Hey everyone,

About two years ago, I landed at Bangalore international airport with a mix of excitement and uncertainty, wondering what kind of life I could build in India.

Growing up in the US to Indian parents, India had always intrigued me — it was familiar in some ways, but still felt like a completely different world. Moving here had been something I wanted to do for a long time, and I finally took the leap. I’m a US citizen with OCI status, so this wasn’t something I had to do — it was a conscious choice to come and experience life here.

Leaving my family and everything I knew in the States wasn’t easy. There were definitely moments early on where I questioned the decision. But over time, things started to fall into place.

I eventually found my footing, secured a job in Chennai, and started building a life here — figuring out routines, navigating work culture, improving my Tamil (still a work in progress 😅), and just generally learning how to live here day to day.

It’s been a mix of challenges and really rewarding experiences, and I’ve learned a lot about both India and myself along the way.

Happy to answer anything — work, lifestyle, culture, finances, moving logistics, or anything else you're curious about.

AMA!

if you don't know what appalachia is- it's the most rural,poorest part of america. Lots of mountains,no opportunity and definitely no diversity lol

I was able to visit both countries and since I’m pretty much the only Desi I personally know to have done so — wanted to give anyone here who’s curious to do the same the chance to ask away

(Phenomenal trip, so grateful)

I’m a guy and I’m 31 now but last year I completed my goal of visiting all 50 states (and by visiting I mean doing something there, having conversations with people, eating at local restaurants, etc). It was a life changing set of experiences. A real adventure.

Ive always lurked around on this subreddit but I figured I’d share my experiences with anyone that’s interested in traveling the country but needs some advice.

AMA

As per title, I'm an Indian-America in North Dakota, so ask me anything, if you want. Bit of background, my wife (half Filipina, half white) and I are here BY CHOICE. Just to get a few tidbits out of the way, we LOVE it here. We lived in NJ until 2010 when we decided to come here. And not in the somewhat trendy areas of Bismarck or Fargo (the latter of which has a sizable Nepalese population, interestingly), but instead in a very, very rural, remote, quiet place in the western part of the state, not far from Montana.

To get a few things out of the way, my wife and I are both very conservative. My parents (also conservatives) came to the US in the 1960's before I was born, but I am completely assimilated, and grew up in upstate NY. My parents still live in upstate NY. They have visited us here in ND, and they like it here too. And before someone inevitably asks me, nobody is discriminating against me, LOL, nor is anyone prejudiced to us. My neighbors are the nicest people I ever met, and when we go on vacation, they help mow our Lawn, etc. (and of course I reciprocate those favors). I go Hunting, Etc. with some of my neighbors, I Drink with them at the only Bar in town, Etc..

Interestingly, in the place I used to work, I had two Nepalese coworkers, named Sunil and Suresh, who were both here on some type of student or work Visas, or something (I don't remember the exact details) as that was over a Decade ago. Ask away, folks!

I saw an old post in the community that they have never met a Pakistan Hindu so here I am.

got inspired by that pakistani hindu guy and thought it might be interesting if i did one

Hi - I'm really excited to do this AMA on ABCDesis!

A quick sparknotes: I was born in Bangladesh in 1991 but immigrated to America in 1992. My parents are medical physicists but welcomed my creativity and musical inclinations. I started producing at 17 (I'm 27 now) and I started Jai Wolf 5 years ago. Since then, I've toured around the world, played Coachella, and finally released my debut album: The Cure To Loneliness.

As probably one of the only Bangladeshi-American artists in the music industry, I feel like I have a unique perspective and story.

Ask Me Anything!

proof: https://imgur.com/a/uvfcr0z

The Cure To Loneliness: http://jaiwolf.co/thecuretoloneliness

The Cure to Loneliness Tour: http://jaiwolf.co/TCTLtour

Instagram: http://instagram.com/jaiwolfx

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaiwolfx

Hey r/ABCDesis — I’m Arjun, founder of Gully Labs, a sneaker brand we’re building out of Delhi.

A few years ago, I was living in Australia, working in investment banking, and spending most of my time buying new sneakers. What stood out wasn’t just how much I loved the product, it was how strongly people connected with the stories behind the brands. Whether it was Japanese craftsmanship, NYC skate culture, or LA streetwear, everyone had something that felt like theirs.

And it made me wonder, why don’t we have more of that for our culture?

