Umeed e Sahar
After the daily grind of classes till 5, Jinnah Auditorium was the place to be on the evening of 23rd October. There was hustle and bustle in and out of the venue as the event slowly commenced with some music.
This was an unparalleled collaboration; the only event of its kind to date. NUST Community Service Club (NCSC) and NUST Dramatics Club (NDC) joined hands to lift various taboos in our society, particularly those faced by women in everyday life; thereby raising the youth from the darkness of ignorance into the light of wisdom.
The faculty sponsors’ opening address illustrated that everyone had gathered for a noble cause, with a big message and theme attached to it. This event was sponsored by Pink Ribbon Hospital, which not only aims at reducing the occurrence of breast cancer as much as possible, but also eradicating the taboos attached to it.
The address was followed by one of the many musical performances of the night. A trio sang their hearts out to songs like “Nanhi Chiriya”, going hand-in-hand with the theme.
The next segment hosted the famous dentist, Humna Raza, who is breaking stereotypes in our society through her own YouTube channel. The interactive session featured Humna alongside her husband, Muzamil Hasan, who is also a renowned digital content creator.
Humna talked about her own fear of breast cancer, and how she dealt with it despite our society labelling it as a taboo. She encouraged women to not be afraid about this topic, and they should have no shame whatsoever in standing up for themselves. Muzammil further pointed towards men’s role in assisting women in this regard. In an answer to a question by the audience, Hamna praised her husband’s support throughout her journey.
Our guests were joined by a representative of Saving 9 – Pakistan’s first boutique consultancy with healthcare and education as its focal point. The representative discussed her journey in overcoming hurdles while training women of the rural areas of Pakistan.
The whole project was arduous, but its fruits are being reaped today. It has proved instrumental in saving lives in rural areas with limited medical facilities. Women are trained especially for this purpose, and the dedication showed by them is unprecedented.
A captivating solo musical performance came next, which was succeeded by a segment highlighting the role of women today, through a series of letters written by a man to a religious scholar. The performance was hilarious, as was portrayed by the massive applause of the audience – probably the loudest of the evening.
The final letter written by the wife of the man depicted how a woman’s role in society today is not just of taking care of her family, as she also has a pivotal role in the progress of any nation. Men should have no feeling of contempt towards women being more knowledgeable and skillful, rather the feeling should be of appreciation.
Then came a silent yet loud performance by a trio of girls depicting how a woman’s progress is impeded by countless hurdles in society. In the end, they show the woman managing to break free from these shackles. The silent message was to never give up, with Iqbal’s “Sitaaron se Aage Jahan aur bhi Hain” playing in the background.
The climax of the night finally arrived with a well-written play on breast cancer encompassing many sensitive issues. The performers did a remarkable job in conveying the right message.
This brought an end to the night. NCSC came up with the idea, and NDC with the performance – a match made in Heaven. The audience will surely take home many invaluable lessons, and a ray of hope.
