ISLAMABAD-When I was as an undergraduate student at a US university, a fellow student asked me to give a call to my mother and sister as the International Women’s Day was falling the next week. He also told me that I should be nice to them, be respectful and tell them how much I love them and that being a woman, I salute them for what they do for me. His advice to me was rather shocking than surprising. “Do I need a particular day to tell this to my mother and sibling? Aren’t we supposed to be nice, affectionate and bow in veneration in front of them, the rest of the year,” I asked in utter dismay. The case in point is that, with the world-changing social fabric of norms and society, one day is not enough and it’s time to celebrate it 365 days a year.
Having said that, let’s give the credit where it’s due. The Serena Hotels management, amidst restrictions and strictly adopting to the SOPs managed to arrange a gathering of women belonging to all walks of life to celebrate International Women’s Day. It was indeed a show of women empowerment at breakfast over a cup of tea and halwa puri, hosted by Mr. Aziz Boolani, Chief Executive Officer, and Serena Hotels. The NGOs in the likes of Indus Heritage, Pakistan Foreign Office Women’s Association, Rozan and Pakistan Air Force Women Association had set up stalls to exhibit their handmade products and were successful in creating a beeline as everyone wanted to peek through. Coffee tables with truck art, handwoven cushion covers, shawls, wooden carved wall hangings, multi-coloured ashtrays, homemade fragrant candles and embroidered clothing to name a few were showcased for the visitors on nominal prices. The host said, “today is their show so no speeches just networking.” A head table was laid out for the First Lady who was the chief guest of the occasion and one could spot Canadian High Commissioner, Wendy Gilmour, a strong advocate of Freedom of Expression engulfed in a deep conversation with her neighbour. The same table seated Ms Kashmala Tariq and the hostess. In order to create a gender balance at this breakfast invite, a few ambassadors from central Asian countries and a couple of Pakistan’s ambassadors designate to foreign countries were also in attendance but nestled in one corner.
International Women’s Day celebration to many is perceived as a feminist cause, however, if one digs deep into the history, its roots lie in the labour movement more than a century ago. It was first organised in 1911 by the early 20th century Marxist from Germany Clara Zetkin who was part of both the labour movement and the women’s movement. Every year, the international body chooses a theme and the rest of the events are organised around the same. The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #ChooseToChallenge. It indicates that a “challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change.”
–The writer is a freelance
contributor.