Anita Chhiba | Diet Paratha | Global Indian

Global IndianstoryAnita Chhiba’s Diet Paratha: Redefining representation for South Asian creativity

Anita Chhiba’s Diet Paratha: Redefining representation for South Asian creativity

Compiled by: Darshana Ramdev

(November 22, 2024) “Life is miserable without community,” Anita Chhiba declares, her voice resonating with the conviction of someone who has lived through the absence of belonging. For Chhiba, founder of the globally celebrated platform Diet Paratha, this belief is the cornerstone of her work. With over 154,000 followers and collaborations with global brands like Vogue India and Burberry, Diet Paratha is far more than an Instagram page. It is a cultural reset—a platform where South Asians are celebrated not for fitting into stereotypes but for breaking them.

“Diet Paratha is flipping cancellation into celebration,” Chhiba explains. This philosophy, central to her platform, has struck a chord with South Asians across the world. It has become a space to feel seen, a place to find opportunities, and a tool to amplify the voices of those long overlooked in creative industries. But behind the glossy posts and accolades lies a deeply personal story of identity, struggle, and determination.

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From Invisibility to Influence

Born in New Zealand to Gujarati parents, Anita Chhiba’s journey to creating Diet Paratha is rooted in her own experience of feeling invisible. “I kind of resented who I was from an identity perspective for over half my life,” she admits. Growing up in a predominantly white environment, representation for South Asians in media and culture was scarce. “New Zealand wasn’t exactly set up to nurture that side of me,” she says, reflecting on the cultural isolation she felt during her formative years.

Despite this, Chhiba’s love for art and storytelling persisted. A creative at heart, she found her way into graphic design after dropping out of high school. “Somehow, I made it to uni with my graphic design portfolio,” she recalls. Her career began with a creative recruitment agency, which introduced her to project management and advertising. By the time she moved to London in 2017, Chhiba had worked her way up to a senior level in advertising. But something was missing. “I was never seen, heard, or respected,” she says. “There wasn’t enough diversity—of thought or people.”

The Birth of Diet Paratha

Diet Paratha began as a passion project. Initially a digital mood board, the Instagram account showcased vintage Bollywood posters and South Asians excelling in unconventional spaces. “I had this massive archive of imagery,” Chhiba recalls. “During the pandemic, I started posting every day. People really started to feel seen.”

The platform’s name is a playful nod to the viral fashion watchdog Diet Prada, but the similarities end there. While Diet Prada thrives on takedown culture, Diet Paratha is all about celebration. “I wanted to create a space free from the shackles of cancellation and assimilation,” Chhiba explains. It’s a space where South Asians can be unapologetically themselves.

Today, Diet Paratha is more than an Instagram account. It has grown into a creative agency offering mentorship programs, hosting events, and producing projects that celebrate South Asian talent. The Family Tree Mentorship program, for instance, pairs emerging creatives with industry leaders, providing them with opportunities and guidance that Chhiba herself lacked growing up.

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A Cultural Reset in Action

Diet Paratha’s impact is tangible. In 2022, Chhiba collaborated with Vogue India to produce YouthQuake, a 27-page story highlighting South Asian talent. Over seven days, her team pulled off 21 shoots across the globe. “It was a cultural reset,” she says. The project was a testament to Chhiba’s ability to not only curate talent but to shift the narrative around South Asians in mainstream media.

Events like the Diet Paratha Family Meeting in Auckland have also brought the platform to life. The event, which united South Asian creatives from across New Zealand, featured panel discussions on navigating racism and culture in creative industries. “I hadn’t experienced anything like it in New Zealand,” Chhiba says. “It felt like we were finally telling our own stories.”

Flipping the Script on Representation

Chhiba’s vision for representation is nuanced. She avoids pandering to the “white gaze” and is deliberate about the narratives she platforms. “We are no longer accepting the notion of being put inside a box,” she asserts. For her, representation isn’t just about visibility; it’s about authenticity. “It’s about challenging the status quo while respecting our individual backgrounds.”

This commitment to authenticity has made Diet Paratha a trusted resource for brands and creatives alike. From casting all-South Asian lineups for Burberry to curating projects for Byredo, Chhiba has consistently demonstrated the power of meaningful representation. “It’s not just about being seen,” she explains. “It’s about being respected and paid.”

Building a Community, One Connection at a Time

At its core, Diet Paratha is about community. For Chhiba, success is meaningless without others to share it with. “The most fulfilling experience is bringing people together and having them feel seen,” she says. This sense of connection extends to every aspect of her work, from the creatives she platforms to the audiences who engage with her content.

Chhiba’s community-building efforts are particularly evident in her mentorship initiatives. Through programs like Family Tree, she has created a pipeline for South Asian talent to thrive in industries that have historically excluded them. “It’s about expanding that network,” she explains. “Representation for some eventually translates into representation for others.”

