Borrowed from SAMPADA old editions – for the 10th Anniversary Special Issue – Special Editorials section. This one is a conversation among the Sampada Editorial Team members
Chitra– I can’t be more happy and privileged than to be part of the editorial team of Sampada and specially overjoyed by the fact that the Sampada has successfully completed 4 years and I get to be a part of it! How can we make this 48th edition of SAMPADA different?
Satish – Lets have our conversation as Editorial and talk about SAMPADA’s journey so far and have a retrospection about it. Let the articles in this edition also be depicting the same. What say?
Harsha – First of all, I’d like to congratulate every reader of Sampada and our team for never missing an edition in the last 4 years. When we started off, we were skeptical about monthly editions and had even thought of making it a quarterly magazine. But the past & present of UVCE has been so lively, so filled with memories, nostalgia and stories that, it has fuelled Sampada all the way till now and we are sure it will for the many editions to come.
Yes the idea about an editorial coming from a conversation of three people involved with Sampada, sounds good to me. Lets take it ahead and we could also talk about the future of Sampada and how different we rewrite the fate of this tiny window to UVCE.
Chitra– That’s a wonderful way to compile everything special about Sampada for it’s Edition 48! Then let the history begin from the top! Everything surely has a history or a reason with which it begins! Ever since I got acquainted with Sampada, it has always made me wonder about how Sampada actually started! How did this whole thing start??
Satish – We always felt that though we had accomplished fests, events & other stuff during our college days, College magazine was missing from our portfolio. So, once we had our VU website up in August, we brainstormed to have a e-magazine sent to all registered VU members monthly. This decision was made during December 2009 end and the first edition came out on January 2010.
Harsha – The first edition was a special one for us. If we look back, all the good things that have happened, have been because of those impulsive, well-meant decisions. One such thing was Sampada. We decided we will have a magazine about UVCE, we didn’t have a concrete plan of a magazine either. If you look at the cover page, it looks as if somebody hand-painted it. But we scurried over to get the first edition out with contents about happenings within UVCE, some poetry by students, activities etc. The best part about starting Sampada was to reconnect the old UVCE with the current UVCE. We got hold of so many articles and pictures, we even shared an article about the 1920s in the first edition. Those are invaluable articles and it always feels happier to know the engineer’s life almost 9 decades ago. When the first edition was received well, we were really happy and it re-assured us that UVCEians would want to know more about UVCE and here we are today.
Chitra – It’s great to know this incredible fact! Well Sampada successfully started off, but to complete four years? It’s not an easy journey! How did your journey with Sampada continue after the first edition? And also what were the odds you had to overcome to bring it this stage where today, Sampada has captured such a remarkable recognition from the students and the Alumni!
Harsha – The sustenance of a magazine is always at the mercy of the readers. Our readers (UVCEians) have been super-generous with their feedback every now and then and that it almost alone has driven the magazine this long. There were moments when we never received any comments or feedback and we would ponder if readers do read Sampada, the next edition we would get positive comments praising our work. We owe it all to the UVCEians, for they who have nurtured it this long. We have received so many articles, pictures, moments from the readers and along with the bustling campus of UVCE have been like a renewable source of energy, with a endless list of activities within the campus, have been our sources. Another source was the old magazines. So many interesting stories, changing time-lines, ebullience and achievements. All these were factors that drove Sampada till today.
Satish – Chitra, you have been associated with team from past 5-6 editions. You have not only written articles but also interacted with students and edited articles from their end. You will be aware of the heartbeat in the campus more than us. So, tell us what you think about SAMPADA?
Chitra– When I joined UVCE I had completely no clue of Sampada’s existence. I always thought that in engineering there was no room for writing or anything. Then one day, one of my senior asked me if I was interested in submitting articles for college’s monthly magazine. I jumped at the offer and gave in my article! That was when I came to know that in UVCE, Sampada gave us a platform where we could pursue our passion for writing inspite of engineering and remain connected with everything happening on the campus! Ever since then I closely followed Sampada! With every edition it brought out the flavor of UVCE in a different way, keeping us updated about everything that happened in UVCE in detail, be it the fests, placements, events or many other things we many have not been aware of! Ever since my association with Sampada, I must say it’s been a wonderful addition to my life. Cause being part of the team makes me learn so much, coming up with ideas for every edition, collaborating with the team! Amidst this, fun has its way too!
Harsha – According to me the journey so far has been very satisfying, loaded with gratefulness and mainly has been about confidence. To let know every UVCEian across the world about what is happening in the 15 acres of awesomeness in the heart of the city, responding to the needs and aspirations of the students, setting up interaction of students with alumni are the highs of working on Sampada. I still do read out some of the articles in previous editions again and again just so it makes us relive the best days of our lives.
Satish – I agree with Harsha. I regularly browse through older editions of SAMPADA. I do it during designing new editions to make sure nothing is being repeated. For SAMPADA to sustain for a long run, we will need more hands joining in… They will need to carry the beacon ahead. Not only the current students, but also alumni will need to hop in to keep SAMPADA going. Team VisionUVCE will be there to support and plan, but SAMPADA should become everyone’s asset. Chitra, your thoughts about how to go forward for the upcoming editions of SAMPADA?
Chitra– I think Sampada should be made more user focused and reach students at a closer level! We could probably add few more ideas to make Sampada even better and more interesting! Say, a column probably called “The Career Talk” can be started where every month, students can be given an insight about the various professions they can get into with their degree like the army, civil services and so on. Or clearing the dilemma about students aiming to pursue post graduate studies in India or abroad! When we join UVCE, we are mesmerized by it’s enormous and rich history! Not a decade or two, nearly 100 years of history, 100 batches, millions of students have passed out, a million stories connected to UVCE and the classrooms! Nothing more would interest the readers than reading a column with the never heard stories of UVCE which maybe funny, guiding, filled with zeal, interesting!
Harsha – Yes.! More interaction with our readers, more people following Sampada are some things that need to happen for Sampada to grow and sustain. The magazine would be very lively with articles being contributed in the current phase by our readers and inspire others to do the same. Let us sit back, discuss and finalize on some of the ideas where we could make Sampada, a more interactive, more user-derived content magazine and more colourful. Again, lets thank all our readers and wish them HAPPY and PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR
