Visitors check out one of the designs for the Nalanda University at hotel Maurya on Monday. Picture by Jai Prakash

College student Vikrant Gupta travelled all the way from Nalanda on Monday to take a look at the design of the international university coming up in his neighbourhood. The varsity would be ready by 2020.

The Nalanda College scholar was among 50 enthusiasts who had gathered at hotel Maurya in Patna to attend an exhibition on the design and model of the upcoming seat of learning — Nalanda University.

“I have come to see how much the new university would resemble the old one. It is a proud moment for us that such a university of international repute is coming up in our state and more so in my district,” said the 22-year-old youth, who had travelled over 80km to attend the exhibition on the first day itself.

To create awareness about the upcoming Nalanda University’s design and model, the varsity administration had put up a similar exhibition at National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. On Monday, it threw open a three-day exhibition for the people of Bihar at the city hotel.

Based on the theme, ‘What Makes Nalanda University Different from Other Universities’, the exhibition portrays the vision of ace architect B.V. Doshi, whose consultancy firm Vastu Shilpa, has been selected to design the prestigious university. The exhibition revolves around how the new seat of learning would resemble the old one. The Telegraph had reported in its June 4 edition how the new university would retain its old texture.

More than 30 pictures of the upcoming university and its two models — the master plan of the varsity and its main building — have been put up at the exhibition in Patna. The exhibition tried to promote the various facets of the upcoming cradle. The building architecture, technology, flora and fauna and the phases in which it would be developed have been well defined.

Mahesh Patel, the caretaker of the exhibition and the private secretary to Nalanda University vice-chancellor Gopa Sabharwal, said: “The idea behind holding such an exhibition in Patna was to let people of Bihar know about such a premier university coming up in their state.”

He added that on June 12, Sabharwal and Doshi would talk to reporters to explain the finer details of the varsity.

“We had organised a similar exhibition from May 8 to June 7 in New Delhi and received an overwhelming response from people. Around 1,500 people visited the art house in the national capital. On the first day in Patna, more that 50 people turned up to see the designs,” Patel said.