<p>Ethnic clashes in Manipur are frequently seen over a period of time. They are shaped by history, interactions and competition between groups over a variety of goals. This paper discusses the ethnic clashes with the idea of ethnocentric politics in what way people become conscious about identity, collective memories what extent&nbsp;everyday&nbsp;experiences&nbsp;affect&nbsp;different&nbsp;groups&nbsp;related to each other.&nbsp;The paper&nbsp;uses a qualitative&nbsp;method&nbsp;on&nbsp;the basis of&nbsp;existing&nbsp;literature&nbsp;and&nbsp;historical&nbsp;records.&nbsp;To&nbsp;understand this better,&nbsp;the study&nbsp;begins&nbsp;with&nbsp;the&nbsp;Zeliangrong&nbsp;movement&nbsp;and&nbsp;examines the extent&nbsp;did&nbsp;its&nbsp;people&nbsp;in reforming&nbsp;traditional&nbsp;and social practices change slowly into a political demand.</p>

<p>The study&nbsp;revealed&nbsp;that identity&nbsp;is not something that remains the same.&nbsp;It&nbsp;is a living process and changes slowly through history, memories and lived experiences. As people become emotionally connected to their identity, the imaginary line that separates between groups also become more visible which frequently leads to put into a category. Ethnocentric politics plays an important role in&nbsp;creating spaces and opportunities for people to come&nbsp;together within&nbsp;their own&nbsp;and also at&nbsp;the&nbsp;same time,&nbsp;it can&nbsp;make&nbsp;antagonism&nbsp;against others. This article suggests that if we understand identity in a more flexible and inclusive way, naturally it may reduce tensions between communities and&nbsp;cultivate a sense&nbsp;of belonging that touches&nbsp;every individual&#39;s heart to&nbsp;open the door wide for&nbsp;diversity to flourish.&nbsp;</p>