Being Brown is Enough: In Conversation with Founder of Diet Paratha, Anita Chhiba

2nd-generation New Zealander, Anita Chhiba, is the Indian founder of Diet Paratha: an online platform that celebrates the best of South Asian creativity from around the world. Currently based in London, Chhiba was freelancing in advertisement for some time, watching her friends build up all these incredible brands around her. Learning from them and finding inspiration in her new home, Anita began getting the most traction she’d ever had before.

Anita chats with interviewer, Naomi Joshi, whilst sitting in the warm, Australian sun on holiday.  She is unapologetically herself, speaking candidly and presenting a humble and genuine presence. 

Anita photographed by Holly Sarah Burgess, make-up by Rae Sacha, Anita wears Starving Artists Fund

Tell me a bit about how you started Diet Paratha. Why center South Asian talent & creatives? 

In 2017, I started collecting and re-posting pictures, the retro Bollywood kinds of photos, the pictures with really interesting angles or aesthetics. Then, through Instagram, which I believe to be the greatest discovery tool, I started finding loads of South Asian illustrators. I was so in awe of their talent. I then realized that a lot of the other content that was being posted or shared wasn't necessarily anything I was specifically interested in, like bridal attire, for example. I kept thinking: all this stuff looks exactly the same. It didn’t reflect who I am and it didn't reflect me creatively. So I started to really dive a bit deeper into South Asian illustrators that weren't necessarily producing “typical” South Asian art. And from there, I discovered more editorial shoots, models and other South Asian people that were operating in these luxury spaces, spaces where I was able to find and indulge in my specific interests.  

From there, I thought: no one's really collating this in a way that doesn't assert the culture as the primary sort of takeaway. So I just properly started collecting really fantastic work done by South Asian people that didn't have any sort of immediate cultural signifiers. I used to pick out the content that I thought would be most palatable to other audiences, but I wanted something that resonated more with me: just South Asian people being great at what they do. Being Brown is enough, we don't have to bring our heritage or our culture into what we do visually, at all or all the time. That is still hugely important, I completely acknowledge that, but I wanted to tap into the art world outside of all the stuff that kind of looks the same. Sometimes I think that happens because it’s what’s expected of us. Even within our own culture, we’re programmed to think that's what we're meant to do. So, unearthing and bringing together this community of people who felt similarly to me, became my primary focus. There's really no cultural tie back to South Asianness, it's really just celebrating Brown people being really good at what they do. There’s nothing more to it. Obviously, lots of projects do explore identity, but it’s not a requirement, or a driving factor.

During the pandemic, in 2020, - that was a really hard year for so many people. But that’s when I really took advantage of everybody being online. I posted every single fucking day. And people were watching. 

Was it always South Asian talent and creatives that you were trying to amplify & uplift? Or did it start with a broader community? 

It was definitely broader at first - the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia were the regions I originally focused on. Our cultures are completely separate, we definitely intertwine on so many different levels. Since I don’t identify Diet Paratha as a collective, when I really got into it, I only felt right exploring South Asian culture, which I obviously  have a personal understanding of in contrast to other cultures. 

What about the title? I'm assuming it's a take on Diet Prada, but how did you come up with that? 

I was literally sitting at this job that I fucking hated. I had been thinking about the title for ages: what do I call this? At the time, Diet Prada was actually getting a lot of heat. Kim Kardashian was trying to sue them and it was just getting really dicey for them. But I thought, Diet Prada, what about Diet Paratha? I can flip this - the whole concept of cancellation to celebration. 

Let's talk a bit about South Asian identity and representation in New Zealand and how that was for you growing up. After moving to London and experiencing a much larger South Asian community, did you feel the need to provide some kind of space for South Asians to feel at home in your New Zealand? 

Absolutely. Any and all South Asian representation and community was and still is severely lacking in New Zealand. I actually just organized an event there, which was really meaningful for a lot of people because there isn’t a lot that unites the South Asian community in New Zealand, outside of extreme cultural or sport-related levels. Us creatives don’t ever get together. There's so much support in the UK, and in New Zealand, there’s just not. That's not to say that there aren't extremely creative people, there’s just no space that really unites us. Being able to do all this work in the UK, and take it back to New Zealand was really special. 

Anita photographed by Holly Sarah Burgess, make-up by Rae Sacha, Anita wears Starving Artists Fund

Are there any challenges that have come with highlighting the South Asian creatives and communities? 

Yes, absolutely. On one hand, it hasn't been done so widely, and on the other hand, it hasn't really been done in this kind of way before. There are lots of challenges that come with trying to represent a specific culture, because it's so personal to so many people. ‘South Asian’ is a blanket term anyway. Obviously we have our own identities, and different people will identify with different words, which generally tend to be more specific. Rightfully so. But I’ve chosen to use the term ‘South Asian’ because I believe it to be the most inclusive in regards to the space I’m curating. The way that I show specificity is by expressing that in the descriptions I use for people and their identities, like Pakistani-Muslim, for example. 