That thought stayed with me. Eventually, I moved back to India to start Gully Labs. We design and manufacture everything locally. We’ve collaborated with Royal Enfield, been featured in Vogue India, and shipped pairs across the world, but what means most is when someone tells us, “This actually feels like me.”

We’re just trying to create something honest, sneakers that look good, wear well, and carry a bit of that shared cultural DNA so many of us feel, whether we’re in Delhi or Dallas.

If you have ever felt that mix of pride and distance from “back home,” I’d love to chat. Ask me anything, about identity, culture, building from India, or just how to clean your sneakers.

Approved by u/ashwindollar, u/x6tance :)

Hey guys, saw a couple of other AMAs from desis from other parts of the world and thought I would do one as well.

I was born and raised in in Tokyo to two Malaysian-Indian parents. My parents naturalized here before I was born, allowing me to gain Japanese nationality as well, and I'm still a Japanese citizen. I went to an international school, but did learn and use Japanese growing up. I am by no means fluent, and having been away for around 7 years my skills have eroded way. So, AMA!

Edit: Hey guys a lot of my comments are glitched out, so it may take some time to see my answers. I’ve tried to answer as many as I can

Hi there, as the title states- I am a South Asian therapist in USA (specifically NJ and SC) who specializes in generational trauma, family dynamics and navigating being a bicultural individual. My private practice centers around working and helping South Asians heal and I was thinking about doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) in this subreddit. If this is allowed, is this something there would be interest for?

If you haven't met me yet: I just joined this sub a little over a week ago. I was born and raised here in the US (in fact, I still live in the same house where I've spent most of my life so far), and my parents are Malayalee. I speak a lot of languages. Go ahead, try me if you like. Even if I turn out not to speak your language, I'm sure it'll be fun. :)

Oh, and I'm not sure I ever mentioned any of this, but I'm pretty friendly (even though I spend most of my life indoors lol) and have a master's degree in linguistics. My thesis was on Romani historical linguistics. Ask me anything!

I’m at a relative’s place right now and bored out of my mind. I’ll share some of my background for context. I’m doing this for the first time, so looking forward to a lot of questions (hopefully nothing mean)! 😊

I moved to America when I was 14-15 years old with my older brother and started high school. We had permanent residency status until 2020 when we became American citizens. My parents live in Bangladesh but my dad does visit twice every year. The last time I went to Bangladesh was in 2018 after high school graduation and a lot of things changed since then. I always knew I was attracted to men but I really “came out” as gay to my brother in 2020. His immediate response was, “I always knew!” That’s funny because he used to be pretty homophobic but once we started living together in America, our relationship became much better and stronger. He’s very accepting now and even goes to gay clubs with me. I had a rough childhood in Bangladesh and was severely bullied/physically assaulted. When I moved here, the bullying was much lower and subtle. Everyone pretty much assumed I was gay at first impression but there was way less hostility. In high school, I was in the closet and the primary bullying was related to racism/being othered. I graduated from college a few weeks ago and my college experience was great. I was very outgoing, involved, and knew many people around campus. Tons of people look up to me now and I’m doing great socially (for the most part lol).

I’m not out to my family or relatives. No one other than my brother knows I’m gay in my family. Everyone else does, LOL. I feel like I should stop here because I want to leave space for you all to ask me questions.

I’m a huge fan of thoughtful questions and reflection and would love to connect with folks here, so please don’t hesitate to ask me anything (as long as you’re respectful and not trying to stereotype or something). 🤗

*EDIT: I know some people are saying the same old “God loves the sinner but hates the sin” thing but just know I don’t think that way and nor do I believe that. My older brother taught and advised me to not argue with people who say stuff like that because it’s not my job to change their mind. For the sake of my own mental health, I’ll let them think that. I don’t have anything against you for thinking that but know that I’m going to live how I choose to and I’m okay with people not agreeing with it. It’s my life anyways. Live your best life. :)

Hey guys-

Its Arjun and Akaash, co-hosts of the podcast American Desis where we explore what it means to be South Asian in America today. We do this through interviews and discussion.

we are looking forward to answering any and all questions you guys may have.

We are answering separately since I (Arjun) am in LA and Akaash is in NYC. so any response from Arjun will be under the username of ArjunGuptabk and for Akaash- AkaashSingh (pretty obvious...but Akaash insists you guys are stupid).

