Desi (or Deshi; pronounced /ˈd̪eːsi/ or /ˈd̪eːʃi/, Hindi: देशी, Urdu: دیسی), is an actual Hindi/Urdu/Bengali (and other North Indian languages) word literally meaning "of the country" (in reference to the Indian subcontinent as the country). It usually refers to someone or something "local", "regional" or "indigenous" to the Indian subcontinent, as opposed to videshi/bideshi/pardesi विदेशी, وِدسی meaning "foreign". "Desh" means country, hence the origin of Bangladesh (Bangla being the language). Although the term is most often used when referring to those directly from the Indian subcontinent, it is sometimes colloquially used to refer to people of Indian origin (whether or not they are born or living in South Asia). This use of the actual word as a colloquialism twas created in the United Kingdom during the early 1960s to late 1980s. This false colloquialism is sometimes pronounced "dezzi". Desi is a self-referential term used by South Asian people. ... Hindi (DevanāgarÄ«: or , IAST: , IPA:  ), an Indo-European language spoken all over India in varying degrees and extensively in northern and central India, is one of the 22 official languages of India and is used, along with English, for central government administrative purposes. ... Urdu ( , , trans. ...

If used in the more general sense, it can include:

• The term Desi can include someone originating from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Maldives.
• British Asians
• Bangladeshis
• 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
• In India & Bangladesh, the term, used as an adjective, with respect to its own country, can also refer to things originating from the countryside, or indigenously manufactured goods as opposed to foreign or imported goods.
• Sometimes, people of Indian origin only

The term could 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. The term British Asian is used to denote a person of Southern Asian ancestry or origin, or sometimes Western Asian origin, who was born in or was an immigrant to the United Kingdom. ... The Peoples Republic of Bangladesh (Bangla: গনপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলােদশ) is a country in South Asia that forms the eastern part of the ancient region of Bengal. ... It has been suggested that Indian American be merged into this article or section. ... Indo-Canadians are Canadians whose origins trace back to the Indian sub-continent, often referred to in this way because the term Indian has been used more often to reference the Aboriginals of Canada. ... Indo-Fijians are people born in Fiji, but are ethnically Indian. ... South Asians in the Philippines are Philippine citizens of Indian descent and South Asian citizens living in Philippines. ... A term used to describe any persons of Indian heritage, living in New Zealand. ... Indo-Mauritians are people of Indian descent living on the island of Mauritius, where they represent a majority comprising of 68% of the population according to the July 2007 statistics[1]. // The first of these Indians arrived to the Immigration Depot in 1834 as indentured labourers to work the sugarcane... This does not cite its references or sources. ... In grammar, an adjective is a word whose main syntactic role is to modify a noun or pronoun (called the adjectives subject), giving more information about what the noun or pronoun refers to. ... For other uses, see Diaspora (disambiguation). ... In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a set of people with a set of behaviors and beliefs, culture, which could be distinct or hidden, that differentiate them from the larger culture to which they belong. ... For other uses, see Trinidad (disambiguation). ...

History

The term comes from Sanskrit देश deśa- ("region, province, country"). The word for country is "Des" or "Desh" in many languages in the Indian sub-continent. Desi thus means "of the homeland" in Languages of India and several other South Asian langages. For example, the country Bangladesh means "Bengali homeland". Sanskrit ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... Indian languages redirects here. ...

During the heyday of the British Raj/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. This article is under construction. ...

Communities that have remained distinct in South Asia have tended to mix in diaspora. Some second or third generation immigrants, but not all, 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.^[1]

ABCD's, BBCD's and derogatory terminology

The term acronym "ABCD" stands for "American Born Confused Desi". Among American born desi's this term is considered rude, and in response Indians who have arrived recently in North America from India are often referred to as FOB's (FOB = "Fresh Off the Boat"). Another two terms used particularly in Britain is FFI's (Fresh From India), or, the more rude PPI's (Presh Prom India). This is a sensitive topic among people of Indian descent and people who were born in India."BBCD" stands for "British Born Confused Desi" is used for the indians born in the UK.

Since culture, values, customs, traditions, clothing, and general behavior vary by country, region and even cities through out the world, it is not surprising that there are differences between Indians who left India recently, Indians who have been living outside of India for several years, and people of Indian descent who have never lived in India. Terms such as FOB and ABCD are considered derogatory and offensive, and their use emphasizes differences in cultures, resulting in environments where the Indians who recently arrived from India are isolated from the community surrounding them, and are separated from others of Indian descent.

