Hi all,

Let me narrate a very controversial yet very happening scenario among the Manipuris. In this age of MTV and video albums, many of us seems to have confused "broad mindedness" with parties and britney spears, rather then the literary broad mindedness of hardwork,love, commitment, responsibility, tolerance..etc.

Looking at the present context at Imphal - I personnaly consider as a guy broadminded, when he realized that he doesn't need to rely only on a CBZ to impress the ladies, or the 350 ( 1 litre - 5 km mileage) bike. I remember those days of cycle and luna and yet still managed to have a girl fren. Most of us might have seen many broad minded guys and gals in the cities.

It will be difficult of me to accept a gal or a guy who depending on his parents money smokes a marlboro, wear whatever size of jeans or skirts and after flrting with every available creature on the discotheque a broad minded one. Have you been one Broad minded to me will be someone, who earns or deserves the money, wears whatever he/she is comfortable( as well as matching ) enjoys a couple of beer knowing his/her very limitation. Sorry, me won't encourage my sisters for drinks!!

I know many of us do that taking a break from his hard work over the weekend. It can be quite a stress relieving exercise. Rather....what I actually see ( not stereotyping all) is one of this 'keen to be broad minded chap', find every excuse in Manipur to go out and expereince broad mindedness. The chap lands himself/herself in any ( better!) college , uses every penny his mother had save from her monthly pay to buy all kinds of dresses from shopper stop...etc and many a times a guitar for his breaks from his studies( as told to his mama and papa). The journey towards broadmindedness starts with every english and hindi words he has in his dictionary( from MTV) and joins the "bigger then DM or Imphal college".

His search for broadminded leads to many pubs and discotheques and many morning with those excruciating headaches. Some few (pathetic) ones use the help of rich flesh consuming localites to maintain the broad mindedness. It is quite an expensive state of mind and not many manipuris can afford that with the present financial deficit.

In between there are numerous sick absentees from his classes because of the many viral fever,bacterial fever, fungal fever,disco fever ..etc , all certified by his dad's fren good doctor from home. How many of us will disagree that he actually was having his highs and lows with spamoproxyvon and nitrezepam. I had personally given a leave letter for 10 days,when actually a student ask for 3 months of leave!!!.

By the end of three years of stay in one of cosmopolitan cities in india, he/she manage to pick up some english and hindi vocabularly , thanks to the english songs and thali and sabjee walas.

Many of this broad minded fellows are too busy to know Manipur and meiteilon too. "Hang gam" can many times be alien word to them. Poor fellows , wish hang gam was very mcuh available outside manipur to remind them.

He too is very fluent with e-pao chat and tries out all his available vocabularly contaminated by the hollywood rap movies seen in one of those 100 bucks a ticket PVR theatres. E-pao chat had been a victim to this morons of limited vocabularly. Three years , u find him/her immensely broad minded and trying for the ever popular UPSC exam or the computer course down in the Galis of nehru vihar, rajiv vihar, indira vihar or South ex and north Ex.

Yet another IAS aspirant , another Bill gates is born and in the making. 5 years into cosmopolitan life, after all the hard times of studies and away from home ,he /she takes a step back and thinks of settling down . Stress relieving steps!!

Not much money to support a family..." live-in" is the in thing and cheaper too ... promising eternal broad mindedness. How many of the western broad minded people anyway do get married??? and that also to get divorced. No jobs, UPSC to tough without qouta , IT markets crashes...our broad minded returns home . The 3 days journey has never been so long. He comes back and criticises evry street and rules as not conducive for a healthy broadminded life.

Broadmindedness brings along new vocabularly of bhabhees and jejajeees!!! for their Eteimas and Eteis. My own aunt is address as Bhabhi by her mumbai-eduacted brother in laws, much to the suprise of her simple mother and mother in law. My grandma once ask me what does this 'bhaa-ha-phii' stands for. "Broadmindedness"...simple

Anyway life and stomach has to go on. Many teaches in one of the many private schools.Many other broad minded ends up making tea while his/her counterpart share his broadmindedness with their students.

I know many will find this mail might be very unpalatable, disgusting,narrow minded,mewa ngangba......etc etc. I am sorry if I sound that bad, but I am sure if I put a 1000 rupees, on that - 90% of the manipuri students studying outside fits into this describe path of broadmindedness.

Would I lose my money!!!!

It is time we differentiate the two forms of broad mindednes and discard the one we think is not right.

Regards
B. Elangbam