ADODARA: No bloody wars were fought.
No annexations. Yet Baroda has transcended the boundaries of the
Gaekwad state to other areas in the country and abroad. A recent
research has found a generous sprinkling of the word 'Baroda'
all across the world.
When city-based philatelist Prashant Pandya, who is researching
the postal history of India, found that a suburb in the town of
Craddock in South Africa was named Baroda, he was thrilled. His
quest led him to discover "other Barodas" -- in the US, in Bangladesh
and in as many as seven states of India.
Pandya now has evidence of 36 cities, villages and post offices
in India and abroad named Baroda. He stumbled on a Baroda in Michigan
state in the US and in Bangladesh's Khulna district, the town
being called Barodal.
It was a historical event when Ranjit Chavan, the then mayor of
Vadodara, was invited by the mayor of Baroda city in Michigan
state, Peter Wolf, to commemorate its 100th anniversary. The function
was attended by other Barodians settled in and around Chicago.
"It was in 1890 that a railway engineer went to the US from Baroda
state to help lay tracks. When he found the last railway station
along the track still unnamed, he christened it Baroda. A museum
in the corporation office there still preserves memorabilia that
the young engineer had carried with him," says Ranjit Chavan.
Later, Wolf came to Vadodara on Chavan's invitation.
Baroda's there in Lalooland, too, as a small town called Baroda
in Muzaffarpur. It's also there as towns and villages in the historic
sites of Rajasthan -- Jhalawar, Bundi, Chittorgarh, Kota, Alwar.
Baroda has also been found in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya
Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.
And, many of the post offices named Baroda are still operative
in the country. Pandya had sent postcards and inland letters to
post offices named Baroda with their pin codes. They all replied
within a span of two months, confirming that they were operative.
"Except for the area called Baroda Rayon at Surat, which has been
re-christened Fatehnagar, almost all of them retain their old
names," he says.
However, not all places are strictly called Baroda. Like in Bundi,
Rajasthan, it is Barodia, Baroda Qehli and Barodia Kumaria in
Madhya Pradesh, Baroda Bijlon and Baroda Dang in Uttar Pradesh
while it is Baroda Bazaar in Midnapore in West Bengal.
Pandya hit upon this unique idea while leafing through a book
at the Vadodara Philatelist Library that carried a list of names
of old post offices compiled by the late philatelist Ashwin Patel,
who had prepared it from the "Old Postal Guide Journal, 1977".
"In the past, the princely state of Baroda had connections with
places all around India and even outside the country. Its influence
could have led to naming of many towns and villages in other states
after Baroda," says Pandya.
"The name may have migrated along with the Gujaratis, who fanned
out to different countries, especially Africa and to the US. They
also migrated to other states in the country. It is probable that
they carried the name along with them. A sociological study may
well prove this theory," says Raj Kumar Hans of MS University's
department of history.
And the name appears to have been common even in the British period.
An old postal journal of January 1903, listing the old post offices
of India, has eight post offices named Baroda like Baroda-Alwar,
Baroda-Bulundshahar, Baroda-Rohtak, Baroda-Bombay, Baroda Camp-S.Bombay
and Baroda City.
Baroda and The World
Baroda - Craddock, South Africa
Baroda - Michigan, USA
Barodal - Bangladesh
Baroda - Jind, Haryana
Baroda - Sonepat, Haryana
Baroda - Damoh, MP
Barodara - Sago, MP
Baroda Qehli - Sagar, MP
Barodia Kumaria - Shajapur, MP
Baroda - Ratlam, MP
Barodia Sarak - Shivpuri, MP
Barode - Shajapur, MP
Barodia - Bundi, Rajasthan
Baroda - Brahmabol,Bharatpur, Rajasthan
Baroda Piplund - Rajasthan Bhilwara
Baroda Gajrapal - Rajasthan
Baroda Kan - Lachmangarh Alwar, Rajasthan
Baroda MEO - Alwar, Rajasthan
Barodia - Chittorgarh, Rajasthan
Barodia - Jhalawar, Rajastahn
Barodia (Bagidora) - Banswara, Rajastahn
Barodia - Quota, Chenchat, Rajasthan
Barodia - Chittorgarh, Rajasthan
Barodia - Jhalawar, Rajasthan
Barodia (Bagidora) - Banswara, Rajasthan
Barodia - Kota, Chenchat, Rajasthan
Baroda Bijlon - Lalitpur,UP
Baroda Dang - Lalitpur,UP
Barodaswami - Lalitpur, UP
Baroda village - Muzaffarnagar, Bihar
Baroda - Midnapore, WB
Baroda Bazar - Midnapore,WB
Baroda Rayon (now Fatehnagar) -Surat, Gujarat
Barote, Mandi - Himachal Pradesh
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
