Parvani

Saurashtra Samachar, 20 March 1978: Shrimati Poyani Oza worked tirelessly on the direction, garba choreography and organisation of Parvani. About 75 women took part in the programme, and the classically based music composed by the well-known composer Shri Mohammadbhai Dekhaiya made the Parvani celebration all the more joyous and colourful, and set hearts swaying. The District Collector, Shri Rambhadran, presided, and the celebrated Gujarati film actor Shri Upendra Trivedi attended as guest of honour; both encouraged the performers. The well-known folk artist Shri Praful Dave also came specially for the occasion. Speaking from the stage, he said: "Seeing such a fine garba programme by Poyaniben makes me sad that I don't know how to dance." Among Parvani's singers were the radio artists Shri Pinakinbhai Mehta and Kumari Rekha Bhatt, together with Shrimati Harshidaben Buch, Shrimati Saryuben Nanavati, Kumari Dipti Bhatt and Shrimati Yaminiben Oza. The accompaniment came from an orchestra of Shri Amarshibhai Mehta, Balwantbhai Parmar and Sureshbhai Vaghela, with, on bansuri (bamboo flute), Tarunbhai Mehta, on violin Shri Hariharbhai Kapdi, and on mandolin Kamalbhai Virani.

Gujarat Samachar, 2 April 1978, "Rangam", by Shashikant Nanavati: On 14 March 1978, to mark the inauguration of the Aalap institution in Bhavnagar, the programme Parvani was presented. It was full of raas (the circle dance with sticks), garba and dance, all based on the stories behind the festivals, holy days and vrats (vows and fasts of religious observance) that run through the year and are woven into our lives like a string of stars. The tireless work Shrimati Poyani Oza put into Parvani's garba choreography, direction and organisation shone through. Shrimati Poyani Oza, who started it, is the daughter of Shrimati Pragnaben Oza. Under the banner of her troupe, Khushboo Kala Vrind, she staged programmes in Bhavnagar, Mumbai, Rajkot, Ahmedabad and other cities, and they were hugely popular. Let us see what Gujarat's newspapers have to say about these programmes.

Gujarat Samachar, 19 October 1981: "A brilliant achievement for Shrimati Poyaniben Oza". Presented on 9 October 1981 on the stage of the Theosophical Lodge in Bhavnagar, this programme was a delight in every respect and a hit. Never before in Bhavnagar had a programme of folk dance and garba kept an audience of four to five thousand in their seats from beginning to end. After creating Parvani, Shrimati Poyani Oza, with this production, Jhanjharno Jhankar ("The Jingle of Anklets"), not only takes her place in the ranks of accomplished artists of arvachin (modern) garba, such as Shrimati Veena Mehta and Shrimati Shubhaben Swadia of Mumbai and Shrimati Sudhaben Divetia, Shrimati Jayshreeben Anilbhai, Smita Shastri, Shrimati Chitra Shah, Meera Menon and others of Ahmedabad, but also wins Bhavnagar a place of pride on the map of Gujarat's garba.

Rangprabha, 25 December 1981: Bhavnagar's Khushboo Kala Vrind, which holds a leading place in the arts in Saurashtra and Gujarat, has for the past two years been steadily watering the soil of our cultural heritage with a meeting of three streams: folk music, folk dance and group dance. Its works bring novelty and originality together with a graceful blend of ancient and modern cultures. The guiding spirit of this troupe is Shrimati Poyani Oza. Under her direction, vision and guidance, Khushboo Kala Vrind has made great strides in a short time. Shrimati Poyani Oza has presented her garba compositions on Doordarshan in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, and her garbas won much praise at an All India Radio (Akashvani) concert in Rajkot.

Saurashtra Samachar, 29 October 2007, "25 years ago": the year's best programmes from an artistic point of view. Parvani. Production: Aalap. Direction: Shrimati Poyani Oza. Choreography, arvachin: Shrimati Poyani Oza. Choreography, prachin: Jitubhai Bhatt. Music direction: Shri Mohammadbhai Dekhaiya. Poems from the devotional poet Dayaram to the poet Narmad…

City Anchor

These buildings: a remarkable meeting of security, public welfare and artistry

Bhavnagar's architecture: living symbols of its rulers' welfare policies

Lecture by Dr Lakshman Vadher at the Rotary Club

Bhavnagar | 6 September

The Rotary Club of Bhavnagar organised a special lecture on "Bhavnagar's Architectural Heritage" at the Rotary Hall at Ghogha Circle. In it, Prof. Dr Lakshman Vadher of Shamaldas College shed light on Bhavnagar's historic town architecture and its planning for the public good. He said that the buildings raised by Bhavnagar's rulers are not merely grand piles of stone but living monuments to their generosity towards their subjects and their concern for their welfare. The rulers put the public good and the people's safety before their own luxury. Whether it was the coastal works on Piram Bet island, built in the time of Mokhdaji Gohil, or the structures on the hills of Sihor, all were built to keep the people safe.

With the public good at heart, Bhavnagar was given remarkable buildings such as Alfred High School, Majirajba Girls' School, the Jashonath Mahadev temple, Takhteshwar Mahadev, Gangaderi, Sir Takhtsinhji Hospital, Shamaldas College, Barton Library, Shri Gaurishankar Lake (Bortalav), the Nandkunvarba Orphanage for Girls and the lock gate at the port. Together these buildings show a matchless blend of Indian, Islamic and European styles. In shaping this historic architecture, Diwans (chief ministers of the princely state) such as Gaurishankar Oza, Shamaldas Mehta, Vitthaldas Mehta, Vijayshankar Oza, Sir Prabhashankar Pattani and Anantrai Pattani played a decisive part in turning the rulers' vision into reality.

Private buildings in the city, such as Shailendrakumar Vidhutrai Desai's "Hari Bhuvan", Amrutrai Desai's house and the T.B. Jain Girls' School, also preserve the proud character of the traditional art of building. Bhavnagar State was known throughout the country for its architecture.

Credit for planning Krishnanagar goes to V. C. Mehta

The credit for Bhavnagar's modern town plan, Krishnanagar, goes to the architecture expert Virendrarai Chandrashankar Mehta. Besides Bhavnagar, he also helped plan cities such as Rajkot, Morbi, Gondal and Wankaner. His book "Gruhavidhan" made him famous as the "Nagar Shilpi", the builder of towns. Bhavnagar's architectural heritage was further enriched by the work of Sir John Griffith and Professor Simson. In addition, Upendra Bhatt, a disciple of Sir Visvesvaraya, made a major contribution to the engineering of the city's underground drainage, its water filtration and lock gate, and the Victoria dam.