However, there are some people who take pride in being called a FOB; they live in foreign countries such as America and are proud of their heritage and are not afraid to show it. Such people usually have lived in foreign countries for many years and so are used to both the foreign culture and the culture of their ancestors.

Some desis use the term "DBD" or "desh-born desi" and "ABD" or "American-born desi" as politically correct alternatives.

Food

In the food domain, "desi" as an adjective or qualifier may mean native or traditional. Common examples are "desi ghee", which is the traditional clarified butter of the Indian subcontinent, as opposed to more processed fats such as vegetable oils. "Desi chicken" may mean a native breed of chicken, which is not a broiler chicken. Non-hybrid varieties of vegetables and other produce can also be qualified as "desi". Plant breeding is the purposeful manipulation of plant species in order to create desired genotypes and phenotypes for specific purposes. ...

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
• Arundhati Roy
• Salman Rushdie
• Kamila Shamsie
• Rabindranath Tagore

Monica Ali (born October 20, 1967) is the author of Brick Lane, her debut novel, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2003. ... Anita Desai (b. ... Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (1956 - ) is an Indian-American author, poet, and professor of English at The University of Houston Creative Writing Program. ... Mohsin Hamid (born 1971) is a Pakistani author. ... Jhumpa Lahiri Vourvoulias (born Nilanjana Sudeshna in 1967) (Bengali: ঝুম্পা লাহিড়ী Jhumpa LahiÅ—i) is a contemporary Indian American author based in New York City. ... Gautam Malkani is the author of the novel Londonstani. ... Gita Mehta (b. ... Suketu Mehta is a novelist and journalist based in New York City. ... Pankaj Mishra is a novelist, literary critic and essayist. ... Rohinton Mistry (born 3 July 1952) is considered to be one of the foremost authors of Indian heritage writing in English. ... Raman Mundair is a British poet, writer, artist and playwright. ... Vikram Seth (pronounced ), born June 20, 1952 is an Indian poet, novelist, travel writer, librettist, childrens writer, biographer and memoirist. ... Bapsi Sidhwa (1938 - ) is an important author of Pakistani origin who writes in English. ... Abraham Verghese, M.D., is a noted Indian-American doctor and author. ... Philip Michael Ondaatje, OC (born 12 September 1943) is a Canadian/Sri Lankan novelist and poet perhaps best known for his Booker Prize winning novel adapted into an Academy-Award-winning film, The English Patient. ... Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul, KB, TC (b. ... Suzanna Arundhati Roy[1] (born November 24, 1961) is an Indian novelist, writer and activist. ... Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (Devanagari : अहमद सलमान रश्दी Nastaliq:; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-British novelist and essayist. ... Kamila Shamsie (b. ... (Bengali: , IPA: ) (7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941), also known by the sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali poet, Brahmo Samaj philosopher, visual artist, playwright, novelist, and composer whose works reshaped Bengali literature and music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. ...

See also

• Indian American
• Pakistani American
• Bangladeshi American
• British Asian
• Indo-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

For an article on American Indians see Native Americans. ... A Pakistani American is someone born in the United States of Pakistani descent, or someone who has immigrated to the United States from Pakistan. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The term British Asian is used to denote a person of Southern Asian ancestry or origin, or sometimes Western Asian origin, who was born in or was an immigrant to the United Kingdom. ... // Indo-Canadians are Canadians whose origin traces back to the nation of India. ... An Indo-Caribbean is a person of South Asian origin who lives in the Caribbean, or the descendant of such a person. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... An anti-discrimination poster in Admiralty MTR station illustrates a few targeted South Asian cultures. ... The Indian Malaysians are a group of Malaysians largely descended from those who migrated from South India during the British colonization of Malaya. ... The term Indian Singaporean refers to any Singapore citizen of South Asian ancestry. ... Indo-Mauritians are people of Indian descent living on the island of Mauritius, where they represent a majority comprising of 68% of the population according to the July 2007 statistics[1]. // The first of these Indians arrived to the Immigration Depot in 1834 as indentured labourers to work the sugarcane... A term used to describe any persons of Indian heritage, living in New Zealand. ... Indo-Fijians are people born in Fiji, but are ethnically Indian. ... Indian-Germans are people of Indo-German descent or those who live in Germany and are of Indian descent. ... NRI redirects here. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with US per capita income by ancestry. ... MTV Desi is a spin-off network from MTV that is targeted at Asian Americans. ...

External links

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

References