::: Star Campus :::

Spotlight

Happy Anniversary: Star Campus

Marzia Rahman

STAR-CAMPUS, the largest and most influential campus based magazine in Bangladesh started its journey in the month of August 2006 with the motto of 'Of the students, by the students, for the students'. No doubt, it showed the students a new hope and a new purpose in life.

When the country seems like a waste- land and its new d-generation engrossed them completely in cell-phone, satellite, Internet culture. 'Star Campus' showed some hope, a new path. It gave the students a noble platform where they can share their ideas, opinions and views. And happily, students from different public and private universities, colleges and even schools, actively took part with their campus news and extra-academic activities.

Some students for the first time got the chance to express their views and ideas by writing and thus could make the best use of their creativity. The magazine has really become for the students a great platform where they can dream and see their dream to be fulfilled. It gives them the sense of pleasure that what they write will be published and read by others, that they have an audience. So what 'Star Campus' did and still doing and will continue to do, is creating an unique opportunity for the aspiring writers and students to write, to be published and to be read which no other magazine are willing to do.

But it did not limit itself to the students only. Besides the students, respectable Academics, Professors, Teachers, Research fellows etc also share their wisdom and experience in the magazine.

Star Campus not only publishes write-up but also quotations, jokes, technical news, scientific features, quiz, film review, photography. It also features both the major and petite events of Educational Institutions. It published special features on the anniversary of Mymensingh Girls Cadet College, Dhaka University or such events like English 4 today (Jahangirnagar University), ICECC 2008, EWU AUDC 2009, Debate competitions. Special features and articles are published on special occasions like Independence Day, Language Day, Pahela Boishakh, Father's Day, Mother's day, etc.

In 2008 Star Campus floated a new idea, an innovative concept. It started organizing monthly book review or discussion programme with eminent personality as its main guest and participants from both Public and Private universities. Students came from Buet, Dhaka university, North South University, IUB, Stamford university, AIUB, Jahangirnagar university, UODA even as far as Khulna University and Chittagong University. In every programme, 'Star Campus' Editor Shahnoor Wahid introduced the students to the chief guest and guided the discussion. Students got the rare and unique opportunity to meet and talk with such prominent personalities like Syed Badrul Ahsan, National Professor Kabir Choudhury, Prof Syed Munir Khasru, and UGC Chairman Professor Nazrul Islam.

In this informal discussion programme which the participant love to call 'Adda', discussion floated in every direction. Participants from both the Public and Private Universities joined the 'Adda' and talked and argued spontaneously. There was not a single issue left that had not been discussed. From current political situation, Liberation war, trial of war criminals, the condition of Private and Public universities to art and culture, traffic situation, books, literature- all were discussed or talk about. At the end of each 'Adda' both the students and respectable guests left the programme with warm smile on the face and content at heart eagerly looking for the next invitation to another 'Adda'.

What makes 'Star Campus' a successful magazine is that beneath the fun and excitement that fill the pages, it is above all else has become the voice of young generation projecting their dreams, aspirations and their hopes and visions.

So today after two years of its publication, on behalf of all the readers, contributors, students and first-time writers, I want to show my gratitude to the Magazine and its whole team. We wish the 'Star Campus' to evolve and expand with time and include more features and literary pieces. It has a long way to go, many steps to cover, and many dreams to fulfill. We hope and wish it has a future as brilliant and exciting as it's past. Bon Voyage!