Well, Sayami, last month or so, you said here on Sajha that Nepali bhasa has no grammar of its own, and that it borrowed words and structure from other languages. In other words, Nepali bhasa is a mishmash construction. Actually, I agree with that. Likewise, could the state of Nepal too not be a mishmash construction? There are no "original' Nepalis as such in Nepal. Pretty much, everyone came from somewhere and settled in present-day Nepal. Many did not even know they were Nepalis until the state told them so. Some came a thousand years ago; some, 100 years ago. No wonder, then, to give one small example, to unsuspecting eyes, a Nepali beauty pageant in Kathmandu looks like as though it had contestants from all over Asia . . . from Korea to Iran, even when all the contestants would be Nepali citizens. That's how diverse, just in terms of facial features, Nepalis are. That's our one form of diversity. And that diversity, and the cutures it represents, is our strength. True, some ethnic groups as a whole appear to be more successful than others (just as Indian- and Russian-Americans have the highest per capita income in the US) . . . but their success is not something to be resented. Instead, let's look for ways to increase the size of the economic pie so that all get larger slices in days ahead in legal, honest ways. Sure, that's easier said than done, but then, who says life is easy? On another note, having met and talked with a lot of Nepali businessmen (esp. the young ones in their 20s and 30s), I sense that they are worried more about other things -- political instability, poor infrastructre, the bureauracy that delays everything than about real or perceived Marwari threats. oohi ashu