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Sisters Shaireen Butt and Afreen Butt played muses for The Telegraph

Glimpses from this special shoot themed on waking up to life

Saionee Chakraborty Published 24.05.23, 08:05 AM
The beautiful garden of Bombaim was the backdrop for this frame which had Shaireen in Afreen’s protective hug. “When I got admitted, she was my attendant. She would be there and taking care of me,” smiled Shaireen, who had studied fashion design at NIFT, Calcutta. Amrich:’s whites on both of them complemented the mood of regeneration. A blooming flower from Iguana by Swasti Parekh accessorised Afreen’s look, symbolising the joy she brought to her sister’s life. Shaireen’s look got a statement in her CVH Studio neckpieces, a metaphor for her remarkable fortitude. Make-up pro Abhijit Paul gave both the sisters a “morning fresh” look and a pink tint on the cheeks. Afreen got beach curls to complement her looks. And, we loved Shaireen’s exquisite curls. “(This whole episode) has been transformational. Last year, I was off social media. I wanted to be fully present with my family. Now that I look back at the past two years, of course, we went through a lot as a family, but I recognise now that even in those times, we weren’t sorrowful and dwelling on what was happening and why it happened. We were looking forward to what we were supposed to do and were being realistic. I think Shai has extraordinary willpower and did not break down even once and, was analytical. She knew she had to go through that and she was ready," said Afreen, who would soon go to college to study graphic design. 

The beautiful garden of Bombaim was the backdrop for this frame which had Shaireen in Afreen’s protective hug. “When I got admitted, she was my attendant. She would be there and taking care of me,” smiled Shaireen, who had studied fashion design at NIFT, Calcutta. Amrich:’s whites on both of them complemented the mood of regeneration. A blooming flower from Iguana by Swasti Parekh accessorised Afreen’s look, symbolising the joy she brought to her sister’s life. Shaireen’s look got a statement in her CVH Studio neckpieces, a metaphor for her remarkable fortitude. Make-up pro Abhijit Paul gave both the sisters a “morning fresh” look and a pink tint on the cheeks. Afreen got beach curls to complement her looks. And, we loved Shaireen’s exquisite curls. “(This whole episode) has been transformational. Last year, I was off social media. I wanted to be fully present with my family. Now that I look back at the past two years, of course, we went through a lot as a family, but I recognise now that even in those times, we weren’t sorrowful and dwelling on what was happening and why it happened. We were looking forward to what we were supposed to do and were being realistic. I think Shai has extraordinary willpower and did not break down even once and, was analytical. She knew she had to go through that and she was ready," said Afreen, who would soon go to college to study graphic design.  Sourced by the Telegraph

Sisters Shaireen Butt (28) and Afreen Butt (20) warmed the cockles of our hearts from the moment we met them. There was such an innocence about the soft-spoken Shaireen. You could barely hear her voice in a conversation, but Afreen vouched for her feisty spirit with which she had battled Acute Myeloid Leukemia (a type of blood cancer). Afreen, who donated her bone marrow to Shaireen to give her a fresh lease of life, spoke with maturity beyond her years. “You should never grieve for a person who’s with you,” she told us with a smile. The smile never left Shaireen’s face too.

Their inspiring journey is what we tried to capture in this shoot. Them coming back to life and discovering the world in all its easy-breezy wondrous romance, in the summer colours of hope, purity, rebirth, and confidence, the silhouettes all relaxed, mirroring a certain calmness that was a common trait in both the sisters.

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The beautiful Bombaim was a character in the shoot, lending soulful support with its quiet meditativeness.

Bombaim’s beautiful verandah, sprayed by the windy rain, was a great reflective mood. We gave both the sisters Amit Aggarwal pieces, accessorised with Iguana by Swasti Parekh jewellery. Abhijit gave Afreen’s eyes a wash of green, and Shaireen got aqua eyes. The ‘lightness of being’ was characteristic of what they wore and made up Shaireen and Afreen’s spirit too. “At least in front of me, Afreen was calm. That gave me the confidence to hold myself. I switched off my music completely, something I love, and avoided watching emotional content as it would break the flow. My parents knew what topics to not broach,” looked back Shaireen. The sisters were confined to a room for nearly two months at Tata Medical Center for the bone marrow transplant. “That was the scariest part because anything can happen during the transplant. The room was sanitised three times a day,” said Shaireen. While Shaireen would sketch on and off, Afreen read and did some stretching to relax. Both sisters said they loved watching horror films!  Afreen felt she learnt a lot about Shaireen. “I think she was in a meditative state... it was inspiring. By the end of it, I was getting a little restless, but Shai was composed. She was in her zone even during her quarantine,” she said.

