As soon as the student group arrived in Bangalore (known as India's Silicon Valley), the students of Parul University could feel the startup energy of the city. From the moment they stepped off the bus, it seemed like ideas were bouncing off of one another all over the city. Any time they'd find themselves in a conversation, going into a coworking space or seeing anything on the screen, you could hear it say "The future is being made here.”
This was not a technical tour, but a fully experiential journey on how curiosity, courage and creativity shape the world of AI and innovation.
Exploring the Journey of AI
All of the excitement began with Leslie D'Monte, Executive Editor of Mint, who took everyone on a brief journey back in time, which started with typewriters thumping away and ended with algorithms making decisions for us.
His stories weren’t just tech talk; they were about transformation.
“Ask the right questions and welcome change,” he said, setting the tone for the days ahead.
Students realized that AI isn’t just about coding or computation , it’s about thinking differently. It’s about asking why not? instead of what if?
From Curiosity to Purpose At Amazon Pay
Balaji Mani exemplified the transformation of curiosity into purpose. His journey, weaving about a winding career path, working on innovation - spoke to everyone in the room's heart and mind. He talked about taking risks, being patient, and discovering meaning in the work you do. For the students in attendance, this was an awakening - success can't be achieved if one plays it too safe; success is derived from believing in something enough to go after it.
The conversations generated a lot of laughter, inquiries, pressure, and inspiration, the kind of energy that makes you want to do something new the moment you walk outside the door. Creativity Driving Leadership The second highlight of the conference was the visit to Google, where Anand Rangarajan intertwined tech, ethics and empathy into one memorable workshop. His message? Technology will always be powerful , but it’s only as good as the people behind it.
Students watched how creativity fuels leadership and how values guide innovation. It was eye-opening to realize that AI isn’t replacing humans; it’s reminding humans to be better, more thoughtful, more ethical, and more imaginative.
Technology Meets Governance
Just when everyone thought they’d seen it all, the tour took a sharp turn into politics, the Karnataka MP office, to be exact.
Aravind Suchindran compared elections to exams: tough, strategic, and all about preparation. He concluded by emphasizing that success, whether in government or business, requires vision, planning, and patience.
This was a lovely reminder of what technology is about, which is more than the product. It's about people, systems, and how ideas emerge into the world.
Taking Risks & Building Resilience
The energy ramped up with the startup sessions with Ashish Dahiya and Hariharan Thirugnanam from Instabase India. These were not talks, but real, raw dialogues on failure, becoming better, and grit.
What was clear in their stories was failure is not the end of the world, it is part of the process.
The students soaked up every ounce of unfiltered reality, small wins and big lessons. They redefined what it means to build something from nothing, with courage, curiosity and trial and error.
Seeing AI’s Broader Horizon
Next came Mohammed Anzy from Guidewire India and Jayanth Kollaa from Convergence Catalyst. Their insights pushed the boundaries of what students thought AI could do.
AI isn’t just data and logic anymore, it’s evolving, learning, adapting. But the twist? It still needs humans to steer it right.
As students recognized the connections, their understanding developed into a bigger picture, and everything they had learned about curiosity, leadership, and resilience fit appropriately into the notion of shaping the tech world responsibly.
Innovation in Action
The final stop brought the group face-to-face with innovators from AI Palette and NeuroPixel.AI, Himanshu Upreti and Amritendu Mukherjee , two dreamers who turned ideas into impact.
They spoke about long nights, tough decisions, and those “should we give up?” moments that led to breakthroughs.
These conversations weren't only about technology, they were about resilience, creativity, and the willingness to persist when things are difficult. Students can also relate to this: innovation is as much about passion and persistence.
Returning with perspective After their AI Tech Tour
Students were not just leaving Bangalore with notes and pictures; they were leaving with perspective.
They had experienced how ideas are created, built, and realized, in offices, startups, and governmental spaces.
Each stop flowed into the next; each story added a layer and at the end of this experience, one truth emerged: the future is not something that happens to us, it is something we are creating.
With curiosity as their compass, courage as their engine, and knowledge as their toolbox, the Parul University students departed Bangalore poised to help shape what comes next.
