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Campus Spotlight

Click your way to fame

Elita Karim

In the last decade, North South University did not only create a strong platform for quality private education, the establishment also encouraged students to get involved in various extra curricular activities, which goes on even now. The students of NSU have excelled in the fields of theatre, music, debate, public speaking, establishing business strategies and also photography. In fact, the North South University Photography Cub (NSUPC) is one of the most actively running clubs in the institution right now. To date, the club has come up with several photography exhibitions, both in-house and outside the universities and has produced a bunch of creative and innovative young boys and girls. NSUPC was established in the year 1997 by three students Niaz Uddin Ahmed, Saud Al Faisal and Asad and a faculty member of NSU, Dr. Islam M Faisal. At that time, they had no idea how and where this club would end up at. They encouraged and welcomed students with similar kinds of creative knowledge and the initiative to come up with new ideas regarding photography, workshops, exhibitions and ways to expose the young photographers, who were fast signing up as members, to the realities of life and the beauty of nature.

To date, NSUPC has been displaying the works of the students through various kinds of exhibitions and displays organised on different levels. Every semester, the members of the club get together with the in-house exhibitions, primarily based on the routine field trips that they take in between semesters and classes. NSUPC has visited several locations in Bangladesh and also organised several one-day trips to the outskirts of Dhaka during weekends. “This helps us to explore nature,” says Miran Hossain, the current General Secretary of NSUPC. “And experience first hand the various elements around that we as photographers would like to capture with our lens.” The club has also taken several international trips and plans to visit Kerela in the coming semester break.

An exhibition that NSUPC had organised which attracted flocks of artistes, professional photographers and admirers was Southern Glances. The exhibition displayed the wonders of Chittagong, which was a part of the club's National Photography Field Trip programme. This seven day exhibit was held in the famous Drik Gallery in Dhanmondi.

Yet another important event that NSUPC organises on a regular basis is the Intra NSU Photography Exhibition, where works and creations of the general students of the university are displayed.

According to Khandokar MA Asim Labib, the former President of NSUPC, the aim here is to develop quality photographers with the technical know-how as well. “That is what the founder members of this cub had wanted as well,” he says.

“Developing quality photographers and establishing a network between renowned and amateur photographers is the goal which NSUPC started off.” Shahriar Iqbal Raj, faculty member of the Architecture Department is currently the faculty advisor of the club.

NSUPC works at different levels with students to develop the skills and knowledge. They organise a basic workshop, an advanced workshop and a local fieldtrip for the benefit of the learners on a regular basis. Klikz a photographic competition for NSUers is held at least twice a semester. The club's annual activities are the National and International fieldtrips, Intra NSU Photography Exhibitions and the biggest event ever, the International Inter University Photography Exhibition (IIUPE), which has creations from students and photographers from all over the world.

Some of the famous photographers that the club has worked with are David Barikder, Anwar Hossain, Nasir Ali Mamun, Kiron, GMB Akash and Abir Abdullah.

The latest project that NSUPC is working on is a set of ten postcards showing the beauty of Bangladesh. “It is aimed at bringing to life the culture, tradition, the rich heritage and the monumental history of Bangladesh,” explains Miran. “This collection of photographs will tell just about any stranger all about the country, starting from the festivals celebrated, lifestyles followed and the colours that spring around every season,”

“The members make the best use of the little time which is left after a hard day's work,” says Apurbo, a senior member of the club who recently graduated from the BBA department. “For us, this place is more like a family.”