Marketing, Finance, Human Resource Management and Information Systems. During 1995, it increased its intake from 30 to 40 for 2-year full-time MBA, and in 1997 introduced a 3-Year MBA Evening Programme.

Faculty of Medicine

The Baroda Medical College serves as the Faculty of Medicine.

Faculty of Pharmacy

The Faculty of Pharmacy was established in 2015. Prior to that it was a department under the Faculty of Technology and Engineering. The faculty was ranked 14 in India by the National Institutional Ranking Framework pharmacy ranking in 2020.

Library

The Hansa Mehta Library was established in 1950.

Oriental Institute

The institute was established in Baroda on 1 September 1927. It operated from the Central Library before it was shifted in a separate building near the palace. It is known for the seven volumes of critical edition of Ramayana that it published between 1951 and 1975, a part of a 25-year project sponsored by the University Grants Commission. The text was later the reference source for Ramayan, the popular TV series by Ramanand Sagar that originally ran in 1987–88.
One of the oldest manuscripts preserved at the institute is Ayodhya Mahatmya, written by Harishankar in 1656 AD, part of the collection of over 10,000 manuscripts of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, who first conceptualised the institute in 1893, inspired by the opening of the Oriental Research Institute Mysore in 1891, established by then Maharaja of Mysore Chamaraja Wodeyar, and a close friend.
The Oriental Institute organises seminar and conferences for research in Oriental studies.

Student Life

The university offers NCC and NSS on campus.

Sayaji FM

Sayaji FM is the online radio station of The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. In June 2015, it was started by Yogesh Jangir, former student of the university.

Notable people

Notable alumni

Description

Faculty

The ceramist Professor Jyotsna Bhatt taught and studied here.