Anita Chhiba | Diet Paratha | Global Indian

Navigating Challenges and Looking Ahead

Chhiba’s journey hasn’t been without challenges. As a South Asian woman in the creative industry, she has faced skepticism and bias. “Closed mouths don’t get fed,” she says, quoting advice that has kept her driven. “If you want it, you have to go after it.”

Balancing the demands of running Diet Paratha with her personal growth is another challenge. “My identity, passion, and culture are so wrapped up in my work that it becomes an ecosystem, constantly feeding itself,” she reflects. This interconnectedness has been both a strength and a source of pressure.

Despite these challenges, Chhiba remains focused on the future. She is selective about collaborations, prioritizing projects that align with her values. “It’s about taking ownership of our stories,” she says. For Chhiba, the ultimate goal is to empower the next generation of South Asians to tell their own stories, on their own terms.

A Legacy of Celebration

Anita Chhiba’s story is one of transformation. From feeling invisible in a predominantly white New Zealand to leading a global movement for South Asian creatives, she has redefined what representation looks like. Diet Paratha stands as a testament to her vision, proving that when you change the narrative, you change lives.

For Chhiba, the journey is far from over. “All my wildest dreams have come true,” she says, reflecting on her accomplishments. But she knows there is more work to be done. As she continues to build Diet Paratha, her mission remains the same: to celebrate South Asians not for how they fit in but for how they stand out.

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Published on 22, Nov 2024

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Architect Anupama Kundoo: Bridging tradition, modernity and sustainability

(June 14, 2024) "A gem among the rubble," the New York Times said glowingly, of the replica of Wall House by Anupama Kundoo at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2012. Kundoo, who was living and teaching in Australia at the time, had brought a team of Indian craftsmen with her to Italy to construct the replica. Many of the craftsmen, who had never left India before, found themselves amid a truly international collaboration, working with students from the University of Queensland and the IUAV on the construction. The experimental, versatile modernist The real thing is her own home in Auroville, Tamil Nadu, where Anupama began her practice. The building responds to many issues- socio-economic concerns and low environmental impact. Anupama and her team also employed unskilled workers and used pre-industrial 'achakal' mud bricks. She also brought in Auroville's potters to create vaulted terracotta roofing systems, with which she continues to be associated. Four years later, in 2016, she returned to the Venice Architecture Biennale with her equally ground-breaking prototype for Full Fill Homes, which uses lego-like blocks made from ferrocement, a low-tech material made through layering mortar or plaster over the metal mesh. The houses were assembled in under a week, foundation

he houses were assembled in under a week, foundation and all, by stone masons she brought in from India. Global Indian takes a look at the internationally renowned architect, known for her experimental and versatile style and for her emphasis on environmentally sustainable designs that keep affordability in mind- a rare combination.

[caption id="attachment_28790" align="aligncenter" width="509"] Anupama Kundoo | The Wall House | Global Indian Wall House at the Arsenale, Venice Architecture Biennale 2012. Photo: ArchDaily[/caption]

The ‘timelessness’ approach

"Architecture outlives the human life," Anupama told the Louisiana Channel in an interview. "Before I became an architect, architecture existed. It has taken more than the span of a single life. There are beautiful works of architecture that took hundreds of years to create. We have to be aware that it's not about the narcissism of the creator." She lives by her word, emphasising, even on her website, "As passionate as I am about my work, my work is not about me. My buildings have too much to do already, without having to accommodate an Anupama Kundoo signature style."

Laying the foundations

When it was time for her to choose an area of study, Anupama was torn between sculpture and mathematics. The Indian education system does not have room for such flexibility, however, and an aptitude test suggested Anupama study architecture, "a profession I had not considered till then," she told Design Boom. She knew intuitively that it was the line for her.

[caption id="attachment_28791" align="aligncenter" width="481"] Anupama Kundoo | Global Indian Anupama Kundoo (Photo by Thomas Meyer)[/caption]

Anupama had grown up steeped in the fine arts because of her mother, who had studied them and introduced the kids to drawing and painting early on. "I took a keen interest in crafts, sculpture, and knitting, as well as taking courses in tailoring," she said. Anupama's architectural journey began in Bombay, at the Sir J.J. College of Architecture. She graduated in 1989.

In 1996, she received the Vastu Shilpa Foundation Fellowship for her thesis, "Urban Eco-Community: Design and Analysis for Sustainability." Anupama earned her doctorate from the Technical University of Berlin in 2008.

Traces of having been uprooted during the freedom struggle lingered through her early childhood but Anupama "grew up looking towards the great opportunity of the future, rather than romanticising the past," she said. In her work, this manifests as a zeal for experimentation, "to experiment is to feel alive," she remarks.

Arrival in Auroville

A year later, she arrived in Auroville, where she first established herself as an architect. "It was an international city and with this spiritual undertone," she told the Financial Times. "I was attracted to the idea of a visionary place. There, she would meet Roger Anger, Auroville's chief urbanist and architect. It marked the start of a long-term collaboration. She built her first house here, Hut Petite Ferme, using materials like granite, clay and coconut fibre.

