Desh

Desh is the stage name for the award winning comedian, Pradesh Ramiah, who has performed stand up all over Australia and New Zealand.

South African born, raised in Queensland and of Indian decent, he has enjoyed an extraordinary career to date, which has seen him share the stage with the some of the biggest names in comedy, including the late Robin Williams, Jimoen, Ahkmel, Tom Ballard and Tom Gleeson.

Desh’s approach to stand up embraces a very simple philosophy best explained as, “telling people funny things”.

There’s a good chance you will have watched Desh on TV, heard him on the radio or seen him perform under the spotlight of a stage, as a corporate comedian or emcee. What you may not know is that he is also the ideas man behind some of the funniest TV shows that have never been made.

More about Desh:

Desh was born with a rather large funny bone. At the time of his birth, the doctor and nurses remarked, ‘Most newborns cry when they take their first breadth but Desh grabbed the forceps, held it like a microphone and announced, ‘A funny thing happened me on the way over here tonight.’

In addition to his large funny bone, Desh has qualifications in Science, Business Management and Land Use Planning.

Desh remains an accredited corporate member Planning Institute of Australia, has received accolades for his contribution to government policy and is often engaged to advise cities on how best to prepare against a changing climate.

Desh’s corporate clients include South African Airways, Blake Dawson, the Wilderness Society, the Planning Institute of Australia, the National Rugby League and the Newcastle Knights.

With a breadth of experience that spans performing in stadiums to briefing industry leaders on being green, Desh will always add colour, excitement and the Midas touch of hilarity to your event. There’s no doubt he’ll give you the best of both worlds; he’s a comedian who will blow you off your chair with his jokes, then help advise you on how better to prepare yourself next time the force of nature hits your town.

Desh is the stage name of genuine funny man Pradesh Ramiah. Born with an abnormally large funny bone he is known as the mastermind behind some of the funniest television programs never made. With a comedy career spanning a near decade, in 2002 this South African Indian immigrant found himself beneath the spotlight as a finalist in the Triple J Raw Comedy Competition, cracking up audiences with his tales of growing up a Hindu in the beef capital of Australia.

Following this debut, Desh spent the next two years delighting audiences with his acerbic wit and offbeat observations on being an Indian in Australia, albeit, a beer loving, slow talking, rugby league watching, coastal dwelling, flat footed sports tragic.

In 2004 Desh made his national television debut on the NRL Footy Show and Rove. In 2005 and 2006 he appeared as a featured comedian on The Best of the Footy Show Comedians and Show Us Your Roots DVDs. In 2007 he read a lot of books. In 2008 he premiered his one man show, Sporobolous Virginicus at the Woodford Folk Festival. In 2009 he was invited to give the key note address at the Planning Institute of Australia’s Annual Conference and featured in the production of SBS’s sports trivia program The Squiz.

For the last two years his favourite gig has been entertaining the capacity crowd at Sydney’s Olympic Stadium during the State of Origin. No mean feat given he has done it while passionately wearing his Queensland jersey.

From theatre performer to opinion shaper, Desh provides an illuminating and hilarious commentary on the issues that shape our world. Whether it is telling your Doctor Dad you want to be a comedian to purchasing shares in Australia’s first environmentally friendly uranium mine, Desh covers more ground than bindies in the summer time.

A seasoned and spiced Stand-Up Comedian, Desh flies beneath the media spotlight balancing stage time with advising public and private enterprises on sustainable development practices. Desh retains his corporate membership of the Planning Institute of Australia and was recently appointed to the Property Council of Australian’s Sustainability Committee.

Nonetheless this has not stopped him performing with some of the best comedians getting around including, Arj Barker, Jimeon, Ahkmel Saleh, Tahir, Ahn Do, Peter Berner, Vince Sorrenti, Tony Woods, and Will Anderson.

Desh’s corporate clients include South African Airways, Blake Dawson, the Wilderness Society, the Planning Institute of Australia, the National Rugby League and the Newcastle Knights.

With a breadth of experience that spans performing in stadiums to briefing industry leaders on being green, Desh will always add colour, excitement and the Midas touch of hilarity to your event.