Messenger of peace

The doorbell rang continuously while I was busy cutting vegetables to make a classic Waldorf salad in the kitchen of the Art of Living's Colombo centre. I thought I should impress Swamiji at least this time around. He came running out of his room even as I rushed from the kitchen, only to find an envelope slipped under the door.

We looked at each other. I opened the door but didn't see anyone. I shut it instantly. I remember that eerie feeling even now.

It was the middle of 2006. Threats, bombs and violence were rearing their head once again.

I picked up the envelope boldly. A small handwritten note inside instructed us to meet at a secret location. It was from a very good friend of ours. He was getting in touch with us after a long time but wishing to meet through a secret note seemed really strange.

That rainy June, we drove to the location given in the note. Here we were with our Tamil parliamentarian friend, who didn't greet us with his usual bubbling enthusiasm. Not even a formal smile.

He gestured us to sit. He clearly looked stressed and knew very well that we were experts on that subject. I wondered if he wanted to seek help on that front.

He suddenly burst into tears saying, 'I was insulted by the LTTE, which I didn't expect at all.'

I was shocked to hear this because when we first met him a year ago, he was fully aligned with Prabhakaran and was more than willing to help us meet him.

The Tamil parliamentarian was one of the first persons who went all out to support our Art of Living work in Jaffna.

In 2005, he even invited Swamiji and me to stay in his modest house at Chavakachcheri, with people, hens, dogs and everyone else walking in and out. As a politician, he was open-minded. He welcomed the people in that region and was available to them almost 24/7. He told us that welfare service to people was his only motto. We stayed with him for three days, during which he took us around to introduce us to all and sundry.

A women's welfare meeting, poultry farmers' convention, war widows' assembly, unemployed youths' gathering or any other meet under the Jaffna sun, he happily introduced us at every opportunity, describing us as the 'breathing technology people'!

One night, after a sumptuous dinner, he made a stunning offer, 'Would you like to see a secret LTTE training and attack film?'

I was thrilled to bits because I had admired the valour of Prabhakaran in my school days in Chennai but the admiration had petered out after Rajiv Gandhi's assassination and the LTTE's involvement.

Our host switched off the lights and ensured that his Sinhalese security bodyguard was asleep before he went on to show the film.

'You must be really tired. Go to bed now,' he yelled out at him. Then, our host turned to us and said even though that man was Sinhalese, he bore him no ill-will and guarded him 24/7 like a brother. The Tamil parliamentarian proudly said that he always treated his guard like family.

Some Tamil parliamentarians had alleged that the Sinhalese security guards provided by the Sri Lankan government also doubled up as spies but our friend refuted the allegation.

Then, he played the secret video on his television. We saw visuals of youth being trained meticulously. The video started with a few horrific stories of atrocities on Tamils that would make anyone's hair stand on end. This was meant to strengthen their minds to go through any eventuality, including sudden death for the Tamil cause.

Sessions on making bombs and the art of preparing detonators were all well exhibited. The Tamil parliamentarian told us that English films like Rambo, Commando, Predator and James Bond were scrutinized closely every week by select LTTE cadres to learn and plan ways to carry out their bombing missions.

We saw the entire training module and the celebration that followed. After their training, the cadres were taken on a long sightseeing tour in a bus across Jaffna. The bus halted at landmarks like temples and churches, and restaurants, where they were fed to their hearts' content. In the bus, they sang and danced to nationalistic Tamil songs, swearing to wipe out their enemies.

Were they belting out musical hits before the explosive belts?

For a moment, I wondered if our friend was 'brainwashing' us. My sleep evaporated.

I didn't want to go to bed watching these scenes of violence, but at the same time we had not walked into this 'theatre of war' without knowing exactly what the situation was like.

Midway through the film, I thought of the commitment and ingenuity these people possessed to achieve their goals.

You are ultimately consumed by what you play with in life; freedom of any kind simply can't come with firepower.

We do agree that the Tamil movement started when their beds were burning and lands churning with Sinhalese oppression but was 'the end' and 'the means to that end' going to be the same?

We reached the climax of the film, in which the last stop of the trainees was a grand and private dinner with their proud and smiling hero, Prabhakaran. After that was a photo op and handshakes, which were a declaration of their 'graduation' as the Black Tigers.

This deadly suicide squad was launched in the late 1980s. Over two hundred youth supposedly 'sacrificed' their lives, killing dozens of people, including politicians, celebrities and civilians.

When Prabhakaran was once asked in a press conference about the LTTE's use of suicide bombers, he had replied that times had changed and they had to adopt new strategies. Our friendly parliamentarian-turned-commentator told us about this event quite proudly. He served us hot milk with a pinch of turmeric powder as we three bachelors—Swamiji and I, the permanent monks, and he, enjoying 'temporary bachelorhood' with his wife and kids staying in Colombo most of the year—finished watching the film.

His excitement refused to wane and he quickly rushed to play the next video, which he told us was short and thrilling. We couldn't say no because we wanted to know our 'new subject' really well, especially when dealing with the LTTE and its operations.

I was almost at the edge of my seat as I watched an LTTE group ambush a Sri Lankan military checkpost in a brilliant move, complete with skill and perseverance. The video was almost like a carbon copy of a war movie, shot in a documentary style. The LTTE apparently had a huge video library comprising movies on violence, war, murder and ransom. In their entire history, it is said that they gathered thousands of weapons from their enemy just by carrying out similar covert ambush operations. No wonder they were considered the most ruthless guerrilla organization in the world.

We were 'educated' that every ambush they carried out was videotaped to learn and draft new strategies. This was one of their hallmarks.

Even in the case of Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, the LTTE had hired an Indian photographer to take pictures of the entire assassination sequence. It is believed that even the lensman was unaware of their plan.

(Excerpted with permission from Swami Virupaksha's The Tiger's Pause; published by Penguin)