A DATE WITH DIET PARATHA
New Zealand-born London based Anita Chibba wants to put South Asian talent on the map. Her platform ‘Diet Paratha' is taking the gram by storm, championing South Asian creatives from across the world. We spoke to Anita on a sunny afternoon in Soho and talked all things design, diversity and culture.
Social media has expanded, if not exploded in recent years and become a hub for all things creative. “Everyone seems to be bigging each other up to push the culture forward” she explains, “the support of the community has been unreal, it really feels like a time for SA people right now. SA people are still fighting to be seen in creative spaces, and there isn’t a lot of perception around being ‘cool’ – I feel like Diet Paratha definitely helps shift the perspective.”
Recently, there’s been an undeniable rise in Instagram accounts designed to uplift and inspire. “I’ve really reconnected with my SA identity through the platform“. The name Diet Paratha (paratha-an Indian flatbread) is a play on Diet Prada, but this platform is not about cancelling culture, “Cancel culture is so counterproductive; I think we’ve all been in positions where we haven’t known better and obviously talking, learning, educating, friendship and communicating puts us in a position to know better. Some views are extremely damaging and dangerous but I feel like some people abuse cancel culture in an equally dangerous and damaging vein.“
So what does the future have in store for Diet Paratha and Anita? “There's so many exciting things happening DP. Lots of bigger brands and publishing platforms seem to understand its significance to the culture so watch out for lots of exciting projects that help, pay and celebrate the people the way we deserve.”
And how do young creatives make it to her platform? “The criteria is in some respect that I wish I had done it myself but at the same time it’s celebrating SA creatives and their talent”, she says. And if she had to describe her platform in one sentence…“the new home for the best south asian creatives from all over the world.“
