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Desi (pronounced /they-see/) and Deshi (pronounced /dey-she/) are the two variants of an Indian word which means national as opposed to foreign. For Indians abroad, it has become a term that mainly identifies another fellow Indian. It is also applied to anything seeming very Indian (to a Non-Resident Indian). Sometimes it is replaced with the more generic word Indian, but it is agreed upon that Desi brings the real flavour for the expression.
The usage has expanded to all South Asians (people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh).
For example, "desi food" refers to Indian food like rice, curry, dhal, dosa, idli, roti, chappati, etc. "Desi dance" can refer to classical dances like Bharathnatya, Kuchipudi, to popular dances in the movies, to punjabi dance, Bhangra, folk dances etc. Other desi pastimes include watching Bollywood, listening to hindi music, going to the temple, etc.
Desi is sometimes more narrowly used with newly arrived Indian immigrants in the sense of the phrase "Fresh off the boat".
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