Dr. Jaishankar’s Sri Lanka Engagement: Disaster Response, Diplomacy, and the Architecture of Regional Cooperation

When Cyclone Ditwah tore through Sri Lanka, it left behind not just shattered homes and broken roads, but a nation once again searching for stability. It was at this critical moment that India stepped forward.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s December 2025 visit to Colombo did not unfold in a calm diplomatic season. It arrived amid flooded towns, grieving families, and a fragile economy still recovering from the shock of 2022–23. That timing mattered, because it turned a routine foreign visit into a defining regional moment.

A Neighbour Shows Up When It Matters

Dr. Jaishankar travelled as Special Envoy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, carrying more than messages of sympathy. Over two packed days, he met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, and Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, offering a clear assurance: India would stand with Sri Lanka through recovery and reconstruction.

The scale of devastation made such assurance urgent. Cyclone Ditwah claimed over 600 lives, destroyed hundreds of buildings, and displaced nearly 200,000 people. Coming so soon after an economic collapse, the disaster threatened to push recovery off course.

Disasters test not only infrastructure, but friendships. That test framed every conversation in Colombo. The visit was less about optics and more about speed, capacity, and trust built over difficult years.

Dollars, Decisions, and a Letter of Intent

At the heart of the visit was India’s USD 450 million reconstruction and recovery package. It included USD 100 million in grants and USD 350 million in concessional Lines of Credit, blending immediate relief with longer-term rebuilding. President Dissanayake called it the opening of “a new chapter” in bilateral relations.

When Dr. Jaishankar met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, he personally handed over a letter from Prime Minister Modi. Officials present described the exchange as unusually candid, focused not on ceremony but on urgency. The focus was on how quickly roads could reopen and how soon families could return home. President Dissanayake later called the assistance package “a new chapter” in bilateral ties.

The symbolism was clear, but so was the intent. This was political commitment translated into executable support, not distant pledges.

Relief Measured in Action, Not Announcements

Operation Sagar Bandhu revealed a form of diplomacy measured not in statements, but in tonnes of relief, hours of flying time, and lives treated

India launched relief operations the very day Cyclone Ditwah made landfall. Since November 28, more than 1,134 tonnes of humanitarian assistance reached Sri Lanka, ranging from dry rations and tents to hygiene kits, water purification systems, and 14.5 tonnes of medicines and surgical equipment.

India’s military and disaster-response assets drove the effort. INS Vikrant and INS Udayagiri docked at Colombo, supporting helicopter operations. Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopters flew daily missions for over two weeks. An 80-member NDRF team conducted ground rescues, while an Indian Army field hospital near Kandy treated over 8,000 patients.

In several flood-hit areas, residents recalled the moment Mi-17 helicopters appeared overhead, delivering supplies and evacuating the stranded. For many, it was the first visible sign that help had reached them. “We knew then that we were not alone,” one local administrator later remarked.

Two modular BHISHM emergency care units further strengthened Sri Lanka’s medical response, filling gaps at a critical moment.

Bridges That Reconnected More Than Roads

Restoring connectivity quickly became a priority. Flooded crossings had isolated entire regions, cutting off relief and livelihoods. Indian Army engineers were flown in aboard C-17 aircraft to deliver practical solutions where they mattered most.

In the northern district near Killinochchi, entire villages were cut off after floodwaters swept away a key crossing. For days, residents relied on boats and makeshift rafts. When Indian Army engineers erected a Bailey bridge flown in by C-17 aircraft, buses resumed service within hours. For villagers, the bridge became more than steel and bolts as it ensured that relief trucks and livelihoods could return.

Another Bailey bridge at Chilaw is now under construction, reinforcing a simple lesson from the ground: recovery accelerates when movement returns.

Beyond Relief: Rebuilding a Fragile Recovery

Sri Lanka has been struggling to secure stable footing after the 2022–23 economic crisis, and the cyclone struck at the worst possible moment. Just as confidence was returning, the disaster dealt a severe blow. India, which had stepped in during Sri Lanka’s economic doldrums, once again demonstrated reliability by responding swiftly and decisively when circumstances turned grim.

The USD 450 million package reflects that understanding. Funds will support roads, railways, and bridges, rebuild damaged homes, strengthen health and education systems, assist agriculture facing short- and medium-term losses, and improve future disaster preparedness.

Weeks after the cyclone, as debris was cleared and roads reopened, relief workers noticed something shift. Children returned to schools operating from temporary shelters, buses crossed newly built bridges, and markets reopened. The disaster had not vanished, and neither had hope. For many Sri Lankans, India’s presence during the darkest days became part of the recovery story itself.

Politics, People, and a Broader Vision

The visit carried strong political resonance. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath recalled India’s “unprecedented assistance” during the economic crisis. Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa also met Dr. Jaishankar, publicly thanking India for standing by Sri Lanka when it mattered most.

Dr. Jaishankar also engaged with Indian-origin Tamil community representatives and Sri Lankan Tamil leaders, discussing cyclone damage and reconstruction plans. The message was inclusion, not selectivity.

The visit quietly reinforced a larger principle: in South Asia, leadership is proven by responsibility, not rhetoric.

Beyond immediate relief, discussions turned to tourism flows from India and increased Indian foreign direct investment. These were not afterthoughts, but signals of a partnership looking beyond crisis management toward sustained recovery.

India in Action: Crisis Support Across Southeast Asia

India’s humanitarian outreach in Southeast Asia is best understood through the help it delivers when emergencies strike. Rather than abstract commitments, its role has taken shape through concrete action on the ground:

• 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

  
  

  Rapid deployment of Indian Navy ships, aircraft, and medical teams to Indonesia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka, delivering rescue support, food, and medical care within days of the disaster.

• Cyclone Nargis, Myanmar (2008)

  
  

  Emergency relief supplies, medicines, and reconstruction assistance provided under challenging conditions, ensuring aid reached affected communities despite logistical and political hurdles.

• Indonesia Earthquakes and Tsunamis (2018)

  
  

  Humanitarian assistance, search-and-rescue coordination, and post-disaster relief following the Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami.

• Recurring Typhoons in the Philippines and Vietnam

  
  

  Supply of relief materials, disaster-response equipment, and technical support during floods and severe storms.

• COVID-19 Pandemic Response

  
  

  Distribution of vaccines, essential medicines, oxygen supplies, and medical equipment to multiple ASEAN countries under India’s health assistance initiatives.

• Capacity Building and Preparedness

  
  

  Regular Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercises, training programs, and regional coordination efforts aimed at improving early warning and response systems.

Together, these efforts have made India a dependable first responder in the region—one whose presence is measured not in statements, but in timely help when it is needed most.

A Message That Outlasts the Storm

In closing his visit, Dr. Jaishankar acknowledged the extraordinary challenge Sri Lanka faces after a natural disaster layered onto economic hardship. He expressed confidence in the country’s resilience and reaffirmed India’s steadfast support.

Cyclones may strike without warning, but resilience is built through partnership.