Faculty-led efforts put Govt College on state youth fest map

Can a class of just two or eight students make waves across the state? With the relentless efforts of a teacher single-mindedly dedicated to reviving the arts at a college with previously limited exposure — the answer is yes.

When Vinod Dheer (35) walked in as a professor at the Government College of Education (Ladowali Road), Jalandhar in 2016 — no one had imagined that the institution could ever shine at a state-level contest, let alone make its mark at the prestigious Youth Festivals.

But nine years down the line, the college is now known for making waves — with students securing top spots across not one but seven fine arts categories and even bagging overall trophies.

A cartoon and comic aficionado since childhood, Dheer embraced painting full-time after encouragement from his own college mentors — a passion that has gone on to transform the lives and careers of his students. Thanks to his unrelenting push and belief, students from nondescript villages and modest backgrounds have not only won accolades but gone on to become teachers, freelancers, and individual artists, now showcasing their work to the world.

A product of the neighbouring Nehru Garden Government School in Jalandhar, Dheer pursued his graduation and post-graduation in Fine Arts from the Government College, Hoshiarpur. After completing his B.Ed from the very college he now teaches at, he joined as a faculty member.

Inspired by the ethereal and realistic watercolours of John Fernandes, Vasudev Kamat, Praful Sawant and Milind Malik, Dheer counts watercolours as his first love. Yet, he actively explores other genres and teaches students across multiple artistic disciplines.

When he began teaching, there were only two students in the Fine Arts section. But Dheer did the unthinkable — he took those two students to every district and state-level contest he could find.

The result? A motivated college administration that soon backed his proposal to enter the Youth Festivals. A successful run began. Between 2018 and 2024, the college clinched the overall third trophy four times at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. In 2019, they were also the second runner-up at the Doaba Youth Festival — competing against the best private colleges in the region. The college today has 10 seats in the Fine Arts section. Eight students recently passed out.

Reflecting on the journey, Dheer says, “When I came here, there were just two students and zero participation in Youth Festivals. No major award had ever been won. I told our principal I would take them to the festivals. Both students won prizes. Then at the inter-zonal, we won two more. It was incredibly motivating. ”

Next on his list? “I dream of taking my students to showcase their work at the Thakur Singh Art Gallery in Amritsar,” says Dheer with quiet determination.

Jalandhar