Vidyashilp University’s First Graduation Ceremony
A day the University has been building toward, since its very first classroom
August 7,2026 marked the first graduation ceremony for Vidyashilp University, Bengaluru and the day brought together the students who began this journey with VU, the families who stood behind them, and the faculty and academic leaders who watched them grow.
The ceremony was attended by Chancellor Dr. P. Dayananda Pai, Pro-Chancellor Dr. Kiran Pai, Vice Chancellor Prof. P. G. Babu, Registrar-in-Charge and Secretary Mr. T. R. Ramakrishnan, the Deans of VU’s Schools, faculty, families and friends. The occasion was also marked by the presence of Chief Guest Shri Gopal Krishna Gandhi, former Governor of West Bengal and Distinguished Professor of History and Politics at Ashoka University, who delivered the convocation address, where he included a timely question: What should education prepare young people for in a world increasingly shaped by AI?
A distinguished academic, writer and former diplomat and administrator, Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi is also the grandson of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. His is a life shaped by public service and a deep engagement with India’s history and democratic institutions.
His presence at VU was therefore especially fitting for a university that seeks to prepare young people not only for careers, but for a changing world, and his address brought that larger purpose of education into sharp focus.
An Education for a Changing World
In his address, Prof. Babu spoke about the interdisciplinary education that shaped the students’ experience at VU, a curriculum rooted in critical thinking and learning to learn, the freedom to combine disciplines, and an academic environment where students and faculty could move across boundaries.
As he put it, “Interdisciplinarity comes out of design, selection and spontaneous openness of faculty and students.”
That philosophy was echoed in Dr. Dayananda Pai’s address, where he returned to the founding vision of the university: to develop self-reliant young people who could create opportunities rather than seek for them. “We want our students to be job creators, not job seekers,” he told the graduating class.
Chief Guest Shri Gopal Krishna Gandhi put forth another interesting thought: what should education mean in a world being rapidly transformed by AI? His answer was a call to preserve independent thought and human judgement, treating AI as an instrument rather than allowing it to become a master.
More than a Graduation
For the Deans and faculty, however, the day carried a deeply personal meaning.
They remembered a group of students who had taken a chance on a new university and, in doing so, became part of its earliest story. They spoke about students taking ownership of projects, stepping up when things became difficult and supporting one another whole heartedly.
They remember each and every ‘risk-taker’ student, affectionately because these students did something remarkable with their confidence and boldness when they decided to enter Vidyashilp without seniors or juniors and grew with it.
Faculty spoke about conversations outside classrooms, shared jokes, music, friendships and the realisation that they had learned from their students too. One reflection captured the feeling particularly well: “We really built VU together.”
The graduating students felt that connection too. In his valedictory address, Aman Kumar described the occasion not as an individual achievement, but as a shared journey involving students, parents and staff. What university taught them, he reflected, was not only found in their subjects, but also in the people they encountered along the way.
And perhaps that is what made the first Graduation Ceremony so significant. It was as much a celebration of degrees, as it was about relationships, risk-taking, trust and a university finding its character alongside its first graduating class.
On behalf of Vidyashilp University, we congratulate the graduating class of 2026 and their families. We are proud of what they have achieved and grateful for all that they have brought to this young university. May they carry their curiosity, confidence, honesty and courage into the many paths ahead, and create possibilities of their own along the way.