There is nothing more heart-warming than to see stars taking time out of their demanding schedule for a noble cause. Over the years we have seen celebrities sweeping their streets to encourage cleanliness, some have volunteered their time with the lesser fortunate, some have associated their names with campaigns against fatal diseases and some have auctioned their attires to raise funds for charity.
GIVINGBACK
Mahira Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi, amongst others, to attend the SKMCH gala in Dubai.
Dubai :There is nothing more heart-warming than to see stars taking time out of their demanding schedule for a noble cause. Over the years we have seen celebrities sweeping their streets to encourage cleanliness, some have volunteered their time with the lesser fortunate, some have associated their names with campaigns against fatal diseases and some have auctioned their attires to raise funds for charity. Others run NGOs and trusts in their own names to support education and equality such as Salman Khan’s Being Human or Shehzad Roy’s Zindagi Trust.
In countries where stars (especially film and sports stars) are worshipped with a kind of fervor that is almost devotional, it is inspiring to see how a star utilizes his enormous star power to create awareness for a good cause.
One such affair is an upcoming star-studded fundraiser that is being held in Dubai in aid of the cancer hospital charity of the former Pakistan cricket captain-turned-politician Imran Khan.
Scheduled to take place on the 19th of November, the gala-dinner event will have in attendance stars like Mahira Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi while Meesha Shafi and music group Strings will perform live at the event. All proceeds raised will go towards the construction of a new clinical tower at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in Lahore (SKMCH).
This is not the first time that the SKMCH gala dinner is being hosted in Dubai. Earlier in 2014, amidst the presence of Pakistani cricket team and several stars including Vaneeza Ahmed, Sanam Saeed, Uzma Gillani and Amanat Ali Khan, the fundraising event took place and was a huge success.
Hamza Ali Abbasi, who is a fiercely vocal and proactive supporter of SKMCH and has attended other fundraising events in support of the hospital over the years, will perform hosting duty.
Aside from Abbasi, Mahira Khan, who recently made an inspiring speech at TEDxLahoreWomen and also participated in a campaign for breast cancer awareness, will be in attendance as well. Her recent moves including this one speaks volumes about how responsibly she is using her star-power.
There are millions of people in our country who look up to such stars as role models and would emulate their actions in a heart-beat. The fact that they show solidarity to social causes will definitely bring awareness to common people and support to institutions which in turn will benefit the nation in the larger scheme of things. On the other hand, the entertainment industry is probably the most public enterprise and thrives on the support of the very people who are affected by these social issues, so it’s a win-win situation.
– Sadiq Saleem is a Dubai based entertainment journalist. He is also an Instep correspondent and can be contacted on his page fb/sidsaidso
