Thanks to a good friend and a country cousin, I have been building my collection of Manipuri folk songs and old songs sung in archaic Manipuri that I am tempted to pick up the phone with each song and ask my uncle (who is heavily into translations and writing), what the lyrics really mean. He helped me with some, in the past. Well, this is my means of staying connected to my roots. It's like a lesson in my other world combing, sometimes, through the the tons of cassettes and CDs my mom gave me -- most of which were to save herself from the torrent of western songs that she was subjected to whenever she used to sit in my car. My sister in Australia pines for all things Manipuri, from food to entertainment. One of these days, maybe I will send her some music from my new collection. That will take care of at least one of her needs! I remember once, walking into the annual crowded Suraj Kund mela in Delhi, with mom and the entire family in tow. The theme that year was North-east. And