KARACHI: A festival honouring women and paying tribute to their selfless and untiring services as well as contributions to the society of Pakistan was held on Saturday as part of a three-day event. Organised and arranged by the creative team behind Starlinks, spearheaded by Shanaz Ramzi, the first day of the debuting festival centred on a total of 13 women, divided into speaking on two sessions, the first about women breaking the glass ceiling with their accomplishments and achievements and the second about women’s health. What was interesting about Day 1’s Breaking the Glass Ceiling session was the diversity of the backgrounds from which these six women were invited to come and participate. There was a fine blend of various professional backgrounds, their individual struggles and the resulting experiences. Sultana Siddiqui of Hum Network, Grade 22 Officer Rabia Javeri-Agha, filmmaker Fizza Ali Meerza, Justice Majida Rizvi, journalist Uzma Alkarim and actress Mahtab Akbar Rashidi comprised the first session. Sultana Siddiqui began the day with her highly-inspiring motivational speech that moved the audience. The lady herself is a befitting example and a role model for women who feel like their hands are tied in a society which should be giving them wings. Siddiqui has overcome all obstacles and hurdles in her life that her profession threw her way and is now at the helm of affairs at Hum. Fizza Ali Meerza of ‘Na Maloom Afraad’ and ‘Actor-In-Law’ fame, among other panelists, also spoke about the harrowing challenges that women overcome and sometimes succumb to on their way to making their dreams come true about being self reliant, independent and earning for themselves. Fizza talked about her own personal journey and how in many ways, she was fortunate to have had a liberal family who understood her dreams and aspirations. She talked about juggling family life with a professional career and how after turning a mother, there are a litany of other challenges women fall prey to, when they wish to go back to their careers. She stressed on perseverance, patience, focus and an undettering ambition for any girl to achieve her goals. After a health session on skin problems and invasive treatments, as well as improving quality of life through workout, PWF Day 1 ended with a musical concert held at the same premises after a brief break. The night featured revered artists such as Sanam Marvi, Asim Azhar and Sajjad Ali, belting their hearts out and entertaining the audience of Karachi, where a windy night added to the enthusiasm and energy of the crowd. The musical segment was hosted by renowned VJ and anchor Faizan Haque. The singers stuck to a Sufi theme with most of their songs. Sanam Marvi sang “Ali maula”. Asim Azhar engaged the audience with his ‘Coke Studio’ hit “Nawazishein karam” and Sajjad Ali sang all his evergreen hits such as “Laari adda” and “Cinderella”. The night could have continued on endlessly had the unpredictable weather of Karachi not given in to rains. A large turnout of journalists, bloggers and media persons were seen during the first day, all rubbing shoulders to support this platform with a cause. Published in Daily Times, August 15th 2017.