One of her most iconic projects in India, the Multi-Purpose Hall for the Sri Aurobindo World Centre for Human Unity, presented itself through a seemingly insurmountable challenge. She was told to do it within five months, with a less-than-shoestring budget of Rs 15 lakhs. Colleagues advised her against it, saying, "it has never been done before, so it can't be done."

[caption id="attachment_28792" align="aligncenter" width="595"] Anupama Kundoo | Global Indian Multi-Purpose Hall, Sri Aurobindo World Centre for Human Unity[/caption]

She defied them all by taking on the project, which became her first large public building in Auroville. The design involves Vaastu techniques - the essential principle of the tradition being that the structure should represent the shape of a man lying down. The circular structure was chosen because it represents unity. "I love to work at this pace. If you are under this pressure, it really forces you to think of ways to do it, and think fast. It has been a thrilling experience," she told Auroville Today.

Her Indian presence

Other notable works include the Residence Kranti Kranade (2003) in Pune and Shah Houses in Brahamangarh, made from locally available natural basalt and locally crafted terracotta tubes. The Wall House became an example of contemporary architecture, with its mud bricks and terracotta roofing systems.

In 2008, she designed the Volontariat Homes for Homeless Children in Pondicherry, using technology pioneered by Ray Meeker of Golden Bridge Pottery. These mud-houses were baked in situ, after construction. Built with mud mortar, it is fired to strengthen the brick and the kiln walls absorb around 40 percent of the heat, stabilising it from water damage. "This technology involves almost only labour, with very little spent on purchased materials," she writes, on her website

[caption id="attachment_28793" align="aligncenter" width="693"] Volontariat Home for Homeless Children: Baking a mud house in-situ after constructing it.[/caption]

Around the world

Anupama Kundoo is currently based in Berlin, although she has lived and worked around the world. In 2005, she taught at the Technical University in Berlin, where she also received her doctorate. Then, she became Assistant Professor at Parsons the New School for Design, New York, until 2011, before moving to Australia as a senior lecturer at the University of Queensland. In 2014, she moved to Europe, where she worked at the European School of Architecture and Technology at the Universidad Camilo Jose Cela in Madrid.

In Barcelona, she designed Unbound, The Library of Lost Books, a community space to encourage reading. Three canopy structures (she calls them trees), made from repurposed and obsolete books, are a nod to how many books are pulped or burned every day. It is an attempt to save them from destruction by showing their versatility. A mobile vehicle carrying books facilitates a 'free exchange', while films centred around reading are screened at the Filmoteca.

[caption id="attachment_28796" align="aligncenter" width="737"] Unbound, The Library of Lost books at the Plaça de Salvador Segui, Barcelona. An installation by Anupama Kundoo, photo by Javier Callejas[/caption]

She tells Louisiana Channel about her first trip abroad, where she couldn't help judging the people around her. "I think midway, my gaze shifted, and I saw the similarities," she said. "Even with all the differences, it crystallised for me what is common."

In an age of urgency and rapid urbanisation, where skyscrapers shoot up faster than the time it takes to consider their impact on the world around them, Anupama takes a deeply human-centric approach to architecture. "I am concerned with users' health, well-being and happiness, while I am also concerned with the livelihood that the making of architecture provides to people of a place," she said, in her Design Boom interview.

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How Dr. Keshav Singh became a pioneer of mitochondria research

(November 25, 2022) In 2018, Dr. Keshav Singh, a professor of genetics at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, was experimenting with mitochondria in mice. The team introduced a mutation to induce dysfunction and, over the next few weeks, observed that the mice developed wrinkles and lost hair - their bodies were ageing. It was an exciting development - if the loss of mitochondrial function led to ageing in mice, could the opposite delay or even prevent it? So Dr. Singh restored the mitochondrial function in the now-wrinkled mice and sure enough, their skin cleared, and the hair grew back. It became the foundation for a startup - Yuva Biosciences. Global media came knocking and Dr. Keshav Singh, a world leader in mitochondria research. Currently, the Joy and Bill Harbert Endowed Chair and Professor of Genetics, Pathology, and Dermatology at the University of Alabama, Dr. Keshav Singh, the author of three books and over 100 research publications, is on Stanford University's list of the top two percent of scientists in the world and one of Newsweek's Innovation Heroes. For over two decades, Dr. Singh has been at the forefront of mitochondrial research, working tirelessly to make a change. He even uses

research, working tirelessly to make a change. He even uses his talent for painting to create artistic renditions of mitochondria on canvas.

In October 2022, Dr. Singh and his team also received a grant from NASA, after a study showed that 57 astronauts suffered from mitochondrial anomalies after their stints at the International Space Station. The organisation has awarded Dr. Keshav a grant to do the animal studies - "We will take our mice and work at the NASA facility in Brookhaven, in a laboratory-created space environment," he told Global Indian.

