DUBAI // Successful women from the Middle East, and in particular the UAE, will be honoured on April 15 for their contributions to various fields.
They will share the limelight with Bollywood stars at the Madinat Jumeirah as Gr8! Women Awards, an initiative of the Indian Television Academy, recognises their accomplishments.
The awards ceremony will honour 18 women from the region, including nationals and expatriates from the Emirates, for their contributions to business, fashion, music, medicine, films and social work.
The Gr8! Women Awards organisation will also launch its Middle East chapter in Dubai.
Entrepreneurs Sara Belhasa and Badria al Mulla, film producer Nayla al Khaja and surgeon Dr Houriya Kazim are among the Emiratis who are being recognised, alongside Indian actresses Preity Zinta and the legendary Zeenat Aman.
"It feels great to be recognised," said Ms Belhasa, owner of the Studio 8 fashion boutique in Dubai. "I like the concept of honouring women in the region.
"It will serve as a motivation to other women. We have a lot of awards in Dubai, but this is the first of its kind.
"It is an honour for me because it is coming from India, which is fast expanding and becoming an economic powerhouse," added Ms al Mulla, an entrepreneur and one of the first female senior managers in the UAE oil and gas exploration industry.
"It is great to start thinking of women's achievements in the Middle East."
There are many successful women in the region who are "breaking the shackles", said Mrs Anu Ranjan, who founded the awards in India 10 years ago.
"The Middle East is one place where common perceptions are very different from reality. Women are doing exceptionally well. If the rest of the world should know, they should be given a platform," she said.
The awards founder said there was no distinction between nationals and expatriates in the region, as they were all contributing equally to the nation's growth.
The ceremony will also raise awareness about breast cancer, and Dr Kazim is expected to speak about the disease at the event.
Actress Mahima Chaudhry, who announced the awards this week, urged people to get mammograms for early detection of breast cancer.
The event will include performances by Bollywood stars Raveena Tandon, Vivek Oberoi, Jacqueline Fernandez and singers Madhushree and Shailendra Singh.
The Gr8! awards have previously honoured Indian actresses Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sushmita Sen and Kareena Kapoor.
Organisers plan to expand the awards throughout the Gulf, and to honour more women from the entire region.
