Overview

The goal of this site is to assemble, in one place, things created by the Desi Diaspora. The diaspora includes all people, currently residing outside South Asia, who self-identify as being South Asian. My primary focus is on things that reflect the South Asian heritage(s) of the creator(s).

I define the South Asian diaspora as anyone who claims heritage from the eight modern day countries generally considered to be South Asia. Those include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Note that this definition includes people who may only have partial South Asian heritage - as long as they identify as such, I count them as part of the diaspora.

Background

As a South Asian American growing up in rural New York, I didn't have much of a connection to Indian culture outside of my family and occasional visits to the temple in Bridgewater, NJ and Pittsburgh, PA.

When I grew up and went to college, I found a vibrant South Asian American culture that combined elements of American culture while keeping a connection to its South Asian roots.

At the same time, I started researching South Asian inspired art, clothing companies, movies, etc. I started finding lots of creatives that I had never heard of, but wish I did.

Thus DesiLabs was born. I wanted to make it ridicuously easy for anyone to find a cool South Asian brand or creator in a variety of industries.

Acknowledgements

Names, trademarks, and images are property of the respective companies and individuals. The assembled list is property of Nithin Vejendla. Unauthorized copying is prohibited.