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SHUMAILA KHAN
I’ve always believed that stories are how civilizations speak, and universities, in particular, are teeming with voices that deserve a headline. That belief gave birth to LU.Chronicles, the student-run daily I founded not simply to report what happens, but to reflect what matters.
I’m Shumaila, a student at Lucknow University and IGNOU, studying English Literature, Psychology, Ancient Indian History, and Public Administration. Yes, all at once. And no, sleep is not overrated; it’s just scheduled.
Before LU.Chronicles, my school years were a blur of juggling grades, gathering trophies, captaining literary events, and finding my voice in auditoriums filled with applause and adjudicators. That same hunger for challenge has since found a home in inter-university debates, writing rooms, and in leading LU.LitCore, the Independent Literary Society of the University of Lucknow.
This publication, LU.Chronicles, preferably a daily, is written and run by the members of LU.LitCore.
But Chronicles is something different. It’s not about adding another title to the résumé. It’s about building a newsroom run by students, for students, one that blends editorial rigor with youthful rebellion. As the founder and editor of LU.Chronicles, India’s first student-run daily, I wear many hats: curating content, mentoring writers, mapping editorial strategy, and occasionally jumping in with a byline or two (or ten). Every piece we publish aims to balance curiosity with credibility.
When I’m not chasing stories, fictional or otherwise, I’m chasing a dozen other interests: public speaking, film criticism, poetry, Pilates, languages, art, aesthetics, or the perfect chord on one of my instruments. My life runs on a simple rule: if you can learn it, try it.
What I bring to the paper isn’t just a résumé of accolades, but an ethic of inquiry, imagination, and intention. Because if you’re going to write history, personal or institutional, you may as well make it worth reading.
LU.Chronicles began as an idea scribbled in the margins of a too-busy notebook, something between a passion project and a quiet rebellion. I didn’t set out to create a legacy; I simply wanted to build a space where student voices weren’t sidelined but centered. And somewhere along the way, it became more than a paper. It became a pulse.
What people don’t see is the chaos behind it. I didn’t know how to set up a website or handle the technical work. I learned as I went, usually fumbling in the dark. Balancing deadlines, managing stress, and fighting doubt felt endless. Finding a team was harder. But then, somehow, I found the best: brilliant, fierce, and all in. That’s when it clicked.
One day, I hope LU.Chronicles will outgrow me and become more than a campus paper; become the face of student journalism in India, like all things that root slowly and grow far beyond the seed that birthed them. What started as a personal venture, shaped by my perspective, will eventually take on a life of its own, powered by the voices that follow. I’ll still be here, watching from the sidelines, proud, and maybe a little nostalgic for the days when it was just my vision, my challenge.
But that’s the beauty of it. It was never meant to stay mine. It was meant to grow, to outlast, to be shaped by those who come after. And when it does, I’ll know I helped build something that doesn’t just belong to my story, but to many others.
Because a big part of telling a good story
is having a good one to tell.
And in the end, we all become the stories we leave behind.
I’m Shumaila, a student at Lucknow University and IGNOU, studying English Literature, Psychology, Ancient Indian History, and Public Administration. Yes, all at once. And no, sleep is not overrated; it’s just scheduled.
Before LU.Chronicles, my school years were a blur of juggling grades, gathering trophies, captaining literary events, and finding my voice in auditoriums filled with applause and adjudicators. That same hunger for challenge has since found a home in inter-university debates, writing rooms, and in leading LU.LitCore, the Independent Literary Society of the University of Lucknow.
This publication, LU.Chronicles, preferably a daily, is written and run by the members of LU.LitCore.
But Chronicles is something different. It’s not about adding another title to the résumé. It’s about building a newsroom run by students, for students, one that blends editorial rigor with youthful rebellion. As the founder and editor of LU.Chronicles, India’s first student-run daily, I wear many hats: curating content, mentoring writers, mapping editorial strategy, and occasionally jumping in with a byline or two (or ten). Every piece we publish aims to balance curiosity with credibility.
When I’m not chasing stories, fictional or otherwise, I’m chasing a dozen other interests: public speaking, film criticism, poetry, Pilates, languages, art, aesthetics, or the perfect chord on one of my instruments. My life runs on a simple rule: if you can learn it, try it.
What I bring to the paper isn’t just a résumé of accolades, but an ethic of inquiry, imagination, and intention. Because if you’re going to write history, personal or institutional, you may as well make it worth reading.
LU.Chronicles began as an idea scribbled in the margins of a too-busy notebook, something between a passion project and a quiet rebellion. I didn’t set out to create a legacy; I simply wanted to build a space where student voices weren’t sidelined but centered. And somewhere along the way, it became more than a paper. It became a pulse.
What people don’t see is the chaos behind it. I didn’t know how to set up a website or handle the technical work. I learned as I went, usually fumbling in the dark. Balancing deadlines, managing stress, and fighting doubt felt endless. Finding a team was harder. But then, somehow, I found the best: brilliant, fierce, and all in. That’s when it clicked.
One day, I hope LU.Chronicles will outgrow me and become more than a campus paper; become the face of student journalism in India, like all things that root slowly and grow far beyond the seed that birthed them. What started as a personal venture, shaped by my perspective, will eventually take on a life of its own, powered by the voices that follow. I’ll still be here, watching from the sidelines, proud, and maybe a little nostalgic for the days when it was just my vision, my challenge.
But that’s the beauty of it. It was never meant to stay mine. It was meant to grow, to outlast, to be shaped by those who come after. And when it does, I’ll know I helped build something that doesn’t just belong to my story, but to many others.
Because a big part of telling a good story
is having a good one to tell.
And in the end, we all become the stories we leave behind.