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Desi

Desi[a] (Hindustani: देसी (Devanagari), دیسی (Perso-Arabic), Hindustani: [deːsiː]; also Deshi)[b] is a loose term used to describe the people, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent and their diaspora,[3] derived from Sanskrit देश (deśá), meaning "land" or "country".[4] Desi traces its origin to the people from the South Asian republics of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh,[c][1] and may also sometimes include people from Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives.[5][6][7][8][9]

For other uses, see Desi (disambiguation).

Etymology[edit]

The ethnonym belongs in the endonymic category (i.e., it is a self-appellation). Desi (देसी/دیسی desī) is a Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu) word, meaning 'national', ultimately from Sanskrit deśīya, derived from deśa (देश) 'region, province, country'.[2] The first known usage of the Sanskrit word is found in the Natya Shastra (~200 BCE), where it defines the regional varieties of folk performing arts, as opposed to the classical, pan-Indian margi. Thus, svadeśa (Sanskrit: स्वदेश) refers to one's own country or homeland, while paradeśa (Sanskrit: परदेश) refers to another's country or a foreign land.

History[edit]

The word "Desi" comes from the Sanskrit word "Desh" meaning "country". The word "Desi" is used to refer to something "from the country" and with time its usage shifted towards referring to people, cultures, and products of a specific region; for example, desi food, desi calendars, and desi dress.[18]


Desi contrasts with the Hindustani language word vilāyati (Anglicised as "Blighty") meaning 'foreign',[19] which more specifically came to mean 'European', and 'British; English' during the time of the British Raj in colonial India.[20] The Bengali word is a loan of Indian Persian vilāyatī (ولایاتی), from vilāyat (ولایت) meaning 'Iran' and later 'Europe' or 'Britain',[21] ultimately from Arabic wilāyah ولاية‎ meaning 'state, province'.


After the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, the United States dramatically increased immigration from the subcontinent. As increasing numbers of students from the subcontinent arrived in the US and UK, their countries of origin were colloquially referred to as deś. For example, all things Indian including Indian expatriates were referred to as "desi".

Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb

an analogous term for Ethiopians and Eritreans

Habesha

Little Bangladesh

Little India

Little Pakistan

, an analogous term for Filipinos

Pinoy

South Asian culture

South Asian Heritage Month

Indian Arrival Day