[caption id="attachment_32114" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Dr Keshav Singh[/caption]

A long journey

The accolades, although never the end goal, had been a long time coming. Some fifteen years had passed since he started the Society for Mitochondrial Research and Medicine, first in the USA and later on in India, as well as a scientific journal, Mitochondrion, in 2000. At the same time, Dr Singh, along with his young son and daughter, would work late into the night on a companion newsletter, MitoMatters. "My daughter was in charge of the newsletter. We were trying to create awareness."

"Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell," is biology's most repeated line, and any Indian student who paid attention in high school can rattle it off without pause. Little is known even today about the complex set of mitochondrial diseases induced due to primary defects in mitochondria. And the information was even scarcer when Dr. Keshav chose it as an area of research. "Nobody cared much for it," he says. "But one of the godfathers of mitochondria biology happened to be at Johns Hopkins at that time. I was looking for a mentor - when you are an immigrant, moving around all the time, you have no mentor." Dr. Keshav’s ambitions were thwarted when he was told, "You're wasting your time. Mitochondria produce energy and there's nothing more to it."

Bareilly to Boston

It wasn't great news, but by this time, well-honed by the education system in India and abroad, Dr. Keshav wasn't about to give up. He recalls the early days over a Zoom call early on a Saturday morning. "My father was in the railways and I was the youngest child in the family," he says. "At school, we didn't get a desk until sixth grade, we had to sit on the floor." The day the furniture arrived was one of great excitement.

Dr. Keshav excelled in school and in the sixth grade received his first scholarship of Rs 16, a significant sum then. "The first big change came when I did my master's in GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology," he says. After having tried and failed to get a medical seat, Dr. Singh settled on microbiology, which was a top branch of science at the time, with only six seats available across India.

"In college, I used cow dung to make methane, and at the same time, my brother was using methane to make biogas to power a village." His brother also went on to set up the Ministry of Non-Conventional Sources of Energy.

Fuelled by one academic success after the next, he continued to receive scholarships, at the National Dairy Research Institute, at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, and IIT-Delhi, "I was offered scholarships, but the problem I faced was that I didn't speak English too well, so I joined Central Drug Research Institute in Lucknow for a short while under a CSIR fellowship."

To foreign shores

He had his degrees but wanted more than to "do mediocre science." That led him to the University of Wollongong in Australia, where he did a Ph.D. in marine biology and received a scholarship to Woods Hole Marine Biology Laboratories. " At MBL, I isolated a bacterium from sewage sludge, which was a lot of fun. It turned out it had unique characteristics and hadn't been discovered before, so I named it after my Professor and me. It grows as a clump but is a single-cell organism." After a post-doc at Harvard, Dr. Keshav joined Johns Hopkins, where he would remain as a faculty member until 2003.

Mitochondria research

"I learned that hundreds of mitochondrial diseases have no cure or even a name or diagnosis," Dr Singh remarks. He recalls one case - that of a high-profile patient, the scion of a global hospitality company, who visited Johns Hopkins complaining of a problem in his eye - "he had no energy in the eyelid and a lot of other problems as well," Dr. Keshav explains. The patient had visited a nephrologist, eye specialist, and neurologist and made no headway with a diagnosis. Mitochondrial diseases are multisystem disorders, so patients end up consulting specialists in those areas without much luck.

Mitochondrial DNA is maternally inherited and passed on to the egg, which contains about five million mitochondria. Each mitochondrion contains 100 copies of the DNA. If even one percent of that DNA is mutated, "you don't know how it will be distributed in different organs and in which order. That is the dilemma," Dr. Keshav says. "You may be okay for a while, but if the mutant load increases, you develop symptoms quickly. And even today, there is little or no training in some parts of the world, particularly in India, for physicians to connect these dots and arrive at a diagnosis."

Work in India

Starting in 2006-07, Dr. Keshav began collaborating with Dr. K. Thangaraj at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad; Dr. Keshav set up the Society for mitochondrial research and medicine in India. Physicians from America are brought to India to train the physicians here in recognizing symptoms and diagnoses. "There is no treatment, though," Dr. Keshav admits. For 15 years now, the society has been organising conferences, bringing scientists and physicians together in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Manipal University, Central Drug Research Institute in Lucknow, and JNU in Delhi.

In the United States, they also involve the patients. Just like the HIV model that was followed in the 1970s and 80s, we bring patients at the end of the conference. The scientists train the physicians, who train the patients, who then go to the politicians and make their case." Mitochondrial diseases are supported by Democrats and Republicans alike. "There are around 400 diseases related to mitochondria. But, unfortunately, only a handful have been accepted," he says.

