Celebrating women of substance

10 Pakistani miracle mentors for 2015 reveal their journey to success

KARACHI: Be it Britain’s first female premier Margaret Thatcher or the late Benzair Bhutto, selfless Mother Teresa or our young global advocate Malala Yousufzai, women have helped change the world of politics, human rights, entertainment among many other facets of society. Celebrating this spirit, Ponds Miracle Journey announced 10 Miracle Mentors for 2015, at the Pearl Continental hotel in Karachi, on Thursday.

Hadiqa Kiani, Mahnaz Naveed Shah, Momina Duraid, Nadia Hussain, Saba Hameed, Shamain Faruque, Tahera Hassan, Muniba Mazari, Shehla Chatoor and Sam Abbas are among the 10 honoured women, who have remained true to their personal lives despite having achieved a lot on professional grounds. All of these marvels will be mentoring 10 women each in their respective fields, hence, encompassing a hundred from all over Pakistan.



Sidra Iqbal, host for the evening, unfolded the second year of the miracle journey saying, “It’s just not another campaign; it’s a movement through which we celebrate womanhood. No one can ever discredit the challenges one faces in life and we are here to celebrate the diversity of facing and overcoming these challenges.”

Duraid, Hussain and Mazari in particular, shared their inspirational stories on the stage; while, Abbas conveyed her message through a video clip. As each one of them revealed what took them to become who they are today, none of them denied the role of their mothers behind their success.

Momina Duraid, a TV producer, said, “Women today usually remain unsung heroes. They should be considered the pride of the country. A woman plays a complete role as a mother, sister, daughter and a wife; we all need to take inspiration from them.”

Model and entrepreneur, Nadia Hussain said, “This mentorship is a huge responsibility on my shoulder. We all require support systems and I can find mine in my mother, my aunts Tina Sani, Tabinda Chinoy and my husband.”

Muniba Mazari, a living wonder said, “My journey on the wheelchair has been tough for the past seven years. But I am my own hero. My mother earnestly believes I should continue my work and my son Neil has given a meaning to my life. This all, is a great combination of beauty and strength for me.”

Sam Abbas, an interior designer said, “I feel honoured. A woman plays many roles and sometimes even that of a breadwinner. I am what I am because of two women in my life, my mother and my daughter — one gave me my life and one shined as a light in my life.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2015.

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