Salaam Toronto and Khalla (1988-89) Desh began as a one-day event in 1988 called Salaam Toronto, organised by
Khush: South Asian Gay Men of Toronto. The event was a collaborative effort between several Khush members, including
Ian Iqbal Rashid and Nelson Carvolho. This was Khush's first ever cultural event, and was an "informal celebration of South Asian fashion, food, and culture." In 1992, Desh began receiving support from the Toronto Arts Council through their Cultureworks program. Participation from
NGOs and sponsorships from local businesses had increased by 1993, with what started as a team of 20 volunteers now being made up of two full-time staff members, eight board members, and 2,000 volunteers. said of Desh in 2005:"It's hard to remember that being brown in the 70s and 80s sucked. It meant feeling like you were from another planet—one where your food stank, your parents were “weird” and you were trying to balance traditional culture with the realities of growing up second-generation. Things were even worse if you were a girl who wanted to avoid marriage, a boy who wanted other boys, a time-expired Indian from Trinidad, a desi bent on revolution. In the late 80s Toronto onward, Desh Pardesh was the answer to that suckiness." Despite attracting around 4,000 attendees each year the not-for-profit festival received little in terms of sponsorships or grants, and had no plans to increase their annual membership fee. Sharon Fernandez, a former advisor for the
Canada Council of the Arts, noted that the rapid expansion of Desh in the mid-1990s may have contributed to its eventual disbandment, stating that "[..] the polyphony of voices involved in shaping what Desh was and should be also resulted in Desh being pulled in many directions, and this, many argue, was a factor in Desh’s eventual demise." She elaborates further, claiming a combination of administrative failures, disconnection from community, and a shift away from
radical politics are also possible factors in Desh's demise. == Programs ==