[caption id="attachment_32111" align="aligncenter" width="577"] At the first annual conference of the Society for Mitochondria Research and Medicine[/caption]

Energy for all

Spurred on by the success of the anti-ageing experiment, Dr. Keshav co-founded Yuva Biosciences with serial entrepreneur and fellow Harvard grad Greg Schmergel. Their mission is to "restore mitochondrial function to rejuvenate you, starting with your hair and skin that is provide youthfulness for life."

The experiment with the mice also received the attention of an MD clinical fellow, Jasmine Chiang, who saw the story in the news. She approached the team at the University of Alabama, asking to work on the ovaries of the mice. "I asked her why an MD and Ob/Gyn who deals with patients would want to do this." Dr. Chiang, however, was interested in working on the ageing of the ovaries, which takes place at a much faster rate than the rest of the body.

"Mice go through processes which are very similar to that of human beings. When women go through menopause or ovarian ageing, hormones are downregulated, putting them at high risk for cardiovascular, cancer, and neurological disorders. "The idea is to understand how mitochondria control ovarian functions and how we can delay menopause." Two women in a 100 (amounting to some 60 million women) suffer from premature ovarian aging, a condition for which there is no treatment other than egg donation. Notably, in some countries like Germany, egg donation is prohibited.

[caption id="attachment_32108" align="aligncenter" width="566"] Dr Keshav Singh | Global Indian Dr Keshav K Singh[/caption]

'Fem tech' and ancient Indian remedies

India, Dr. Keshav says, has much to offer in the area of rejuvenation. "We have concepts like kayakalpa, medicinal plants, and the knowledge of Ayurveda. People talk about regenerating through yoga. At a cellular level, there are technologies in existence that can be utilized and applied along with kayakalpa and yoga to develop ways to rejuvenate mitochondrial function and energy". Dr. Singh's goals is to find a way to prevent, restore and rejuvenate mitochondrial function to extend health span and provide energy to all to age well when you get old. He is leading the field to accomplish this goal.

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Ayan and Ani Sayal: Indian-American brothers bringing authentic masala chai to New Yorkers

(February 2, 2024) Indians love their chai - no matter whether they are in India or abroad. Two Indian-American brothers with their roots in Kolkata often took to the streets of New York in search of that kadak cup of chai. But all they got was a westernised version that lacked the authenticity of a good Indian tea. This led to the birth of Kolkata Chai Co. in 2019 - which has Ayan and Ani Sayal on a mission to bring authentic tea to New Yorkers. "Kolkata Chai started with a simple idea: How do we extend the authenticity, respect, and tradition behind a cup of masala chai to NYC?" the brothers write on their website. Massachusetts Masala It was in 1987 that their parents landed in Massachusetts to fulfill the American dream, and growing up as first-generation Indian Americans, their concept of home was ever-shifting. "In 90’s America, we listened to hip hop, ate pizza, and begged our parents for a pair of Vans sneakers. Every other summer or winter, we’d spend a couple of months in Kolkata. An earth-shattering contrast, there, we would jump in monsoon puddles, eat mangsho-jhol, play cricket in the streets, and drink chai every

rast, there, we would jump in monsoon puddles, eat mangsho-jhol, play cricket in the streets, and drink chai every day," they added.

[caption id="attachment_48747" align="aligncenter" width="542"] Ayan and Ani Sanyal | Global Indian Ayan and Ani Sanyal[/caption]

The brothers often joked that the street vendors of Kolkata possessed some magical skills. "From eating bhel puri in newspaper cones to visiting the same chai stalls that our mother would frequent during her college years, we developed a deep respect for the tradition and personal nature of food," Ayan said in an interview. They would enjoy kulhad chai on the streets of Kolkata, something they missed dearly on their return to the US. "The satisfaction we got from smashing the clay bhar cups into the ground after finishing our chai was unparalleled," said Ani, adding, "There was a lore to street food. It was democratising, generational, and spoke to all socio-economic levels."

Recreating Kolkata street food charm in NYC

Upon their return from one such trip to Kolkata, they were brimming with excitement to bring the authentic desi cup of chai to the people of New York, and that led to Kolkata Chai Co. They wanted to make South Asian culture and cuisine accessible to everyone through chai and street food. "For the first 18 months after we had the idea, we would do pop-up shops and farmers markets in NYC, and got a great response. Following this success and getting a sense that people loved desi chai, we opened the NYC cafe to a line of 700 people in 2019," added Ani. Apart from chai, their menu includes Indian street food – which encompasses Kolkata-style egg rolls, samosas, chaats, and more. "We also feature seasonal menus for the fall and summer, where you can catch our ‘Ma’s Ginger Chai’, a take on the simple, yet highly effective ginger tea our mother made for us growing up. We also serve mint lemonade, which is a spin on a childhood classic we grew up with in Kolkata," said Ani.

