The mother-daughter duo of Shirin Karamally and Sakina Karamally got together seven years ago with the idea of producing homemade squashes and jams. “After my father passed away, my mother was inching towards depression and we began this venture to keep her busy. It was greatly therapeutic and has done wonders for her.”

Health and hygiene are two main concerns for this team as each and every item is washed and cut personally and each jar is sterilised properly. “I can proudly say that our products are devoid of any preservatives, food colour or any harmful chemicals. Our basic ingredients are fruit and sugar.”

They have diversified their product range and now even jellies, marmalade, pickles and chutneys can be ordered. Catering to a bigger section of the population is on their minds especially after the encouraging response they got at the SAARC mela held in Karachi. “Our speciality is the strawberry jam while the sun-cured lemon squash is also a favourite.”

Sakina holds the view that women of all ages need to develop an occupation of some sort that keeps them active and content in life. “A sense of accomplishment is what keeps you going. It makes you feel worthy.” Shehnaz Akhtar is another person who lives by the same ideals.

Based in the textile hub, Faisalabad, she chose to take up stitching bed linen as she felt there was a big market for home decor. She began by frequenting wholesale markets in search of quality fabrics but then she had to face the most crucial task to put together a team of workmen who could match her ideas. Shehnaz's faith came to her rescue at this time. “I believe that whenever you attempt something with sincerity of purpose, God always acknowledges your efforts. Soon I managed to open a workshop in a portion of my house. Training the craftsmen to comply with my standards was quite challenging but with patience and determination, I achieved that too.” Her first exhibition went extremely well and there has been no looking back.

Candle making and designing envelopes is Fazila's passion but she needs to space out her work output depending on the schedule of her young children. “Since my children are still very dependent on me, I am not able to devote as much time as I would want to.” It was due to the continuous support and encouragement from her friends and relatives that she began making candles commercially some 15 years ago. “I introduced floating and scented candles here long before they became a fad and mine are as good as any in the market.”

She has exhibited her work on numerous occasions and got an overwhelming response. “I need a lot of space to work; there are storage issues for the wax too so I am not able to expand my work. The other problem is not having a marketing facility that could display my work on a regular basis. I know a lot of girls who are doing an excellent job in this field but are unable to gain access to the public.” Unfortunately there is no platform for talented girls like Fazila and many others who want to showcase their true potential and make a name for themselves. It would be an uphill task for such emerging talent to be acknowledged on a large scale.

There are certain individuals who are destined to follow a certain path; Farah Jehanzeb Khan belongs to this breed of entrepreneurs. It was but natural for her to take up designing as her family had been into the garment business for ages. Showing a lot of promise, she convinced her parents to loan her Rs14, 000 for an exhibition, way back in 1987. She had just turned ten at that time, and is proud to admit that she made a profit of Rs 20, 000.

“The art of designing clothes was pretty much a novelty at that time, nothing like present day where bored housewives have adopted this as a way to keep themselves occupied. While playing around with fabric and colours you need to have refined aesthetics to put together an ensemble which possesses timeless beauty.”

She has made a name for herself in the fashion fraternity but she too had a humble beginning. Her first workshop was a small place in the basement of Kehkashan Clifton, Karachi, where her workmen and tailors were based. “One must be willing to go all out to turn one's dream into reality,” comments Farah. Though she faced resistance from her in-laws, her spouse supported her choice to continue her business and today she runs three outlets, each stocking a different type of clothing. “I feel it's God's blessing if your passion becomes your profession.”