There is something powerful about watching women occupy space. Not in loud and brash ways, but in subtle, confident, and quiet ones.
They enter spaces they have previously been told they did not belong in, and then they make it theirs.

That's what is happening at Parul University. One slow, measured, everyday action that says "You can. And you should". Located on the hub of campus was a food stall called Mummy n’ Yummy. It smelled like home; it felt like resilience. These women were not chefs or trained professionals, they are mothers, neighbours, and quiet forces from the low-income communities that are nearby. Parul University’s Social Responsive Cell gave them a space to find their voice, and they returned something powerful - nourishment that is both physical and emotional.
For students, it is a space to unwind from classes. For these women, it is opportunity and ownership. And perhaps that is what empowerment looks like, a purposeful stall.

Growth, without waiting for permission

Women Development Cell at Parul University does not exist to rescue anybody, because women don't need rescuing. Women need space. Women need guidance. Women need a mentor who doesn't tell them what to do, but walks alongside them. Here, a professional dream is considered just as important as a degree. From career workshops to soft skills training, the goal is always the same once again, equip, don't preach. This is not about being loud. It's about being heard.

Empowerment, rooted in everyday life

The spirit of empowerment is manifesting itself in everyday community-based initiatives across campus. There is Garima, empowering women to learn meaningful skills and earn income on their own terms. Sahiyar-Gram-Hatt, where handcrafted goods tell the experiences of village women set on having increasingly fuller, independent lives. Sanjeevani, a women-led credit union that discusses financial topics, but without stress. These workspaces do not swoop in to save the day. They believe that when women control their finances, they begin to control their future.

Leadership in real-time

Some months ago, Parul University conducted a panel. On stage was the Rajmata of Baroda, a foreign diplomat, and Dr. Parul Patel - all three a page in the chronology of courageous leadership. The stories were not curated. They were lived experiences. They told of first steps, uncertainty, and breakthroughs. They had reminded the young women in the audience that leadership is never a finite endpoint. It is a series of choices, many of which are uncomfortable, but most worthwhile.

Startups with spirit

The Women Start-Up Meet 4.0 at Parul University was not just a tech or business affair. It felt like a storytelling festival brimming with ideas, failures, comebacks, and courage. There were 3,500+ women who came together. Some of them came to pitch ideas, and some came to just listen, but everyone came to belong. They had masterclasses, honest panels, and even a session called "She Tales," where founders admitted they did not always have it all figured out and that sometimes, the bravest thing is just to start. The university's PIERC innovation center was there to provide guidance, mentorship, and that little nudge every idea needs.

Where policy meets poetry

Parul's hosting of the AIU National Women's Student Parliament changed the dynamics of the campus. Over 1,000 women came from across India. Not to sit silently and listen. Not to just nod. But to speak. To push. To influence policy with their own words. It was not just about politics; it was about self-expression. A reminder that women do not need permission to be powerful, they just need a functioning microphone and a roomful of listeners.

So what makes this place different?

It might have just been that there was no pressure. No one around this team was saying "be empowered". But rather, there is a failsafe buzz that says: you already are. Let's start there. Parul University does not empower any women in isolation; it provides opportunity, it provides space, and most importantly, it provides each other. Because you cannot change culture like women changing culture and showing up for one another. In workshop contexts. In mentorship circles.In one-liner advice as we exit of class. In yelling louder when someone else has an achievement.

In the end, what remains?

The audible sensation of ideas being taken seriously. The unspoken expression of someone who didn’t think she could until she did. At Parul University, women are not simply waiting on the edge of anything. They are already in the midst of becoming. And becoming, after all, is the most powerful thing anyone can do.