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Betting on themselves and their food culture

However, starting their own venture wasn't a cakewalk for the Sanyal brothers due to lack of capital and resources. Moreover, they had no clue that running a food business in an expensive and competitive place like New York being would be difficult. "Barely six months into our cafe operation, the pandemic shut all the restaurants in the city down and we were forced to close," added Ani. But that didn't stop the Sanyal brothers who knew that had to bring in a new strategy to keep their business afloat. They started delivering chai in their car across NYC and shipping the chai mix across the country. "These lessons taught us to be sharp operators and we’ve been able to sustainably grow ever since," revealed Ayan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycs6c3wRJjE

Keen to put Kolkata in NYC, they did everything to bring authentic flavours to the city. For them, a perfect cup of chai is a balance of cardamom, ginger, milk, and really strong black tea. "If you get all these things kind of perfectly done, then it makes a really wonderful, warming, and energizing drink," said Ayan, who takes care of the retail while his brother Ayan runs the marketing and branding of the brand. They are happy that New Yorkers are open to education their own palettes, and have embraced Kolkata Chai with open arms.

Seeing their parents struggle to make their American dream come true, the Sanyal brothers are telling a story of their culture through their chai. "We don’t get to really tell our story a lot of the time. And I think that’s what, you know, we’ve done with Kolkata Chai — is really plant a flag for where our family comes from, what our culture is about."

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Millet Mission 2023: The diaspora’s push for the cereal crop

(March 5, 2023) Millets are in vogue around the world, with India doubling down to promote the nutrient-rich grain. People are using it more often in their kitchens, and Indian restaurants across the globe have been offering millet specific menus. The enthusiasm has only heightened with 2023 being declared the International Year of Millets (IYM) by the United Nations, upon India’s proposal. [caption id="attachment_35778" align="aligncenter" width="883"] Photo Credit: Embassy of India, Bulgaria[/caption] India wants to establish itself as a global hub for millets – knowing that the cereal crop can help the world confront some of the challenges like the increased demand of food due to the growing population, and the impact of climate change on agriculture. Observer Research Foundation (ORF), a global think tank, pointed out, “millets are climate friendly because it uses seventy percent less water than paddy, grows in half the time taken by wheat, and needs forty percent less energy in processing. It's a hardy crop that can withstand extreme heat condition." The cereals help increase nutritional levels across the world. According to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation: As the global agrifood systems face challenges to feed an ever-growing global population, resilient cereals like millets

oundation (ORF), a global think tank, pointed out, “millets are climate friendly because it uses seventy percent less water than paddy, grows in half the time taken by wheat, and needs forty percent less energy in processing. It's a hardy crop that can withstand extreme heat condition." The cereals help increase nutritional levels across the world.

According to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation:

As the global agrifood systems face challenges to feed an ever-growing global population, resilient cereals like millets provide an affordable and nutritious option, and efforts need to be scaled up to promote their cultivation.

The largest producer of millets in the world, India is right on spot to work on the global need of the hour and increase its millet exports.

[caption id="attachment_35779" align="aligncenter" width="866"] Millet Mission | Global Indian Photo Credit: Embassy of India, Vancouver[/caption]

The Indian diaspora has responded well to the Indian government’s international outreach efforts and its concerted push to boost the consumption of millets around the globe, among Indian and non-Indian communities. Global Indian turns the spotlight onto how the Indian diaspora is celebrating the International Year of Millets and lending a helping hand in making India’s ‘Millet Mission’ popular.

Millet Mission in Vancouver, Canada

The Consulate General of India in Vancouver organised a presentation on Indian millets to a gathering of distinguished stakeholders, including the business community, diplomatic corps, investors, bankers and the media. Consul General, S. Manish, made a detailed presentation outlining the significance of India’s leadership role in the IYM 2023, the country’s multifarious connect with millets, its health benefits, and how the International Year of Millets fulfils the sustainable development goals, positioning India as the global hub for millets.

[caption id="attachment_35781" align="aligncenter" width="899"] Millet Mission | Global Indian Photo Credit: Embassy of India, Vancouver[/caption]

They discussed investment opportunities in the millet ecosystem with the Vancouver community, with presentations on the agricultural, nutritional and commercial aspects of millet consumption. PM Modi’s video message on IYM2023 was also screened. Guests were treated with a millet-based meal.

Millet Mission in Tokyo, Japan

Ambassador Sibi George, state minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries of Japan, Takaaki Katsumata, and Eriko Hibi, director, FAO liaison office in Tokyo inaugurated the millet exhibition and seminar on ‘Harvesting the Potential: A Millet Celebration’ to celebrate the International Year of Millets 2023.

[caption id="attachment_35783" align="aligncenter" width="797"] Millet Mission | Global Indian Photo Credit: Embassy of India, Tokyo[/caption]

The event showcased health benefits and role of millets in ensuring food security along with its culinary potential. The exhibition was organized with support from Indian Restaurant Association in Japan, and featured both Indian and Japanese dishes prepared from millets.