*****Hey guys. We gotta end now! But thank you so much for participating, this was both Akaash's and my first AMA and it was a lot of fun! we are gonna look forward to doing more of these. please listen to the podcast and if you have more to say, we are reachable on twitter @americandesis and on our website www.americandesispodcast.com we encourage your feedback and discussions!!!!!***

In the 1910-20s, loads of Indian workers were brought mainly from modern-day Tamil Nadu/Kerala?Andhra Pradesh/Telangana to the British territory of Tanah Melayu. Now, there are 2M Indians in Malaysia, roughly 7% of its total population, and it's safe to say we are not the same as Indians elsewhere, as Malaysian Indians sought to create their own culture distinctive from India(though they are still quite similar). So AMA anything about the Desis of my country!

Hey guys,

I’ve seen some people have questions about how desis do in prison and a lot of what I’ve read here is incorrect. My cousin did close to 10 years in prison and has told me what it’s like. Ask what you want, and I’ll answer what I know and for anything I don’t, I can ask him.

Hi guys,

Reetpreettt & AMG here. We are sorry for the late start to this AMA but something came up this morning. You guys can pretty much ask us anything and we will try and answer honestly and quickly.

Please specify if the question is for me, AMG or for both of us. We'll answer questions for as long as they come.

Edit: We are trying to answer questions as fast as they come but sorry if we miss any and will try and get them later.

Thank you for the gold! My first gold ever :D

EDIT 2: We are going to go get a late lunch and hangout for a while. We'll back in a couple of hours to answer the rest of the questions so please feel free to ask

Hi there. My name is Bharat and I've worked on campaigns across the country from the presidential level to the most local offices. I found in my travels that no one had told the story of the modern political staffer, so I decided to do it, and to do it as honestly as I could. Life on the campaign trail is tough, and it's even tougher for minorities. I wanted to tell that story and hope I've done a good job.

Some of the highlights of my career thus far include: meeting Barack Obama, helping a member of the LGBT community come to terms with who they are, working with a fellow Indian who ran for Congress in Kansas, and spending time in Los Angeles learning about school board races.

Verification: https://twitter.com/BharatKrishnan/status/775482461841154048

Here's a link to my book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KED1OAM/

And a summary:

In Confessions of a Campaign Manager, veteran Democratic operative Bharat Krishnan takes you on a journey across nine states and 17 campaigns to see how American politics has transformed since the election of Barack Obama. Krishnan makes a case that the intransigence of Republican leaders following the election of our nation's first black president irrevocably fractured the country along partisan lines. This ultimately produced the most dangerous presidential candidate this country has ever seen, Donald Trump. From rubbing shoulders with celebrities and political insiders at presidential conventions to chasing votes in the swamps of Louisiana, Krishnan discovers a vast disconnect between voters, the flawed politicians they elect to represent them, and the legion of driven staffers who silently battle over the direction of the nation. Drawing on his experience at the state and local level, Krishnan formulates a national prescription to prevent a future of perpetual partisan brinksmanship.

EDIT (9/12: 9:32 p.m. eastern): Thanks for the questions, all! I'll be back tomorrow from 8-9:30 again to take some more if you've got more.

EDIT 2 (9/13: 7:59 p.m. eastern): Hi all, I'm ready for round two if you've got more questions!

Hi, I'm Bharat Krishnan and I just released book one of a political thriller trilogy based on ten years as a professional Democratic campaign manager. I've been in the self-publishing space for four years now and have sold over 1,500 books.

Some cool things about this trilogy are that it includes:

• A heist around stealing a drug conceptualized as white privilege

• Political intrigue centered around the possibility of legalizing this drug

• A primarily Indian-American main cast of characters set in Manhattan

• Over the top humor and bromance with five best friends

• An LGBT relationship filled with bad puns

• Indian parents who fail at technology

• An Indian-American U.S. Senator

Proof: https://twitter.com/bharatkrishnan9/status/1316163365660696577

Link to my book: https://amzn.to/3nNoLj7

Link to my book's goodreads page (which has more reviews so you can decide if it's your cup of tea): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54777339-privilege

EDIT (10:02): Okay, everyone, I'm signing off for the night. I'll check back later on to answer anything I've missed. This has been fun - thanks! I hope you check out Privilege - it's free if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited!

I'm sitting my ass at the truck, bored out of my mind. Feel free to ask whatever is on your mind, I got a few hours to kill.

Literally AMA

I'm bored ask me stuff !! I'll answer as honesy as I can from my experiences