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A long-felt need

With the visit of a high-powered Lankan delegation to India, a long-felt need has been fulfilled. The two countries will form a committee on security matters, which is essential given the two countries' proximity to each other and the danger posed to both countries by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

This would hopefully lead to greater cooperation between the two SAARC neighbours in the spheres of defence and combating terrorism. Sri Lanka, for instance, has been calling for a joint reconnaissance/patrol mechanism in the Palk Strait which would make life much harder for LTTE operatives engaged in weapons smuggling and human trafficking.

India was the first country to ban the LTTE, following its assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Since then, India has kept a close watch on the organisation.

Recent actions by Central and Tamil Nadu Governments indicate that India has taken cognizance of the LTTE's capability of causing mayhem in India as well. It recently declared no-fly zones over vital nuclear installations in Tamil Nadu and enhanced naval and onshore patrolling in coastal areas especially in Tamil Nadu.

India has constantly voiced its opposition to the creation of a separate state in Sri Lanka and reiterated its commitment to Lanka's sovereignty and territorial integrity. But India's reluctance so far to play a more pro-active role vis-a-vis Sri Lanka's conflict must be seen in the context of its post-Indo Lanka Accord involvement through the IPKF.

The then Government became hostile to the IPKF's presence, spurred on by extremists on both sides and the IPFK was withdrawn. However, in an ironic twist of fate, some of these very same parties now advocate a greater role for India in solving Lanka's conflict.

In fact, nearly all political parties in Sri Lanka now agree that the ethnic conflict cannot be resolved without India's active help. President Mahinda Rajapaksa reiterated in a recent interview that India's help was vital in resolving the issue. Geopolitical and social factors bind both countries and it is imperative that they work together on battling terrorism and evolving a solution to Lanka's vexed conflict.

Now that a start has been made in security cooperation and with the political process underway in Sri Lanka, there is every reason to believe that India would play a greater role. There have been suggestions that India should become a Co-Chair of the Lankan Peace Process, along with the US, Japan, Norway and the EU.

India must also be mindful of elements in Tamil Nadu stirring communal sentiments using the situation in Sri Lanka. The threat by maverick politician Nedumaran to cross Indo-Lanka waters illegally to distribute food in the Jaffna peninsula on September 12 must be assessed and appropriate action taken.

We are not aware whether the Sethusamudram controversy was discussed during the Lankan delegation's deliberations in New Delhi, but Sri Lanka has voiced its concerns on several occasions.

There should be further consultations between experts in both countries on this issue so that Lanka's concerns regarding environmental, commercial and security factors can be taken into account and addressed in a fair manner.

Sri Lanka and India must also address economic issues, including the further development of trade ties. The two countries pioneered Free Trade Agreements in the SAARC region and turning it into a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement will be a boost for trade links.

Both countries should also take the lead in turning SAARC into a borderless region encompassing the free movement of goods and people. Sri Lanka has already proposed a singe currency mechanism for the region, based on the lines of the EU's euro.

These initiatives should succeed in order to achieve prosperity for the entire region, not just India and Sri Lanka.

Musical heaven

If music be the food of love, play on, exhorted Shakespeare. Indeed, Luciano Pavarotti gave the world food for thought in the form of opera music. His unique voice helped millions of people the world over to become ardent opera lovers.

Along with compatriots Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras (The Three Tenors) this son of Modena shattered the stigma attached to classic music among ordinary music lovers. Pavarotti went further by collaborating with pop starts including Bono and Spice Girls, cutting across artificial barriers in music.

Having shot to fame in 1963 in London's Covent Garden, Pavarotti literally introduced opera music to more than 800 million people worldwide when he teamed up with Domingo and Carreras to perform operatic music at the 1990 Soccer World Cup in his native land. Suddenly, half the world knew all about Puccini's Nessun Dorma aria from Turandot.

Although beset by medical problems, Pavarotti kept on showering the world with his musical talent. He was one of the few musicians who could hit a string of high C's with ease.

His special timbre from the bottom up the very top of the tenor range was unmistakable and inimitable. But he had a knack for giving up the serious nature of opera when occasion demanded, joining popular stars for gala performances that shocked purists to the core.

Pavarotti, who goes on his final journey today, will leave an unmatched musical legacy. His recordings of a vast number of famous operas and his Three Tenors performances alongside the two Spanish opera giants will continue to be played in countless homes throughout the world. Tomorrow's opera singers and musicians will learn immensely from this man who gave his life for music.

No one could have put it more musically than Bono, who dueted with Pavarotti on a single about the plight of the Bosnian people, when he said that Pavarotti was a "great volcano of a man who sang fire". Indeed, Pavarotti was not only an opera singer, he was an opera himself.

Dormant Gandhi in all of us

Mahatma Gandhi was a many-sided personality to an unusual degree. He was a man of peace who did not hesitate to fight for what he believed to be right; a political strategist who shunned conventional politics and held no office; a thinker and a philosopher who was a man of action. He adapted himself to changing situations without compromising or abandoning his basic values.

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Sri Lanka: A land like no other

Indeed, early explorers were in such bewilderment over Sri Lanka's abundance of natural beauty-from golden beaches lapped enticingly by pristine blue waters to carpets of green foliage that make up the breathtakingly picturesque tea country nestled in the country's highlands-that they coined the word "Serendib" (meaning a fortunate discovery by accident) to describe the island.

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Matters of the heart

Heart-related ailments now strike the most productive segment of India's workforce, mainly those between 30 and 40 years About 10 per cent of heart attacks are fatal.

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