Editor’s
Note
Eight
Years
of Star Mag
In celebrating
the 8th anniversary of the Star Weekend Magazine we celebrate
a publication that has both won the hearts of its readers
and earned the respect of its competitors. Over the years
the magazine established itself as the pre-eminent weekly
family magazine in English.
What perhaps
has gained the magazine its current prestige are its cover
stories which have focused on issues of human interest, artistic
excellence, scientific breakthrough and social needs. Extremely
well written, these incisive and in-depth reports gave English
language journalism a totally new profile and prestige that
it did not have before in the country. In addition to its
superb cover stories the magazine also added a wide variety
of features and columns that make it a "must read"
for all Daily Star subscribers during the weekend.
No other
magazine did the type of cover stories that we did, touched
on the subjects that we dared to write on and hit as hard
against the vested interest crippling our society. We broke
new grounds in writing about issues that were long thought
to be taboo. We brought to public focus subjects that were
hidden under the veneer of social norms and exposed some of
the deep-rooted hypocrisies that permeate our social life.
We made
our readers laugh with our satirical columns and humorous
pieces that also brought home some very important social messages.
Star Mag's biggest success is its appeal to readers of all
ages. Often readers have complained, much to our satisfaction,
that we have added a Friday morning 'fight' in the family
activities of the weekend morning insofar as to who would
read it first. We thank them for their support and encouragement,
which has been our main inspiration throughout these last
eight years.
As an
editor-publisher I must confess how proud I am of my colleagues
in the Star Weekend Magazine. Their relentless pursuit of
quality, their commitment to serving the readers better and
their personal devotion to making the magazine better make
them a wonderful team to work with.
We promise
our continued efforts to make the Magazine an even more vibrant
weekend read.
Mahfuz
Anam
Editor-Publisher
Editorial
As we
celebrate our eighth birthday, the one thing that keeps coming
to mind are the various stages of metamorphosis that Star
Weekend Magazine has gone through. Starting as an experimental
weekend supplement that changed from the broadsheet format
to its present A-4 size version, SWM has slowly but steadily
changed, we believe and hope, for the better.
At first,
only the cover was in colour with the inner content in bleak
black and white. The paper wasn't that great either -- turning
yellow in a matter of days. The layout was not professionally
done and often fell into a boring rut. Sounds like a sure
recipe for failure in the age of glossy, glitzy magazines
that keep popping up now and then. But in spite of all the
technical drawbacks, the horrific typos (which unfortunately
creep in even today) Star Weekend Magazine began to be taken
notice of. This was because it soon became a platform to project
the views that are usually not heard, the anomalies of society
that keep getting brushed under the carpet.
From the
very beginning, SWM was lucky enough to lure some very talented
columnists from the main paper -- Chintito, for one has week
after week managed to make people laugh out loud while at
the same time, think of serious issues that affect our political
and social psyche. Neeman Sobhan has continuously regaled
her readers not just by recreating the wonders of her long-time
country of residence, Italy, but with the sheer poetry of
her writing.
While
creatively written, in-depth stories and witty personal musings
kept many readers loyal to SWM, it was Mita's agony column
that kept the younger readers hooked. Mita has for the last
eight years advised hundreds of mostly lovelorn young men
and women on how to deal with problems related to unrequited
or undeclared love. SWM will always acknowledge her sincere
and consistent contribution in adding to our readers' interest
in this magazine. And our list of regular contributors has
increased considerably now, enriching the magazine's content
with diverse and provocative views.
The overwhelming
costs of publication has, of course, kept the magazine from
being physically as attractive as we would like it to be,
but thanks to the bold decision of The Daily Star's Editor
and Publisher, Mahfuz Anam and the efforts of Managing Editor,
Syed Fahim Munaim, as well as the advertising and production
department, SWM has now gone for a new, more professional
full-colour layout and expanded to forty pages from thirty-two.
It is with much pleasure that we announce that after this
anniversary issue we will be expanded to forty-eight pages
with a brand new look that may be noticeable in this issue.
The underlying
innuendo in saying all this is that whatever modest or major
success SWM has enjoyed, it has been because it has been continuously
blessed with incredible teamwork. We have always had talented
writers in our core team. They are young men and women who
have brought with them not only their special brand of writing,
but also their varied experiences from home and abroad. SWM
will always remember with fondness and gratitude its past
members who struggled with the growing pains of the magazine's
early years and set it on its feet. Which brings us to our
present team. They are certainly an eccentric bunch, which
has always been an integral part of the unbelievable cohesion
that characterises SWM's culture. It is each member's unique
talent that makes up the jigsaw. It is each member's love
for the magazine, the desire to make it better that has converged
into a collective strength.
It is
this strength that keeps SWM going, that induces it to improve
itself, to self criticise. In spite of all the formidable
deadlines, the embarrassing errors and the regular crisis
situations, it is all worth it just to be part of the magic
of creating something that reaches people and touches their
souls no matter how brief the moment. To be able to connect
with our readers, to be able to interact and bond with all
the remarkable men and women of SWM's team is certainly a
privilege that cannot be taken for granted.
Aasha
M Amin
Swm Editor
Copyright
(R) thedailystar.net 2004
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