Again a school trip but this time an educational one. The psychology students were taken to Vadodara to enhance their knowledge about psychology and also to create an awareness about the different career options psychology offers. We stayed in Hotel Yuvraj that was a three star hotel but it was as good as a five star hotel. Though the hotel was good we preferred to spend our time in the popular bookstore nearby that sold all the latest novels at a wholesale price! It is a small nook filled with treasure - a delight for all the book hoarders! I ended up buying the Shiva trilogy and all the books of Khaled Hossieni for Rs 799 only!
The three day trip involved a basic visit to DISHA autism centre wherein the students got to interact with the autistic children and know more about how autism can be treated if not cured completely. Disha organisation has worked hard to help these special children with special needs, the staff over there are patient and caring. They ensure the saftey of the children and they also strengthen their basic development. Once in a while these children are also taken on a visit to places nearby- a day when they can interact with the people around them and understand their surroundings. Next was the children's hospital wherein we interacted with a child psychologist and speech therapist and got to know more about the basic psychological problems that children face (e.g. ADHD). The first two days were an OVERDOSE OF PSYCHOLOGY... meeting a psychiatrist and participating in a hypnotherapy session at Samatvam Institute as well as visiting the renowned MS University of Vadodara specially known for its psychology department.
After two days of sheer knowledge we visited the famous crossword bookstore a must visit for all the book lovers. We got ample amount of time for shopping in Central mall and Inorbit mall both were equally great. Next was the EME temple visit a temple made from spacecraft to observe the ancient sculptures of God. Later we visited the Fatehsingh Museum again a must visit place for all the aesthetic lovers- the place traces the history of Indian and Western classical paintings and sculptures. Another major site was the Laxmi Vilas Palace acknowledged for its historical and cultural significance.
So Baroda or Vadodara is a cosmopolitan city that has welcomed a wide range of people from across the world to its internationally renowned University. Situated in Gujarat the native language is Gujarati but you might find people speaking Hindi or English. In the end we successfully found a pinch of psychology in Baroda the city that has a thousand different tales to inspire you.