From my perspective, I’m an open book, meaning I’m totally open to  criticism. There's obviously so many things that need to be considered specifically within South Asian culture - we have our own kind of faults: body positivity, casteism, colorism, fairly representing marginalized people, etc. It's definitely all been a massive learning opportunity, but it’s really just left me open to conversation. I think I’ve learnt that you can never do everything at once, and a lot of people unfortunately come in really hot and heavy. I always hope for a constructive conversation but it’s not always the case. 

When we talk about safe spaces, what does that mean and look like to you? 

A space in which we, collectively, make sure that everybody feels welcome. I think with the idea of safety, comes the notion of protection. So, ensuring that people who do attend events and whatnot, can be their full selves, without being confronted with any type of judgment. And with that, it just reinforces the fact that we, as a culture, need to be more accepting of conversations surrounding topics like colorism, casteism, etc. 

I want Diet Paratha to continue to be a really positive place. Last year, I had a really tricky time using the Internet, because Instagram is such a fucked up place. People are insane, because they can say whatever the fuck they want to anybody, and there's no repercussions. This is what we get for being able to hide behind a screen. I get so much negativity and I really don’t want to be supporting or even engaging with these negative narratives. There’s obviously pros and cons to Instagram, but for the most part, I think it really fucks up people’s mindsets. We're all addicted to it in some shape or form, and it basically runs the whole fucking world. I find that the more time I spend away from it, the more time I spend not engaging, it’s so much better for my mental health. So I really try to share positive content because I understand the depths to which the content we engage with, affects our mental health. 

How has that been for you, to further the brand on a platform like Instagram, when you’re simultaneously struggling to maintain a healthy relationship with it? 

What brings me happiness is actually having physical events, meeting people, bringing people together, receiving positive feedback from the events, and people meeting each other at gatherings and going on to create together. Really just building a community. When I hear that people can see themselves in what I share & create, that’s all I want. Creating work is what's important to me. I really want to get back into making my own art - drawing and painting, which I used to do loads of, but now I don't do anymore. I just want to be making stuff. Creating things. That's what truly gives me joy, not posting shit on the Internet and seeking validation that way. 

How does it feel for you to speak rather publicly about your experiences, your thoughts and opinions? That can feel quite exposing a lot of the time, - has it been something that you've struggled with? Or do you generally welcome that kind of attention?

I try not to do so many interviews, to be honest. I'm really trying to be more meaningful this year. Obviously last year, my brand was new so I needed to do lots to get the message out there. This year it’s more about meaningful work: talking about projects I've got going on, spotlighting the community and giving others a platform to shine. 

Anita photographed by Holly Sarah Burgess, make-up by Rae Sacha, Anita wears Starving Artists Fund

What do you hope people will take away from engaging with Diet Paratha, whether it's the South Asian community or others?

People from the outside, I want them to reframe the way that they see us because we're so often stereotyped, put into these negative buckets - accents, corner shops, monuments, food, marriage, having a really strict upbringing, all that sort of stuff. And I want others to see South Asian people, as people, first and foremost. 

In regards to South Asian people, I want people to feel inspired and proud, through platforming these creatives and their projects, discovering more about who we are individually. But at the same time, there are no rules. If you fuck with it, great. If you don’t, it’s not for you. There’s so little representation already, so when we do see these glimmers of hope, everyone expects their stories to be told. And I get that, I do. It’s just not possible. 

How does your work allow for you to express yourself, maybe even further explore your identity, or just being a Brown woman / woman of color?

Honestly I think that is my work. It's just expressing who I am with no limitations. With every project I do, I try to do it in that regard. I'm privileged enough to be in a position where I can say yes or no to what I want to do. I get to carve my own path. And I feel lucky that I get to do that. 

Tell me a bit about your recent work with Vogue India. 

The February Issue of Vogue India closes on the Youthquake folio that I had the honor and privilege of curating. It spotlights a bold group of disruptors from around the world who are shaking things up in homogeneous spaces in South Asia and beyond. It includes 27 pages in print, which were also rolled out digitally across the month of February – 21 shoots all over the world, done in 7 days, showcasing groups of incredible south Asian change makers from across the diaspora and beyond, who are reshaping the spaces and industries they inhabit. It’s crazy even saying that out loud. 

Additionally, they have also put me on the digital cover of the Feb #VogueYouthquake issue! My own Vogue India digi cover - created by an incredible Black and Brown team from Aotearoa. You can discover more at @vogueindia #VogueYouthquake. 

What are your hopes and vision for the future in regards to Diet Paratha? 

I just want to keep making amazing projects and keep helping platform South Asian people. I want to continue to uphold a really high benchmark, because I know that the page does a lot for so many people. It’s become a source for even a lot of magazines, a lot of creators and a lot of artists, that find people through the page to collaborate with. That means everything to me. I want to put more meaningful work out there. And overall, make space for us to be able to tell our own stories.

Anita photographed by Holly Sarah Burgess, make-up by Rae Sacha, Anita wears Starving Artists Fund