About Us

Why this Initiative

SHaR initiative is designed to enable conscious citizens to play a larger role in supporting the community and be a catalyst for change or be the change.

At SHaR we hope to be able to ignite young minds to participate in social initiatives by motivating the youth to widen their perspectives and sensitivities on driving social and economic changes.

Throughout our program we shall attempt to link what Prof Sharad Bansal, stood for which is fostering an environment of partnership to help people to come together to build new initiative and set best practice examples. We hope that the citizen’s of Vadodara will have the courage and openness, to engage with diversity and inclusiveness.

SHaR is a non-commercial initiative by Prof Sharad Bansal’s family and friends. The initiative aims to pursue and fulfill some of his unfinished dreams.

About Prof. Sharad Bansal

Prof. Sharad N Bansal is known in the city of Vadodara as a renowned academician and an able administrator with an ability to engage effectivity with people from different backgrounds be it within his realm of work or outside. Prof Sharad hailed from a business family, from a small city Hindan in Rajasthan but he spent most of his life in Vadodara. He came here at the age of 16 as student of Economics at the Faculty of Arts to pursue his Masters and stayed on to complete his doctoral degree, in Banking and Business Finance under the Reserve Bank of India Fellowship program at the Department of Banking and Business Finance, Faculty of Commerce, M. S. University of Baroda. Post his Ph.D. he joined teaching in the Department of Business Economics in the Faculty of Commerce at a very young age of 21 years. Prof Sharad always seemed to be in a hurry to accomplish his aspirations. He was one of the youngest Professors in the M.S. University of Vadodara.

Prof Bansal’s administrative journey began with boy’s hostel wardenship at an age 28 years at the Halls of Residence. He became an Associate Director at the BBA Program, Faculty of Commerce, The M.S. University of Vadodara. In his role as an Associate Director, Prof Bansal was able to build the program and to gain visibility at State Level. Prof Bansal, inherited an almost defunct Center of Adult Education which he helped to revive and make it self sustainable. Within a short span he became the Head of Department of Cooperative Management and Rural Studies at the Faculty of Commerce.

Prof Bansal set up the international office (OIA) at the M. S. University of Baroda. In true sense he worked relentlessly with perseverance to fulfil the dream of establishing the University on the global map. Under his leadership and constant effort, the University had active academic collaborations with reputed academic institutions and universities abroad. He successfully initiated policies and activities for the smooth functioning of the exchange programs. He started the Student Internship Program for the first time at OIA and also opened doors of European Union Funding Programs to the staff and students of the university. He made The MSU Baroda a part of four prestigious European Union Erasmus Programs. Even in his health condition he made sure that MSU Baroda gets the ENPRENDIA Project. Besides, getting Erasmus GATE, Erasmus EUPHRATES, Erasmus Plus KA 107 and Erasmus Plus ENPREND. Prof Bansal, was instrumental in setting up Centre for Urban Studies at the university actively working together with University of Leicester, UK and British Council.

Prof Sharad became the Dean, Faculty of Commerce in the year 2014, and was able to contribute by developing infrastructure for the faculty and also helped to raise the bar in terms of building a strong image of the Commerce in the eyes of general public. He also held important positions at the University as a Senate member, foreign students’ advisor and was a member of important National level committees.

Even while at the University, Prof Bansal was sensitive to issues around him for the city of Vadodara and continued to contribute in different ways. He always thought of new ideas and liked to take new initiatives as a challenge. Few people know but he was very sensitive to street children and always wanted to do something to help them. He always had this urge to do something meaningful for the benefit of the city. Prof. Bansal had a very pleasant personality with a positive attitude and loved old rock music from the seventies, like Steely Dan and Pink Floyd including Sufi songs.

In his memory we have attempted to create an informal forum based called “SHaR” wherein we hope to bring diversity together with sensitivity for the benefit of the people of Vadodara.

Making your Life Easier

What People Say ?

I was a journalist completely new to Baroda, and those were tumultuous times – The Narmada Conflict, Bofors Probe, Ram Janmabhoomi and post Babri Riots. We often spent all night, discussing developments around us. A genuine human being with his heart in the right place his perspectives and concerns about everything were always helpful in my writings.

Bharat Desai

Ex Editor, Times of India, Gujarat

My dearest friend and brother have known each other since 1983 from completely different backgrounds but bonded and developed and everlasting sense of friendship and brotherhood.

Mr Gopi Vishwanathan

Dubai

Prof Sharad Bansal served Maharaja Sayajira University in carious capacities, he had nurtured the Faculty of BBA. As a Chancellor of the University I place on record my sincere appreciation of his work and express grief at this passing away at such a young age.