Desi
Desi (देसी/دیسی desī) is a Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu) word, meaning 'national', ultimately from Sanskrit deśīya, derived from deśa (देश) 'region, province, country'.
[3] 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.
Instead, a 'desi' South Asian American community comes together over its shared experiences of being positioned as non-White 'others', often cutting across differences in caste, class, religion, and gender.
In the UK, the term 'desi' is commonly used to describe British [South] Asian forms of cultural production such as music, literature, and television programming.
"[12] To this end, channels such as MTV Desi have recognized "the transnational nature of Desi youth culture, writers, producers, and VJs" and have shared "a range of topics relating to life in South Asia and the South Asian diaspora worldwide".
[14] They believe that terms like "Desi" impose a homogenous identity and fail to acknowledge the pluralistic nature of South Asian communities.
[16] While some individuals find the term "South Asian" inclusive and encompassing, others feel it does not fully capture their specific backgrounds.
[14] The complexity and diversity of the diaspora necessitate recognizing multiple identities and resisting the tendency to homogenize or erase particular communities.
As increasing numbers of students from the subcontinent arrived in the US and UK, their countries of origin were colloquially referred to as deś.
They developed during the 1960s and 1970s at a time when some British pubs enforced color bars to prevent Indians and other immigrants from drinking there.
