Rise And Shine, Girl! - Shaista Shireen

“While a kid, I had a strong affinity towards fashion designing. But, since the nearest college where I could pursue my dream was in Kolkata and my family, being conservative, didn’t let me go, my affinity met with a dead end.

In school, I used to sell handmade Rakhi and friendship bands to my classmates as I loved being financially independent. When I grew up and started looking for jobs with an eagerness to possess hard-earned money, my family wasn’t supportive. To all my willingness to stand up on my own feet, they just had one question, ‘’Why do you have to earn?’’.

Later, I took their permission and joined a tailoring and embroidery institute because that’s the closest I could get to my dream of fashion designing. Once, we had an order that required quick delivery so, I sat 4 hours straight to get it done. The next day, I had immense pain in my knees and the doctor asked me to stop tailoring, cause if I did, the situation would worsen. Thus, embroidery came to an end.

Later, I decided to apply for a job in Metto which was going to open near my house. I knew what it felt like to not have a job and just sit at home. I didn’t want to put myself through that again. In Metto, I did my duties diligently. It was a new spectrum for me to explore, but I did well and got promoted.

During my tenure in Metto, I decided to open, “Cravings”, just outside the mall. I loved making Chaat and Cravings helped me to convert my hobby into a business. With a table and a garden umbrella, began the tale of Cravings. Eventually, I quit my job to follow my passion and opened my own cafe, "Cravings By Shireen", which has become a favorite for Cuttack youngsters.

Situations are not promising all the time. Fani and Covid really tossed my businesses up and down, but I keep at it. Today, along with Cravings, I have another venture of meat delivery, "Meatboxco", which is doing equally well. While at home, people completely depended on Meatboxco for their non-veg grocery. Financially, it not only helped me through the pandemic, but also was a ray of hope in the life of three unemployed boys. During the lockdown, people genuinely thanked us for reviving the service. 

My family didn't trust me initially, but now they support me in all my endeavors. From my experience, I can vouch that being independent is the best thing you can do for yourself.” – Shaista Shireen.