Desi

For other uses, see the South Asian people.

Desi (or Deshi; pronounced /ˈd̪e:si/ or /ˈd̪e:ʃi/, Hindi: देशी Urdu:دیسی ), literally means "local, regional" or "indigenous", as opposed to videshi विदेशी وِدسی meaning "foreign". The term is used to refer to people or things of South Asian origin.

If used in this sense, it can include:

• The term Desi could include someone with origins from India (see Indian diaspora and Demographics of India), Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka
• British Asians
• South Asian Americans
• Indo-Canadians
• Fijian Indians
• South Asians in Philippines
• Indo Kiwi New Zealand
• Indo-Mauritian Mauritius
• South Asians living in Australia
• Indian South Africans
• South Asians living in Zimbabwe
• Sometimes, people of Indian origin only
• In India & Pakistan, the term, used as an adjective, can also refer to things originating from the countryside, or indigenously manufactured goods as opposed to foreign or imported goods.

The term can also be used to refer to the diasporic subculture of overseas South Asians, usually those resident in English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and Australia, or former British colonies such as South Africa, Kenya, Trinidad or Guyana.

History

The term comes from Sanskrit देश deśa- ("region, province, country"). The word for country is "Des" or "Desh" in many South Asian languages. Desi thus means "of the homeland" in Urdu, Hindi, Nepali, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi, Rajasthani and most other South Asian langages. For example, the country Bangladesh means "Bengali homeland".

During the heyday of the British Raj and the British Empire, many people from the then undivided Indian sub-continent emigrated to the UK or to other British colonies, in search of education and opportunity. The diaspora from what is now called "South Asia" increased dramatically following the riots and massacres of the Partition of India. Families from the affected areas sought safety in various Commonwealth countries.

Communities that have remained distinct in South Asia have tended to mix in diaspora. Some second or third generation immigrants do not think of themselves as belonging to a particular nation, sub-culture, or caste, but as just plain South Asians or Desis. Some Desis are creating what can be called a "fusion" culture, in which foods, fashions, music, and the like from many areas of South Asia are "fused" with elements from Western culture.

Fusion culture

Site such as desihits.com provide some great insight into desi fusion culture

Writers

The diasporic Desi community are prolific in English. Some writers of note (alphabetical by last name):

• Monica Ali
• Anita Desai
• Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
• Mohsin Hamid
• Jhumpa Lahiri
• Gautam Malkani
• Gita Mehta
• Suketu Mehta
• Pankaj Mishra
• Rohinton Mistry
• Raman Mundair
• Vikram Seth
• Bapsi Sidhwa
• Abraham Verghese
• Michael Ondaatje
• V. S. Naipaul
• Salman Rushdie

See also

• Indian American
• Pakistani American
• Bangladeshi American
• British Asian
• British Pakistani
• Indo-Canadian
• Pakistani Canadian
• Indo-Caribbean
• Asians in South Africa
• South Asians in Hong Kong
• Indian Malaysian
• Indian Singaporean
• Indo-Mauritian
• Indo Kiwi
• Fiji Indian
• Indian-Germans
• Non-Resident Indian (NRI)
• United States foreign born per capita income
• MTV Desi

External links

• The Desi Diaspora, essay by Vijay Prashad at AskAsia.org