India’s generosity in Ditwah’s wake, a partnership of reliability

Dr. S. Jaishankar, India’s foreign minister visited Sri Lanka today. Arriving on the island in Ditwah’s wake and as the personal envoy of Prime Minister Modi, his visit is more than a diplomatic formality. It is a substantive reaffirmation of a Sri Lanka-India partnership built on the bedrock of strategic reliability.

As Sri Lankans, we must all extend our sincere appreciation for the speed and scale of India’s response to the devastation of Cyclone Ditwah.

We often discuss the "First Responder" concept in abstract terms. However, over the past few weeks, India showed what the words really meant. The deployment of men and helicopters from the INS Vikrant in Colombo harbor on the very day of the cyclone’s landfall, the sustained presence of search and rescue teams, the operation of a field hospital and Bailey Bridges have given that concept a very tangible and human meaning. We will not forget this immediate and most human kindness from the people of India.

Reliability is defined by presence when it matters most. As we move onto the recovery and reconstruction phase - which follows the crises of the Easter Bombings, COVID and economic collapse - assistance for reconstruction is the need of the hour. India has proved its reliability. We must thank the people of India and the people of all other countries who have stood by us at this hour of peril and need.

The Indian assistance package of $450 million is generous - including $100 million as an outright grant. It fits well with our needs: focusing on reconstruction of roads and rail, housing, health and education, and agriculture. We must also commend the Indian government for its efforts to promote tourism and FDI into Sri Lanka.

For Sri Lanka, the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah has been a sobering reminder of our vulnerability. India’s generosity - and the generosity of the many other countries that have come to our aid - is a reminder that in an increasingly precarious, uncertain and transactional world; universal, civilizational values and fundamental empathy between peoples not only remains but flourishes.

Through this crisis, us islanders are reminded that we have friends and family among the community of nations. And while friends and family may have their quarrels and differences - in times of crisis like this their true character reveals itself. Through this crisis, we can draw comfort that not only do we have friends, we have reliable friends.

 By Krishantha Prasad Cooray