Why are indians called as desis in america ? is it a slang term??

Question

Why are indians called as desis in america ? is it a slang term??

Answer 1

living here in the south west I had never heard this before, so I looked it up, and it means, from the country mostly use by immigrants themselves, meaning south eastern Asian immigrants

Answer 2

Desi is a word originally from Sanskrit literally meaning "from the country" or "of the country".

In North America and Great Britain, desi is used colloquially to mean South Asian immigrants and their descendants. It is mainly used by those of South Asian origins themselves, rarely by the majority population, and carries a subtext of inclusiveness and unity.

It allows South Asians to refer to their broader immigrant community, rather than requiring a specific, nationalistic label such as "Indian" or "Pakistani".

Its connotations are positive, alluding to the shared values, bonds and experiences of descendants of the entire region.

This self-referential colloquialism was created in the United Kingdom during the early 1960s to late 1980s and, in the UK is sometimes pronounced "dezzi."