> the question of 'others' not belonging to the same country never enters the discussion Agreed, no one AFAIK thinks the other does not belong to India. There

> the question of 'others' not belonging to the same country never enters the discussion Agreed, no one AFAIK thinks the other does not belong to India. There is a bit of racism in certain corners about the North East folks, considered as 'non Indian' primarily due to lack of awareness, since they do not conform to an 'Indian look' The issue is more on 'outside my state' - as seen in response to the various riparian struggles across the country. Some examples: - The Shiv Sena in Mumbai was formed for this very reason - No state except Tamil Nadu will accept having as its chief minister, someone who is not born from or speaking its language etc. The roots run deep. --- Coming to the feeling of patriotism, Tamils are as or more patriotic than any other people when it comes to the concept of 'belonging to India', but these feelings are put under a lot of stress because of the unique situation, where people of their own race (outside of India) were given a short shrift both by local and national politicians. There is a lot of soul searching on what it means to be a Tamil. Obviously there is no consensus.