Letters from two readers of my columns got me thinking really hard. One was from Ms. Vaiphei who lives in the US for the last nine years, and the other from Mr. Khapudang, now residing in Delhi for more than thirteen years. Both of them wrote to me expressing one thing in common: they don't feel like considering themselves Manipuri. Both Ms. Vaiphei and Mr. Khapudang are Manipuris born in Manipur.

The chief reasons behind Mr. Khapudang's displeasure in calling himself a Manipuri are the Meiteis, who he thinks are "narrow-minded" people out to impose their "outdated supreme thinking" and "communal dominance" over the minorities. This attitude of the Meiteis has led to feelings of "alienation" among them, he wrote.

Being a Meitei myself, the numerically superior group in Manipur, I feel a wee guilty. Guilty, not because Mr. Khapudang's perceptions of Meiteis are absolutely correct or we have given the ethnic minority a raw deal, but we haven't brought out the dormant feelings of the minority into the public platform for a meaningful discussion. It's high time we knew each others' aspirations, fears, misgivings and also the myths.

Ms. Vaiphei's confusion of her identity may partly be attributed to her being resident in a foreign country, where even our big brothers, the Indians are a minority, and suffering the same syndrome as she does. Second generation Indian expatriates in the US are now dubbed as ABCD-American Born Confused Desis. They, like Ms. Vaiphei, are a confused lot, who find themselves thrown into a cultural collage that they can't fully accept as their own, nor can they relate to their parents' Indian roots.

But, the identity crisis that Ms. Vaiphei faces is also a hangover that she inherited from the Manipuri soil and carried to her new homestead. It might be just as well true that long before she set her foot in America, she might have already abandoned the idea of being a Manipuri. To be fair, she is not alone. There are many others like Mr. Khapudang who "has never felt Manipur Bhavan (in Delhi) as my own state House".

Why have things come to such a pass? Have the Meiteis wilfully taken to the delusion that Manipur is their fiefdom, to be parcelled out as favours to other groups and setting down all the rules for others to follow in abject obedience. Do the Meiteis have a conspiracy to oppress other ethnic groups, so that they fall in line with their wishes? The answer to both these questions is a thumping "NO". I can say with a great deal of certainty that Meiteis, by and large, don't think along these parochial lines. Meiteis who consider themselves the sole proprietors of Manipur do not represent the majority views; they are the fringe elements of the society-the scum. Just as every society has its Praveen Togadias, Ashok Singhals and Co., who believe in majoritarian rule, we do have our own freaks. So does every other ethnic group, however small it may be.

But this doesn't mean that we should tolerate them. Whichever group they represent, their sinister designs at disintegrating the wholesome multicultural fabric of our society should be nipped in the bud at all costs. We should not give their voice legitimacy, which is the much needed oxygen for their further proliferation. It is the need of the hour that every sensible individual be not swayed by the glib talk of what Mr. Khapudang called "communal dominance" by any ethnic group, including the Meiteis. For if we believe in the rabble rousers who see good in the balkanisation of Manipur along ethnic considerations, then we are not much different from them.

However, we can well understand and relate to the 'perceived' sense of discrimination and injustice felt by the minorities of Manipur. The Meiteis too feel the sting of "discrimination" when they step out of Manipur. In fact, we have never been able to stomach the fact that we are Indians. But our bitter feelings should be tampered by acknowledging the fact that everybody is a minority in the global village. For example, Indians are victims of racial discrimination when not in their country of origin as are American missionaries in India. Nobody is a majority or a minority. Our label changes in different contexts and environments. North Indians treat us as exotic creatures from the Northeast; at the same time, a Marwari or a Bihari is a minority when they come to Manipur. For the same reason, a Meitei may feel overwhelmed at an Ukhrul community hall. Minority who?

However, being a minority is not all misery and liabilities as we think. Being a minority sometimes helps too-something to cheer about. You get noticed sooner for your accomplishments, once the initial prejudice is overcome. In America, the minority Jews have carved out a niche in different positions of influence in business, administration, law, media, and other areas of prominence. Steve Balmer, Woody Allen, Michael Bloomberg, Steven Spielberg, Gwyneth Paltrow, Madeline Albright, Henry Kissinger, etc. are some of American Jew luminaries.

There is nothing to hold back the minorities in Manipur from replicating a similar trend. In fact, they are already doing this if their omnipresence in all the government offices in senior positions is any indication. Why then are some groups gravitating towards the bogey of secession and integration into another state to escape being labelled minority, when, in fact, everything is going right for them? The call for "Greater Nagaland" is the height of such misjudgements.

The demand for Greater Nagaland may be justified to the so-called Naga nationalists, but it is one of the most deceptive and illusionary carrots ever dangled to the Manipuris in her history. Should the Nagas of Manipur fall for the bet of Nagalim, the consequences would be disastrous both for Manipur and the Nagas themselves. First, it would break the territorial integrity of Manipur that have remained more or less intact for the last 2000 years. Second, it will open the Pandora's Box leading to similar divisive demands. Third, the Manipuri Nagas will see their dreams destroyed, promises turn sour as they will be marginalized in a Kohima based administration. Fourth, the "Manipuri Nagas" will still be a minority in a "Greater Nagaland" as they won't be accepted as true Nagas by their "brethrens" living in proper Nagaland. New problems of discrimination, bias and partisanship will soon follow.

Avoiding these problems, instead of fighting a new monster will be the most sensible thing to do. Our best security against racial discrimination and divisive politics is by strengthening democratic institutions, and not by arm-twisting tactics. Our best hope lies in promoting civil society, and values of liberty in governance. Our keywords should be multiculturalism, tolerance, liberty and equal as well as equitable opportunities. Already, the Manipuri society has achieved remarkable gains in this aspect, save for some aberrations.

All grievances-and who doesn't have them-can be addressed democratically and amicably. If Rishang Keishing, Md. Alimuddin and Yangmasho Shaiza could become Chief Ministers, what more powerful proof and symbolism we need to affirm our faith in a multiethnic peaceful paradise called Manipur? Both Ms. Vaiphei and Mr. Khapudang should be proud of the state to which they belong. Without you and your communities, Manipur would never be complete, and be the same microcosm of ethnic unity again. Never doubt your Manipuriness. Celebrate it.