PRODIGY Issue #10

PRODIGY June ‘25

Issue #10

FLUX

&

FOUNDATIONS

June ‘25

Editor's Note Pastures New.

Trimester 2

MASTHEAD ‫المراعي ج ديدة‬

It's surreal to think that the foundation of this magazine was laid in a Zoom call, built on equal parts grit and vision by our tenacious founder, Suleiman Altaf.

From the first Issue, this magazine stretched beyond university walls, chasing culture, commentary, and cool with equal zeal.

Suleiman dreamt of Prodigy transcending the expected.

He wanted something that could sit on a coffee table in one city and spark a thought in another.

A tall order. A thrilling one.

Ten Issues later, we're chasing that dream still, steadily, ambitiously.

This Issue lives on dualities. Flux and Foundations, the restless push of change, the steady pull of what grounds us. It embraces the inbetween: movement and stillness, ambition and anchor

Ananthjith Editor- in- Chief

EDITORIAL Wafa Fathima‌ News Correspondent | Columnist‌ Mahdiya Habeebur Rahman Feature Columnist‌‌ Husayn Gokal‌‌ Careers Correspondent | Columnist‌ Suleiman Altaf‌ Founder | Opinion Columnist‌

Within these pages, those same tensions unfold; Stoicism and Civilizational collapse, Storytelling through Haute-Couture, Fintech blueprints, Time-travel What-ifs, The Qualms of student life abroad, and at curtain call? A Conversation with the Doyenne of the Theatre Club herself.

Ananthjith‌ Profile | Longform Columnist‌

This Issue doesn't sit still. It moves, shifts, balances - just like us Take your time with it, there's lots to chew on.

GUEST COLUMNISTS

Prodigy is evolving. Expanding. Rooted here, but reaching far, always.

Here's to New Horizons and the words that walk us there.

For now, in flux, in stride.

Godspeed.

Prameshkumar Kumar‌ Philosophy Correspondent‌ Pranamya Byju‌ Poetry‌

ANANTHJITH‌ Editor-in-Chief‌

Awatif Rahman‌ Fashion Correspondent‌

Submit your entries with your full name and degree enrolled in by emailing ‌prodigy@curtindubai.ac.ae‌and get featured!‌

PRODIGY‌ AWARDS‌

Abeer Doctor‌ Opinion Column‌‌

Access PRODIGY's emagazines by scanning the QR code or visiting the link below:‌

DESIGN Nikko Simon Q. Perez‌

MARKETING Jasmina Ulugbekova

ILLUSTRATION

www.issuu.com/prodigymagazine‌

“Fleshy Weapons”‌,‌ ‌Shahzia Sikander‌ ‌(1997)‌

Homage.

5

CurtiNews

6

Campus Life | On-Site

The Long View

10

VOLUME

10

Perspective | Thinkpiece

Ethos

15

Mind & Matter | Stoicism

Diaspora Discourse Global | Advice

Verse Lines

Fields in Flux

21

Vita | First Person

23

Beyond the Major

18

Inward | Student Voice

20

Table Talk

24

Venture Cultura

26

Homage.

27

Prodigy Profile

28

Vestis Verba

33

Light Thought Campus Capital | Opinio

Feature Interview

Fashion & Culture

2025

SANCTUARY

ODE

homage.

TO ONESELF

[ JUNE ]

1.8 LITRES

15

PAPER PLAN ES

LESS MOROSE & MORE PRESENT

SANCTUM MATISSE

PRIMAL

DILATED EYES ZONE 19

APOLLO LESSER SPEEDS [IN THE DARK] [IN THE DARK]

SCYTHE LINCOLN

SAINT HAIL MARY PSALM PROPHET MACH ‘04 ICARUS

NEO-SHAIVISM

DECCAN

64TH FLOOR

ABU DHABI

WALLS FALL, CROWNS RUST AND HISTORY DOESN’T CARE

5

WAFA FATHIMA

TABLE TALK

FEATURE COLUMNIST

FORWARD FORWARD OR OR REWIND REWIND ??

DUST or DATA??

6

wash my sins away

November vedic

surgere supera

carnatic

Mind on the road

homage. we coild vacay there’s places to go

service self texas speed Dwell on my gifts for a second [do anything for you] [do anything for you]

all beneath our wings

white ‘rossa December

think of the dreamer getting a glimmer of God

Profile.

PRODIGY PROFILE

FEATURE INTERVIEW

ANANTHJITH

ARYA SHAH

FOUNDING PRESIDENT OF THEATRE CLUB

The Incense had just started to burn as I settled into my chair. Smoke curled towards the ceiling in slow, hypnotic spirals.

The late-afternoon Sun drenched the room in yellow as I waited- then a voice called out from my screen.

If you’ve spent even a semester at Curtin Dubai, chances are you know her face.

Arya Shah has become a quiet constant on campus.

As Founding President of Curtin's very own theatre club, she is both Architect and Anchor. Think less tortured artist, more CEO, with a flair for drama.

There’s a certain, precise gravity to her, a composed intensity that makes you lean in. Not loud, not flamboyant. Just unmistakably there. And when it all seems like it might fall apart—as it almost did on the eve of their biggest show—she plays into the chaos and almost wills the curtain to rise on time.

When she laughs, which she does often, it comes mid-sentence, a sudden brightness that flickers through her words before she picks up without missing a beat.

8

AWATIF RAHMAN

VESTIS VERBA

Narrative IS THE NEW BLACK In an age where consumer choices are limitless and attention spans are fleeting, fashion brands need to move beyond traditional advertising and aesthetics to truly captivate. The secret weapon? Storytelling, not as strategy, but as soul. The art of weaving compelling narratives is what sets unforgettable brands apart. In the Industry, storytelling isn’t just an approach, it’s the essence of brand identity. A well-crafted immersive narrative evokes emotion, forges deep connections, and inspires unwavering loyalty. But what makes storytelling in fashion so impactful, and how do Leading Names grasp this craft to ensure that it resonates far beyond the runway?

The psychological power of Storytelling in fashion Fashion is more than just clothing, it’s a reflection of identity, emotion, and aspiration.

Unlike other industries, where products serve practical functions, fashion operates and exists in a world of perception, belief and feeling. A great story can turn a piece of fabric into a symbol of empowerment, luxury, or rebellion.

We are innately drawn to stories; it’s our native language. Stories spark neural activity in ways data never could, making them linger longer in the mind than any slogan or sales pitch.

Once the Brand taps into this, they are no longer just providers of apparel but Curators of Lifestyle and Identity.

Stories help us make sense of the world and form emotional attachments.

9

PRODIGY

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