How the President of Parul University Supports Students on the Ground: Walking Through Every Artisan Stall, Speaking to First-Year Sculpture Students by Name, Comparing Their Glass Work to Venice, and What That Institutional Culture Means for 70,500 Students

At a university with 70,500+ students across 200+ programmes, leadership could easily operate from boardrooms and review meetings. At Parul University, the President, Dr. Devanshu Patel, walked through every single stall at the Vadodara Visual Art Festival. He spoke to every artisan. He stopped at student exhibitions. He asked first-year students their names, their hometowns, and the specific process behind their sculptures. He compared senior students’ glass blowing to what he had seen in Venice. He suggested inviting a Padma Shri artist he had met in Ranthambore. This is what ground-level institutional support looks like, and it is one of the reasons the university’s creative programmes attract students from across India.

Dr. Devanshu Patel did not walk past the artisan stalls with a brief glance. He stopped at each one, asked where the artisan was from, and inquired about the specific technique. At the Molela terracotta stall, he recognised the craft immediately and told the team about the village near Udaipur where it originates. At the Botad wood carving stall, he examined the frames closely and confirmed with the artisan that the carving was done in a single piece of teak wood without machines. He said it aloud so everyone could hear: very nice, carving done in a single piece, no machine used, all by hand. At the Kutch copper bells stall, he appreciated the traditional sound work. At the sustainable coir stall from Bhavnagar, he praised the eco-friendly message. At the tribal beadwork stall from Chhota Udepur, he was happy to see the women’s empowerment initiative.

At the 1,000-year handmade paper stall from Gosunda, Chittorgarh, he listened carefully as the artisan explained the 400-year-old family tradition of making paper from old clothes without chemicals. The idea that paper could last a millennium without any chemical treatment held his attention. At the papier mache masks stall from Jaipur, the team shared how they had originally met the artisan’s father during a university tour years ago and maintained the relationship until they could invite the family to conduct a workshop on campus.

When Dr. Devanshu Patel reached the first-year sculpture section, he did not just observe the giant animal and dinosaur sculptures. He walked up to the students and introduced himself with a simple: hello beta, how are you? He asked each student their name and hometown individually. Intan from Delhi. For first-year students who are new to a university of this scale, having the President walk up, ask their name, listen to their process explanation, and express genuine interest in their work carries significance. It communicates that the institution values what they are creating. It tells them that their work, even as foundation-year students, is noticed at the highest level. That kind of validation is part of what builds the confidence to pursue a career in the arts.

At the glass blowing section, Dr. Devanshu Patel spoke with second and third-year students who had completed a physically demanding workshop. Glass blowing requires handling molten material at extreme temperatures and shaping it through precise breath control. The students showed him their finished pieces. He asked who made them, confirmed the technique, and then shared a personal reference: he had seen glass blowing in Venice, one of the world’s most famous centres for this craft. He told the students: this is a very difficult process, making it, I have seen it in Venice, a lot of glass blowing happens there, it requires a lot of hard work, keep it up.

When the President of a university tells students that their work is comparable to a craft tradition that is celebrated internationally, it does two things. It validates the difficulty of what they have achieved. And it places their learning in a global context. These students are not just practising a university assignment. They are developing skills that are recognised in Venice, Murano, and glass studios worldwide.

Parul University’s School of Fine Arts offers a creative learning environment through a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs including Bachelor of Visual Arts in Applied Arts, Bachelor of Visual Arts – Foundation, Bachelor of Visual Arts in Painting, and Bachelor of Visual Arts in Sculpture, along with Master of Visual Arts in Art & Heritage Management, Master of Visual Arts in Applied Arts, and Master Of Visual Arts in Painting. Designed to nurture artistic talent, technical skills, and creative expression, these programs provide students with the knowledge, practical exposure, and professional foundation needed to build meaningful careers in the fields of fine arts, design, culture, and visual communication.

While viewing original paintings in the portfolio section, Dr. Devanshu Patel recalled a recent visit to Ranthambore where he met a Padma Shri awardee artist who sketches tigers using carbon collected from vehicle silencers. The artist makes his own nib from the carbon and paper, then produces tiger sketches.

At the natural dye and paper pulp exhibition, Dr. Devanshu Patel examined a piece where students had transformed an old bicycle rim into a textured art piece using school thread, paper pulp, and layers of dust. He understood immediately that working with natural materials, rather than synthetic colours, presents a significant technical challenge. He praised the students for it directly: working in total realism is difficult, a crossed challenge. He recognised that the students had surpassed a difficulty that many professional artists struggle with.

The President of Parul University visiting every stall, speaking to every artisan by origin, asking first-year students their names and process, comparing their work to international standards, and suggesting new artists for future festivals is not a ceremonial walkthrough. It is active, informed leadership that directly impacts the student experience. Students at the Parul Institute of Fine Arts know that their work is seen, evaluated, and appreciated by the person who leads the institution. Artisans who travel from Rajasthan, Kutch, Botad, Jaipur, and Chhota Udepur know that the university’s leadership values their craft enough to engage with it personally. This ground-level engagement is part of what makes the creative ecosystem at Parul University function the way it does.