We just learned this term. And we love it.

Caught a report on WNYC this morning about the growing trend of ABCDs returning to India (as well as Indians from Britain, Australia and elsewhere) to solve some of India’s pollution problems.

Apparently these ABCDs are like rock stars. According to NPR, these “returnees get terrific jobs in India … better jobs than the local young Indians get.” One local Indian, Guarav Shor (sp?), though remarking jokingly “thank god I don’t know” [a lot of ABCDs] nevertheless drew a pretty rosy picture for these kids.

Says Gaurav, “the ABCDs, by virtue of their accent and style and having lived in the West are given a lot of importance by the… upper social strata as well. And I’m sure they get a lot more women than we do.”

Continued Gaurav, citing a Maxim India article on this phenomenon: “by virtue of having eaten beef most of his life he’s bigger than the normal Indian guy and he has this deeper voice and he dresses well and he’s got an accent … so the chicks fall for him.”

So … jobless investment banker ABCDs … what exactly is keeping you here?

More definitions of ABCDs

The South Asian Journalists Association’s definition:

Short for “American Born Confused Desi” — a slightly derogatory name that first-generation South Asians in the U.S. use to describe children who were born and brought up in America and are “confused” about their South Asian background. Thanks to the Internet, there are now at least two versions of the phrase that stretch all the way to Z. One is “American Born Confused Desi Emigrated From Gujarat House in Jersey Kids Learning Medicine Now Owning Property Quite Reasonable Salary Two Uncles Visiting White Xenophobia Yet Zestful.” And the other: “American Born Confused Desi, Emigrated From Gujarat, Housed In Jersey, Keeping Lotsa Motels, Named Omkarnath Patel, Quickly Reached Success Through Underhanded Vicious Ways, Xenophobic Yet Zestful.”

and one from UrbanDictionary

American Born Confused Desi. ABCDs are Americans of Indian ancestry who generally travel in packs. They can be seen in the pre-med classes of college campuses across the country. They’re generally from the suburbs, listen to rap music, and get drunk every weekend while their parents think that they are little angels who don’t know a thing about sex or drugs. Although ABCDs never hang out with non-Indians, they usually abhor their ancestral culture and refuse to watch Indian movies, listen to Indian music, speak in Indian languages, or eat Indian food. ABCD guys are the Indian equivalent of wiggers while the girls are stuck-up spoiled brats who don’t know how to drive. Despite usually being cheap, ABCDs are willing to spend lots of money on cover charges and alcohol.