Often we come across occasions that rejoice women's efforts and commemorate women's achievements. Such events praise women as mothers, athletes, fitness trainers, providers, warriors etc.
PWF
Often we come across occasions that rejoice women's efforts and commemorate women's achievements. Such events praise women as mothers, athletes, fitness trainers, providers, warriors etc. And why not? Women are making their presence felt in every field and they need to be encouraged and honoured as they inspire us to move forward in the right direction.
This is exactly what we witnessed at the Pakistan Women Festival 2017 (PWF '17), that was held from 12 -14th August at Global Marquees, Karachi - to recognize and pay tribute to female achievers of our country. The festival brought together women from all walks of life to join hands in celebrating womanhood.
The 3-day event went like a rollercoaster ride with a variety of sessions addressing women empowerment. The festival included motivational speeches by several female luminaries, panel discussions on women empowerment, their economic independence and education. The event saw a series of PWF Awards. The winners included Sultana Siddiqui, Shehnaz Kapadia, Mantaha Maqsood, Khushbakht Shujaat and Farzana Ahmed among others.
The festival also carried a number of health seminars including skin problems; improving life through workout, humanistic versus psychiatric therapy, allopathic versus alternative medicines, paediatric care essentials in the 21st century and oral hygiene for a healthier living. These health seminars had interactive panel discussions carried forward by famous doctors, fitness instructors and dentists.
In one of the health sessions, 'Improving quality of life through work out', nutritionist, Dr Tayyaba Khan said, "When it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, it is very important to have a balanced eating plan. You can't eat a whole paratha and lose extra calories at the gym by working out for two hours. This will not help you in any way. The fuel you are putting in your body should have an optimum level so as to maintain your body weight. Nutrition plays a very important role in becoming fit and you have to zip it in order to lose it."
The nuisance of body shaming was another important point of discussion. In this regard, Dr Sarwat Imran informed, "People label you these days according to how you look. A lot of people take this thing as a major turn off and acquire ways to become a certain size. Unfortunately, we have caught up in this vicious cycle. As professionals, we need to fill this gap by looking in to the psyche of a particular person. We need to tell them that they need to be healthy first - skinny is not beautiful."
If you think that the festival was all about health and awards, then you are wrong. The festival included amazing performances by Asim Azhar, Sanam Marvi, Sajjad Ali, Mai Dhai, Natasha Baig, Ali Zafar, Ahmed Jahanzaib, Amanat Ali, Zoe Viccaji, Stereo Nation and Alycia Dias. This is not all, the event also had a fashion show featuring Fahad Hussayn, Ahmed Bilal, Funkasia, Lajwanti, Adnan Pardesi, Nida Azwer, Sobia Nazir and Mehdi on the ramp. The audience greatly appreciated the intricately worked bridal ensembles, beautifully crafted trousseau wear, and the various creations by the designers. Trends witnessed in nearly all the designer lines were short shirts, angarkhas and shararas. The choice of embellishments was a beautiful mix of crystals, zardozi, resham, kora, dabka and nakshi. While the designers had employed silk, chiffon, jamawar and organza both in subtle and vibrant shades.
The PWF proved to be a success and we hope that more of such informative and fun-filled events are held in the future.