Bombaim’s beautiful verandah, sprayed by the windy rain, was a great reflective mood. We gave both the sisters Amit Aggarwal pieces, accessorised with Iguana by Swasti Parekh jewellery. Abhijit gave Afreen’s eyes a wash of green, and Shaireen got aqua eyes. The ‘lightness of being’ was characteristic of what they wore and made up Shaireen and Afreen’s spirit too. “At least in front of me, Afreen was calm. That gave me the confidence to hold myself. I switched off my music completely, something I love, and avoided watching emotional content as it would break the flow. My parents knew what topics to not broach,” looked back Shaireen. The sisters were confined to a room for nearly two months at Tata Medical Center for the bone marrow transplant. “That was the scariest part because anything can happen during the transplant. The room was sanitised three times a day,” said Shaireen. While Shaireen would sketch on and off, Afreen read and did some stretching to relax. Both sisters said they loved watching horror films! Afreen felt she learnt a lot about Shaireen. “I think she was in a meditative state... it was inspiring. By the end of it, I was getting a little restless, but Shai was composed. She was in her zone even during her quarantine,” she said.

Gratitude marked this frame. “This feels like a new life,” said Shaireen as she stood with arms extended, soaking in the sun at the open-to-sky courtyard area, the centrepiece of Bombaim. The colourful Yavi coords were matched with Forest of Chintz earrings and metallic shaded eyes. “Don’t think nothing can be done. And, remember if you break down, the whole treatment gets affected. So, be patient,” were Shaireen’s wise words. Going ahead, she would love to start a venture in Darjeeling, her hometown, and join her family business of antiques. Prior to this, she had worked with 145 East and The Space at 9/2 and also ran a tattoo parlour on Park Street.

Gratitude marked this frame. “This feels like a new life,” said Shaireen as she stood with arms extended, soaking in the sun at the open-to-sky courtyard area, the centrepiece of Bombaim. The colourful Yavi coords were matched with Forest of Chintz earrings and metallic shaded eyes. “Don’t think nothing can be done. And, remember if you break down, the whole treatment gets affected. So, be patient,” were Shaireen’s wise words. Going ahead, she would love to start a venture in Darjeeling, her hometown, and join her family business of antiques. Prior to this, she had worked with 145 East and The Space at 9/2 and also ran a tattoo parlour on Park Street.

Afreen wore an Amrich: creation complemented by dramatic Deepa Gurnani earrings and lovely winged eyes. As she sat soaking in the pitter-patter, summarising the flow of life, she said being in the now helped. “It’s best not to see it as something that happened to someone for a reason. It can happen to anyone. You cannot prepare yourself for it... accept the situation because you cannot change and be persistent,” she said. Her message for her “Shai” with whom she shared an “unspoken bond”? “You have been resilient and strong, the most inspiring person, and pushed it so far and now you can do whatever you want to. I’ll be there. I’d love to start up something together and we’ll look back on this conversation,” she summed up.

Afreen wore an Amrich: creation complemented by dramatic Deepa Gurnani earrings and lovely winged eyes. As she sat soaking in the pitter-patter, summarising the flow of life, she said being in the now helped. “It’s best not to see it as something that happened to someone for a reason. It can happen to anyone. You cannot prepare yourself for it... accept the situation because you cannot change and be persistent,” she said. Her message for her “Shai” with whom she shared an “unspoken bond”? “You have been resilient and strong, the most inspiring person, and pushed it so far and now you can do whatever you want to. I’ll be there. I’d love to start up something together and we’ll look back on this conversation,” she summed up.

Concept and styling: Saionee Chakraborty

Pictures: Pabitra Das

Hair and make-up: Abhijit Paul

Assisted by: Sananda Mondal Laha

Location: Bombaim, 5A, Dr Sarat Banerjee Road (all the brands featured in the shoot are available at Bombaim)

Special thanks: Richa Kanoi and Nina Seal Sinha

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