Introduction

With the arrival of the "Information Age", knowledge creation, representation and dissemination has started playing a central role in determining the future of societies. How does information pertaining to the Indian society, its culture, civilization, economy, and geo-political scenario get represented today? Who controls these representations? What are its implications to India and Indians across the world? Where does the Indian student community fit in this picture?

DESI started as a small attempt at answering some of these questions.

Email: desi.umd@gmail.com

A Brief History

Develop Empower and Synergize India (or DESI) was started at University of Maryland, College Park, in the summer of 2003 with an aim to study, discuss and contribute towards various aspects of India such as culture, society, development, security and portrayals of India in the West. It also aims to provide a forum for eminent personalities to share their views on these issues by hosting talks, seminars and workshops. Having begun as a small circle of friends, DESI has now grown into a group of over twenty volunteers and maintains a mailing list which includes about two hundred and fifty members.

Structure

To effectively realize the objectives of DESI and for a deeper focus within areas of its study, DESI is sub-divided into various teams as below.

Pragati: The Pragati team focuses on large-scale developmental efforts in India. This team collaborates with grass-roots service and welfare organizations such as the Ekal Vidyalaya foundation. Pragati team members also follow up several infrastructure projects in India such as the national highways project and the national water grid project.

Shruti: The goal of the Shruti team is to explore and spread awareness about the culture, spirituality and traditions of India. The team also aims to understand portrayals of Indian civilization, Indian history and Indic traditions in the West, particularly the American academia.

SAINT: SAINT stands for Students Against INternational Terrorism. The goal of SAINT is to research, analyze, and work proactively towards strategic issues pertaining to the Indian subcontinent. Current activities of this team include group discussions, study, book reviews, etc.

Maitri: Maitri is the public relations and outreach team of DESI. Its main objective is to liaison with the community, including other student organizations within and outside campus, service organizations, participate in community events (temple events, Indian melas, etc.) and spread awareness about DESI and its activities within the community.

Masti: The Masti team organizes fun events geared towards social entertainment. This team also provides an informal atmosphere for the DESI volunteers to interact amongst themselves and with the campus community.

Web: This team is responsible for the design, maintenance, and update of the organizational website and online newsletters. The team combines creativity and technical skills to present DESI to the world through the Web, which is the most visible face of DESI.

Email: desi.umd@gmail.com

Board Members

Following are the board members of DESI: