One worldwide event that is celebrated in a big way is International Women’s Day, on 8th March every year. Mangalore Cricket Club (MCC) Qatar, celebrated International Women's Day on Friday, March 23, 2018 at Learner’s Education Centre, Al Thumama .in accordance with the UN theme , “Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women's lives.” 

The day’s program started off by invoking God’s blessings with a meaningful prayer led by Mrs. Delita D’Souza in remembrance of women all over the world.

General Secretary, Mrs. Riana Pinto welcomed the gathering. The Chief Guest of the evening Mrs. Sushmita Patnaik, President of Indian Woman’s Association, the Guest of Honour Mrs. Aisha Rafique , Vice President of Karnataka Muslims Cultural Association, the three honored speakers of the evening Mrs. Archana Shetty, Mrs. Nisha Agarwal and Mrs. Sheela Philip were given a floral welcome by Mrs. Kavita Tauro, Cultural Secretary and Mrs. Jessie Mendonca, Advisor.

Mrs. Wendy D’Silva, the Joint Cultural Secretary recited a poem “The Strength of a Woman” by Naomi Johnson.

The first session of the evening was led by Mrs. Archana Shetty - an executive Coach and mentor with expertise on optimal performance without burn out. She highlighted on the emphasis of discovering the secret to moving ahead i.e. How to be on Fire without Burnout'. The participants were made aware of the blocks that hinder achieving their goals and also discussed on the ‘5A’ steps to remove those blocks.
The second session was led by Mrs. Nisha Agarwal, Yoga Head of Indian Sports Centre (ISC) Qatar. The topic was “Stress Management and some basic ideas on Pranayama”. She gave the audience basic tips on keeping stress at bay. Being a Yoga guru, she demonstrated a few hand gestures, known as mudras in yoga, which help relax and unwind. She emphasized on mudras being done in conjunction with a few breathing exercises that help regulate the flow of energy throughout the body and helps to release stress.. The audience was totally engrossed and engaged and did feel a difference after the session.

The third and final session of the evening was by Mrs. Sheela Philip, Owner and beautician of the famous Doha Beauty Center. She gave out easy and simple “Beauty Tips” to maintain our skin in today’s polluted environment. She stressed the need on cleansing our skin at least twice a day. She also shared a few beauty secrets which got the women participants asking questions and getting to know more about skin and hair care.

To celebrate the special day, a beautiful cake was cut in the presence of all the guests and the lady members of the Executive Committee.
The Chief Guest Mrs Sushmita Patnaik, then addressed the gathering and spoke on Women’s day theme. She also highlighted the importance on the relevant talks given by day’s speakers regarding women empowerment and in maintaining an optimal living necessary for a woman taking different roles as wife, mother, daughter and sister in daily life.

Mrs. Aisha Rafique, the Guest of Honour addressed the gathering and talked about Being a Leader. She said that a leader does not only mean a person who holds a leadership position in an office but made each of them realize that all are leaders in one way or another no matter what role they play. She stressed on the belief of sharing knowledge to at least one person thus building a chain reaction and in turn making a positive impact in somebody’s life.

All the three speakers of the evening were honored with a memento by the Chief Guest and Guest of Honour.

Mrs. Della Rego, cultural sub-committee member proposed the vote of thanks expressing gratitude to all who played an active part in organizing and conducting the event and thanked the club President and management for organizing such an event for all ladies. The evening was beautifully compered by Mrs. Dorothy Noronha.

Refreshments were provided to all the participants. They also were presented with a mint plant as a memento. The evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all the women as it was a very interactive and participative session.