Anvi Chanodia describes herself as a first-semester student who could not raise her hand in class to say her name.
She was overthinking. Hesitating to express herself. Lacking confidence. The B.Design program at the Parul Institute of Design, Faculty of Architecture and Interior Design, was her path forward, but the first two semesters were difficult in the way that all serious design programs are difficult: the work was being evaluated by juries in public.
Read more: B.Design Interior and Furniture Design at Parul Institute of Design
By semesters four and five, she was working on a therapy centre project. The brief gave students creative freedom to choose materials, direction, and form entirely on their own. Anvi decided to build something that stood apart.
The result was a full furniture model. A proper swing, complete with kitchen and street cover components, constructed with scissors and cutters. The swing is still displayed in the department.
Somewhere during the review of that project, Professor Bhatt paused and delivered the sentence.
“I know you can do better and you have the potential.”
Anvi has quoted this sentence in every account of her placement journey. She calls it the fuel that kept her going. The confidence the professor fueled her with. A fuel that will never run out.
Why Four Words Outperform a Long Critique
A common failure mode of mentorship is over-articulation.
A teacher delivers a structured critique with numbered points and specific corrections. The student takes notes, revises the work, and misses the underlying signal: whether the teacher believes the work can ultimately succeed.
Detailed critiques without that underlying signal can depress rather than motivate. A student who hears twelve corrections without a statement of potential may conclude that the work is beyond repair.
Professor Bhatt‘s sentence skipped the detail. It delivered the signal.
- The first clause acknowledged that the current work was below what the student was capable of.
- The second clause stated belief that the capability was there.
- Nothing else was required. The student walked away with both the correct assessment and the correct emotional frame.
This is what experienced mentorship sounds like. The words land because the teacher has already invested enough time in the student’s work to know what they are capable of. The student hears belief because it is true.
The sentence becomes a reference point the student returns to during every future moment of doubt. Including the night before the Livspace interview on the tenth of March, 2026.
Other Mentors Operating by Similar Logic
Professor Rutu Bhatt is not an isolated case. The pattern of mentorship that produces portfolio-ready students is visible across faculty specialisations at PID.
- Nishant Trivedi mentored the team behind Akhabar Ek Baar Baar Baar, the experimental stop-motion and 2D animation film nominated at the 24FPS International Animation Awards 2025, and Sailing to Unknown, a 3D animated short film with the same recognition.
- Five mentors guided The Fire Kept Its Promise, the short film by Rohan Rajput selected for the Short Film Corner at the Festival de Cannes: Rakesh Patra, Pritish Nayak, Sourav Panda, Sudhakar Vajjha, and Chaitanya Joshi.
- Anuj Sharma delivered the Button Masala workshop that produced the zero-waste dress by fashion student Saloni.
- Visiting artisan Manaben, an elderly woman from a village background, conducts eco-printing and traditional stitching sessions with fashion students seated on the floor.
- Faculty member Deepak Vishwakarma‘s glazed stoneware sculpture Rhythms Beneath the Surface was exhibited at a national platform in Delhi while he continues teaching at PID.
Five mentors for one student film is not ordinary. The ratio does not happen at institutions where teachers are disengaged. The external recognition is verifiable.
What the Criticism Misses
Anonymous online reviews occasionally describe design education at PID as involving teachers who do not teach with enthusiasm and who expect students to do the work themselves.
Read carefully, the criticism describes the correct structure of design education rather than a failure of it. Design is not a subject that can be lectured into a student. It has to be practised, evaluated, revised, and defended. The teacher’s job is to create the conditions for that cycle, not to deliver content.
The fair part of the criticism is that design education does not reward passive students. A student who waits for a teacher to tell them what to do will struggle. A student who brings drafts to review, asks specific questions, and iterates on feedback will flourish.
The mentorship is there. It is activated by the student’s willingness to engage.
“I didn’t receive a paragraph-length critique. I received a single sentence of belief. I carried it forward for three years.”
That is how mentorship works when a student knows how to receive it.
How a Student Activates Good Mentorship
The asymmetry of design education is that the mentorship quality available to a student depends as much on the student’s approach as on the faculty’s time.
Five practical moves, observable across the students placed at Livspace, nominated at 24FPS, and selected at Cannes from PID.
- Bring drafts to review rather than waiting for assignment deadlines. A student who walks into a faculty office with work-in-progress gets specific feedback. A student who walks in empty-handed gets generic encouragement.
- Ask one specific question per review rather than general ones. What is wrong with this? produces vague answers. Is this joint strong enough to take the weight of a seated adult? produces technical engagement.
- Iterate visibly. Return to the same faculty member with revised work. The relationship deepens when the faculty sees their feedback being acted on.
- Attend workshops by visiting practitioners. Anuj Sharma’s Button Masala workshop, Manaben’s stitching sessions, and Gela ma’am’s typography intensive are the kind of exposures that cannot be recreated through classroom hours alone.
- Stay connected after graduation. Faculty who watched a student grow are the most useful long-term references a designer has. The relationship continues to produce value ten years after the degree ends.
Anvi’s trajectory demonstrates each of these moves in action. The therapy centre swing she built was an iteration beyond the standard brief. Her willingness to bring work to Professor Bhatt for review produced the sentence that carried her. Her attendance at Natik Panchak workshops broadened her design vocabulary beyond the standard curriculum.
The mentorship was always available. The student activated it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Professor Rutu Bhatt at Parul Institute of Design?
Professor Ms. Rutu Bhatt teaches at the Faculty of Architecture and Interior Design, Parul University. She mentored Anvi Chanodia through the therapy centre project during semesters four and five of the B.Design programme. Anvi has publicly credited Professor Bhatt's feedback as a defining influence on her Livspace placement.
Does Parul Institute of Design have enthusiastic teachers?
Design teachers do not deliver content lectures. They create conditions for practice, evaluate work through juries, and provide feedback during reviews. Anvi's experience with Professor Bhatt, the five-mentor team behind the Cannes-selected short film, Mr. Nishant Trivedi's guidance of 24FPS-nominated animation, and Deepak Vishwakarma's ongoing artistic practice all represent engaged mentorship by the correct definition of design teaching.
What kind of mentorship do students get at PID?
One-on-one review during project work, guidance through jury preparation, exposure to real project typologies including therapy centres and pediatric clinics, workshops led by visiting practitioners, and long-term relationships with faculty who continue to influence students beyond graduation.
How important are faculty relationships in design education?
Central. A design degree's value compounds through relationships with faculty who can continue to review work, provide industry introductions, and serve as long-term references. A student who invests in faculty relationships from first year onward has a professional network by graduation.
What happens if a student receives only brief feedback like Professor Bhatt's?
Brief feedback from an experienced mentor is often more valuable than extensive feedback from an inexperienced one. Professor Bhatt's sentence to Anvi carried three years of influence. The signal was the belief, not the length.
