Club Fest at IUB

Asif Kamal

Independent University, Bangladesh shifted to their permanent campus a couple of years ago. When the students kept on complaining regarding the lack of a proper club fest, the authority took their time to settle down. Just when we were about to lose hope, the good news arrived-- IUB hosted its first ever club fest in the autumn semester.

The different stalls at the IUB Club Fest. Courtesy: IUB

I couldn't thank Mr Faruque (Senior Manager, Division of Students Affairs) more for coming up with the initiative. The 11 clubs came together under the supervision of “Division of Students Affairs” (DOSA) to implement the long awaited dream event of the students. All the clubs had so beautifully ornamented their stalls! The furthermost stall belonged to the Art Club. There was a exhibition going on. I moved on to the next few stalls where the executive body members of Bangla Club, Book Club, Business Students Society, Debate Club and Duke of Edinburgh were still busy with the finishing touches to their stalls. The stall of DOSA, unlike others, looked quite organised since early morning. The Environment Club took the lime light away from the Economic Club with their resourceful organisation. Apart from the goods made from the recycled products, they brought two actual snakes in their stall! Their motive was to establish the fact that snakes are ecologically very important for us and they are our friends, not enemies. The Film Club was quite 'filmy' regarding their initiatives. They brought several media stars in their stall, including the recent sensations such as, Mosharraf Karim, Tisha, and others. They installed a projector in their stall to show the promos of three upcoming Bangla films. The Photography Club, on the other hand, quietly went on with their mini exhibition with the photos taken by the club members. Some of the photos were absolutely outstanding. The Music Club entertained the crowd with a few musical numbers as they brought their own music instruments in their stall. It was quite enjoyable for the students. The stall of The International Affairs Club looked quite inspiring with the photos and quotations of world leaders of different eras.

The Theatre Club came with an exceptional idea. They performed a street play at the amphitheatre of the campus. Everyone participated as audiences with claps, laughter, and whichever way it was possible. At the end of day one, the showstopper of the event, the renowned standup comedian, Mr Solaiman Shukhon, arrived to entertain everyone with humour. The whole university enjoyed his performance. There was another street play by the theatre club, followed by a musical event by the students, on the second day of the festival.

The honorable Vice Chancellor, Professor M Omar Rahman, visited all the clubs at around 4 in the afternoon. He personally spent ample amount of time talking to the executive body members about the recent activities of the club and the problems they are facing. I must say, the clubs were quite lucky to receive suggestions from the Vice Chancellor.

The deans of all the departments, the professors, the lecturers were all roaming around with big, heartwarming smiles on their faces. Every time I passed by them, they looked so happy! In the blink of an eye, the festival came to end.

(The writer is a student of the Department of Media and Communication at IUB.)