Millet Mission in Guangzhou, China

Consulate General of India, Guangzhou organized an event during its ‘Special Focus Week’ on International Year of Millets 2023 at India House. The event was attended by members of the Diplomatic Corps and Friends of India. Consul General, Shambhu L Hakki, shared Government of India’s initiatives. His speech was followed by a talk on the health benefits of millets by Christina Gui, a renowned Chinese dietician.

[caption id="attachment_35785" align="aligncenter" width="901"] Millet Mission | Global Indian Photo Credit: Embassy of India, Guangzhou[/caption]

An Indian chef from a local restaurant did a live cooking demonstration of Indian dishes. The demonstration was streamed live on the Consulate’s social media channels. Samples of millets grown in India were also exhibited along with their nutritional properties and health benefits. The event concluded with a lunch of Indian delicacies made from millets.

Millet Mission in Suriname, South America

An Indian booth to boost consumption of millets was set up at the Agro-Fest 2023 held at Queen's Park, Barbados, with prime minister Mia Amor Mottley in attendance, along with the ministers of finance, economic Affairs and investment, national security and public service. Indian booth volunteers discussed benefits of millets with the dignitaries who showed interest in cultivating them in Barbados.

[caption id="attachment_35789" align="aligncenter" width="815"] Millet Mission | Global Indian Photo Credit: Embassy of India, Paramaribo[/caption]

Nicolla Simone Rudder, permanent secretary at the ministry of foreign affairs and foreign trade of Barbados, and Barbados Agriculture Society supported the Indian diaspora’s initiatives. Hundreds of visitors visited the booth.

Millet Mission in Togo, Africa

The Embassy of India in Lomé, in partnership with AISECT and Lomé University celebrated the International Year of Millets at Lomé University campus. A stall was set up and various millet products were displayed. Several university students and faculty members visited the stall.

[caption id="attachment_35790" align="aligncenter" width="831"] Millet Mission is in vogue with 2023 being declared the International Year of Millets (IYM) by the United Nations, upon India’s proposal. Photo Credit: Embassy of India, Lome[/caption]

A quiz on millet products was held for university students. The event helped raise awareness about the nutritional benefits of the use of millet products. Informative standees about the International Year of Millets were displayed to create more awareness about the millet mission.

Millet Mission in Birmingham, United Kingdom

Consulate General of India, Birmingham celebrated the Year of Millets 2023 at the Consulate with a delectable three-day food show exhibiting the nutritious benefits for Bajra, Jowar and other millet grains. Members of the diaspora, and investors in the Midlands participated in the event and savoured the delicacies. Discussions were held around millets - the future of food and farming.

[caption id="attachment_35791" align="aligncenter" width="694"] Millet Mission | Global Indian Photo Credit: Consulate General of India, Birmingham[/caption]

Did you know?

There are many varieties of millets. Some of them are - pearl millet (bajra), finger millet (ragi), buckwheat millet (kuttu), and barnyayard millet (sanwa).
According to Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), India exported $64.28 million worth of millets in the year 2021-22.
As part of its 'Millet Mission' the Government of India has funded 66 millet focused startups with investment exceeding ₹6 crore.
Millets are gluten-free, non-allergenic, great source of nutrition, high in fibre, vitamins, minerals and proteins, and nutritionally superior to major cereals leading to boost in immunity. It also contains anti diabetic properties.
Millets can be cooked whole as porridge or ground into flour to make breads, cakes, pasta, and other flour based delicacies.

Reading Time: 5 mins

Aisha Nazia: The only Indian woman to be selected for FIFA Master course

(September 22, 2021) One of Aisha Nazia's fondest memories is of her standing in a crowd and watching a football match with bated breath. As her favorite team scored the perfect goal, the Kozhikode-born football fan was euphoric. Her hometown is a mecca for football and it wasn't long before love for the game rubbed off on Nazia, who has now been selected for the prestigious FIFA Master program. She is the only Indian woman out of the 32 people that were selected from across the world for the program. Chosen out of 700 applicants, Nazia has become an inspiration for dreamers as well as go-getters. A postgraduate sports executive program, organized in partnership with De Montfort University (United Kingdom), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) and the University of Neuchatel (Switzerland), the FIFA Master course is nothing short of an Ivy league program. The 26-year-old Indian has made the cut this year, but not without her share of struggles and challenges. As she quit a lucrative job to pursue her dreams, Nazia didn't find many supporters, but she was determined to follow through on her plan. How a childhood dream found wings Born in Kozhikode to Malayalam Muslim parents,

determined to follow through on her plan.

How a childhood dream found wings

Born in Kozhikode to Malayalam Muslim parents, Nazia found herself attracted to the game even as a child. After her parents' divorce when she was five, Nazia moved to Chennai with her mother who was then a teacher. But summer vacations took her back to her hometown each year where she fell in love with football. "I loved the way football brought the entire town together and it was the best show of secularism. It was at this tender age that my affinity towards football began to grow," she tells Global Indian in an exclusive interview from London where she has kick started the first leg of her course.

