Where is Manipur??

"Aap kaun se gaon se aaye ho?"
"Manipur se." An answer which i thought was the most suitable.
"Woh toh Nepal mein hai na?"
"Nahi, Assam ke bagal mein"
"Achha." As if the thing it finally clicked in his head.

I had this conversation with Yogesh, a mechanic (wont reveal where). I have had similar conversations before. Seems like a lot of people are at a loss as far as the north eastern states are concerned. Ive noticed that my friends are either ignorant in geography or plainly indifferent. Have read twice in e-pao about this sometime back.

Maybe it is the way the states are placed. It's indeed difficult for an outsider to distinguish between the people from here, just like the way it is for us to distinguish among mayangs. I don't see anything bad or derogatory in these queries about my "native place", though it may get irritating at times, specially when someone gets persistent and continues asking questions.

One more thing, i have noticed many of the NE people getting offended when called chinkies, slant-eyed and the like. I see no reason to get offended here. It's something to laugh off, rather than go to lengths complaining about racism. As long as u maintain your personal stature and dignity, there's nothing to get offended about. Rather, by getting offended, you are showing a vulnerability. Dont let others cash on your "chinks in the armour".