Feature

Happy Anniversary: Star Campus

By Marzia Rahman

Star Campus is celebrating its 4th Anniversary and on the eve of this great moment, the question that arises is what makes this magazine the largest, most influential and tremendously popular magazine in Bangladesh, the answers are deceptively simple.

Star-Campus is the first campus-based magazine in the English language in Bangladesh. From the humble beginning back in August 2006, it continues to encourage readers and students living in the peripheries as well as those living in the cities, whose endeavours hardly get noticed by society. Students for the first time, got the chance to express their views and ideas and in the process, make the best use of their creativity. This magazine has become a great ambassador for all the different schools, colleges and universities, pulling all the students under one roof. So what Star Campus has done is to create an unique opportunity and a great platform for aspiring writers and students to write, to be published and to be read which no other publication have done yet.

It is true that Star Campus started its journey with the motto of 'of the students, by the students, for the students' but it did not limit itself to the students only. It shared the views and ideas of people of different professionals. The unique quality of this magazine is that it is both fun-filled and educational.

Star Campus not only publishes write-ups but also quotations, jokes, technical news, scientific features, quiz, film review, photography. It also features events in different educational institutions. It has publishes special features on the anniversary of Mymensingh Girls Cadet College, Dhaka University and also covered many events and other various 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.

Ever since this magazine began its journey, 4 years ago, it has constantly evolved and experimented with ideas to fulfill the diverse demands of its ever-increasing readership. In 2008 Star campus floated a new idea, an innovative concept- to make the magazine more interactive, it started organising monthly discussion sessions with the participation of students of various public and private universities and senior teachers and renowned writers. In this informal discussion programme called 'Adda', 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.

Participants from both public and private universities joined 'Adda' and talked and debated spontaneously. From current political situation, Liberation war, trial of war criminals, the condition of private and public universities to art and culture, books, literature- all are discussed or openly.

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

So today after 4 years of its publication, I wish the magazine to evolve and expand with time and hope that it has a future as brilliant and exciting as its past. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!