In a country as polarized as Pakistan, currently struggling under the burden of a fresh and terrifying wave of terror attacks that has claimed scores of lives, injured many more and destroyed millions of universes, any event celebrating women as a priority feels like an aberration from the usual narrative that guides life in this part of the world.

As many grief-stricken join the ranks of others like themselves across Peshawar, Quetta, Karachi, Lahore and spaces long forgotten, with the number rising each day, the status of women remains mostly a question mark and a neglected priority for elected officials who are far too busy hurling accusations at one another than actually getting down to doing things.

If you look closely, the proof can be found almost everywhere. From the murder of someone as harmless as Qandeel Baloch to nearly 1000 women who lose their lives every year to violence to the harassment and abused faced by them in nearly every space they enter, including the Internet to the usage of derogatory remarks made by elected officials, all of whom are forgiven all too often, to the patriarchy faced at home and outside - the odds seem stacked and the reality can induce despair and hopelessness.

In such a climate, if a platform, any platform, makes it their mission to recognize, honour and celebrate women for all that they do, it must be applauded with fervor and supported with heart.

One particular (and perhaps the only example) is the Ponds Miracle Journey, backed by Unilever Pakistan, that was started three years ago and one that emerged in spectacular style for the third time with the PMJ Gala 2016 that celebrated 100 women, last Saturday in Karachi.

Inaugurated in 2014, the journey to honour women was started by introducing 10 ‘Miracle Mentors’ who were then tasked to select 10 deserving women candidates each, who would be their Miracle Women. Each year since then, 10 new mentors have selected 100 women bringing the total number of women honoured (including the year 2016) to a whopping 330.

This year’s edition – held against the architectural might and palatial structure of the Mohatta Palace that was lit in a harmony of colours – proved to be an evening that was not only delightful but one that lived up to the hopeful promise with which it began by truly celebrating women from various fields such as education, medicine, literature, culinary arts, design, performing arts and many more.

Apart from the presence of this year’s 10 Miracle Women – Aatiqa Lateef, Dr Fehmida Arif, Naheed Mashooqullah, Naila Alladin, Naz Khan, Ronak Lakhani, Safinaz Muneer, Samina Ibrahim, Sana Hashwani and Zeba Bakhtiar - other familiar faces one counted in attendance included Sharmeen-Obaid Chinoy, Kiran Aman, Zeb Bangash, Samina Peerzada, Bina Shah, Zeba Bakhtiar and Vaneeza Ahmed.

Upon entering the venue, a space that is so vast that it actually covers a total of 18,000 square feet with an all-encompassing lush garden, getting past security in a matter of seconds, one was greeted by various photo-booths that captured our social media age in impeccable fashion. Friendly ushers, photographers looking for the perfect shot, and witness to the acceptance of technology as a drone flew overheard, guided by an expert – there was nothing out of place or tacky about this affair and no expense was spared it seems.

Familiar faces from the world of entertainment could be seen mingling with lesser known faces whose remarkable and moving stories revealed themselves as the night went on.

Sarmad Khoosat (director of Manto, Mor Mahal and Humsafar) opened proceedings as the master of ceremony and opened his monologue by quoting Maya Angelou and Madeleine Albright before making way for Unilever Chairperson Shazia Syed to speak a few words. On her part, Ms Syed spoke briefly but with a speech that was enamoured with just the right spirit of unity, vision and grit.

"Not only will we be affecting 5 million women, inspiring 5 million women, we will also be touching generations and I think that is the legacy we want to leave behind," she said, reiterating the target behind this uniquely-designed movement.

Throughout the night, Khoosat, who is no stranger to the cadence words can carry and the power of literature, spoke words by Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf and Bushra Ijaz including a poignant story about his mother. He then invited the present 10 ‘Miracle Mentors’ in groups of two, who were accompanied by their respective selections.

The 100 selected women, through videos that were recorded in advance and screened prior to their arrival on stage, revealed their unique journeys. Some spoke about emotional strength and challenges within. Some advocated altruism, others highlighted the importance of unity within women. Some noted why focusing on the positive matters while others reminded us the importance of self-reliance, the value of financial independence and so on.

A four-woman performance piece, featuring Zeba Bakhtiar, Nimra Bucha alongside one Sasha Zuberi and Hawa Faruque, held a strong, visceral impact. Changing spaces, as the spotlight would dim and change, speaking in haunting sentences that held one in command, it was a moving performance where the spoken words, backed by fierce emotions, highlighted the struggle every woman is faced with and the desire to break the shackles.

The mood of the night continued to shift as an energetic Noori, the music group featuring Ali Noor, Ali Hamza and Kami Paul, came on stage and belted out a few tracks before being joined by all the women (who have been a part of the Ponds Miracle Journey so far) and collectively singing the national anthem.

Before starting the musical train, Ali Noor said on this occasion: "We take so many things for granted. Whether it was my mother or my wife or all the women that came in our lives and we knew of…. and what they had to go through and we as men were just ignoring it and taking it for granted. So when I found out about this whole concept, it was something, for all three of us, an eye-opener so thank you for having us over here and thank you for taking this initiative which is absolutely mind blowing."

Though I’ve never been a fan of lip-synced performances, in this particular case, it didn’t seem to matter. Noori’s set, which included their Coke Studio 9 hit, ‘Paar Chanaa De’ and the classic ‘Manwa Re’, had the audience riveted. Ali Noor was particularly divine, playing his guitar to such effect that either those in the room didn’t notice that this wasn’t live or they simply didn’t care. After the rendition of the National Anthem ended the night officially and dinner was served, one could see Noori, particularly Ali Noor, as he took selfies and photos with scores of attendees and seemed perfectly content being in the company of these women.

In the end, an event like this could only be successful if it had visionary women backing it and that’s exactly the case here. One can only hope that in these trying time, this miraculous journey started three years ago, carries on for years to come with as much grace as it mustered on this particular night.