As Kuki and Meitei villagers pick up their lives after one of the worst bouts of ethnic clashes in this northeastern state, they have only one question in mind -- when will life be back to normal?

Normal for most of them meant being able to chat with a fellow Manipuri, without worrying whether he or she belonged to another tribe, ride a motorcycle to the next district in search of a bargain or see a movie in the evening without worrying about an arson attack at the cinema hall.