[caption id="attachment_10971" align="aligncenter" width="392"] Aisha Nazia at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester[/caption]

While the soccer field made Nazia quite happy, she was equally ecstatic nestled between her pile of books. After securing the eighth rank in mechanical engineering at University of Kerala, she found herself working with the Indian Oil-Adani Group Pvt Ltd in Kochi in 2017. Two years before she entered the corporate world though, Nazia had volunteered as a football facilitator for the 2015 National Games that were held in Kerala. Then a third year student at TKM College of Engineering, she heard about the games being held in her city and couldn't let the opportunity slip by. "It gave me the perfect exposure to the sporting industry and the workings of it," she adds.

The turning point

Though her job at Indian Oil kept her happy, she would often find herself drawn to the varied sporting events taking place in the country. So when the FIFA Under 17 World Cup was set to make its debut on Indian soil, Nazia found herself looking for volunteer opportunities on their website. Despite the fact that she didn't have a sports management degree, Nazia rolled the dice of fate and applied for the role of a workforce manager. Luck was on her side, and the 26-year-old found herself at one of the biggest sporting spectacles. Those months with FIFA turned out to be a game changer for this young woman as she learnt the tricks of the trade and found her true calling in sports management. In 2018, she quit her job to chase her dream and moved to Bengaluru.

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Since sporting events in India happen only once every few months, Nazia took up jobs as a consultant with startups to keep her stable financially. In between, she worked on two seasons of the Indian Super League.

When NBA found itself playing in India for the first time ever in 2019, the organizers got in touch with Nazia after reading a feature on her on FIFA. The conversation soon translated into an operations role in logistics.

A chance meeting

After working with the best for a few years and gaining valuable insights into the world of sports management, Nazia knew she was ready to take it a notch higher with the FIFA Master course, something she had heard about six years ago. "While volunteering at the National Games in 2015, a referee from Tamil Nadu who had trained under the Premiere League saw potential in me and encouraged me to take up the FIFA Master course," adds Nazia. But she wanted to give herself four years after her graduation before taking a plunge into any Masters program.

[caption id="attachment_10974" align="aligncenter" width="395"] Aisha Nazia at NBA matches in India.[/caption]

So when the entire world came to a standstill in 2020 and sporting events became a rarity, Nazia knew it was the right time to pursue her FIFA Master dream. "The selection process for this course is like it would be for an Ivy league school. This year 32 students were selected from a pool of 700 applicants across 29+ countries," adds the Kozhikode native. The one year course will have Nazia travel to three countries (England, Italy and Switzerland) to complete her Masters in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport.

Crowdfunding, not charity

If securing a seat among 700 students wasn't a rigorous process, Nazia found herself raising 22,000 CHF (approximately ₹28 lakh) for the course. She is one among the three students to have secured a merit scholarship which has halved her course fee, but the amount is still heavy on her pocket. "In a country like India, you can apply for an education loan against mortgage of property or gold, and I had nothing as security. Crowdfunding seemed like a wise decision to raise money for my education," says Nazia.

It was her mentor Gautham Chattopadhaya, who works with NASA, who advised her to opt for crowdfund. "Abroad, it's a very common concept to raise money for education, but in India, it's still at its nascent stage. I weighed my options for a long time and even posted on LinkedIn to get some feedback. Many encouraged me to go for it as they couldn't pursue their dreams owing to financial constraints. The stories of people on the post made me take it up as a social cause to empower people to follow their dreams. Education is a basic necessity and I decided to go forward with it to raise money and also inspire others to follow their dreams," adds Nazia.

[caption id="attachment_10977" align="aligncenter" width="423"] Aisha Nazia at Indian Super League 2019-2020[/caption]

With GoFundMe inaccessible to Indians, Nazia opted for Ketto to raise money for her education. "In India, crowdfunding is mostly restricted to medical emergencies, so my plea to raise money for education falls a little short in comparison to their issues."

However, this reality check has inspired Nazia to launch an education crowdfunding platform for Indian students soon. "I want to start a platform for people who dream of studying in India or abroad but are unable to do so due to financial constraints. My priority would be to get meritorious students their due through this crowdfunding platform," she explains.

[caption id="attachment_10979" align="aligncenter" width="575"] Aisha Nazia at a sporting event.[/caption]

The future

Nazia, who is currently at De Montfort University in Leicester, is excited for the program. "It will be an enriching experience with lots of learning and field trips. After completing three months in the UK, we will move to Italy for the next quarter. And the last six months will be in Switzerland, which is also the headquarters of FIFA. Getting to work with their management will be exciting. Also, at the end of course, FIFA selects three people for employment," reveals Nazia.

Being an advocate of sustainability, Nazia plans to work for the development of the Indian sports ecosystem after the completion of her course. "I want to focus on inclusion, youth development and come up with solutions to reduce carbon footprint during a sports event," signs off Nazia.

Reading Time: 7 min