Operation Sangeetha: The Cultural Defection Pipeline — How the Music of Madras Obliterated the Tigers

This article presents the first-person account of Kagusthan Ariaratnam, detailing my transformation from a radicalized cadre within the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to a strategic double agent serving India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Sri Lanka’s Directorate Military Intelligence (DMI). My defection was catalyzed not by military force or conventional propaganda, but by the relentless psychological infiltration of South Indian popular culture, most powerfully delivered through the melodious compositions of Ilayaraja and A.R. Rahman.

I argue that this music, functioning as a ‘proximal identity’ weapon, strategically eroded the LTTE’s totalitarian ideology by introducing non-sectarian, universal human themes of belonging, family, and shared regional heritage. Ilayaraja’s deeply nostalgic melodies acted as a profound de-radicalization agent, evoking the suppressed pre-conflict civilian self, while A.R. Rahman’s cosmopolitan anthems championed a successful, integrated South Asian identity, directly countering separatist dogma.

This cultural pipeline created profound cognitive dissonance, leading to my defection and subsequent formalization of the strategy into ‘Operation Sangeetha.’ This joint RAW-DMI operation systematically weaponized soft power, converting culturally induced cognitive ruptures and defections into essential hard intelligence. The actionable intelligence gathered through this method, modeled after high-profile organizational splits, fueled the tactical military superiority required for the final offensive, proving that the obliteration of the LTTE in May 2009 was fundamentally dependent upon the strategic use of shared melody as a lethal counter-narrative tool.

Section I: The Sound of Siege – The Isolationist Doctrine of Eelam

I was raised in the shadow of the gun, my identity forged in the crucible of ethnic conflict that defined Sri Lanka for over three decades.¹ The foundation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which began operations in 1976, was built upon a potent cocktail of revolutionary socialism, Tamil nationalism, and a necessary reaction against the systemic discrimination and violent persecution faced by our people under the Sinhalese-dominated government.² This movement demanded the establishment of an independent Tamil state in the Northern and Eastern provinces, a cause that required absolute ideological purity from its cadres.

The Ideological Fortress and My Baptism in Fire

The LTTE’s doctrine was fundamentally totalitarian, operating on a zero-sum cultural state philosophy. While the organization rightly demanded the recognition of the Tamil language and addressed grievances regarding representation in employment and universities, these objectives were quickly subsumed by a separatist nationalist ideology.³ To maintain the fervor required for relentless conflict, the LTTE systematically controlled the narrative, depicting the Indian mainland and the Sri Lankan state as irredeemable antagonists.⁴ In this environment, any shared cultural resource—anything suggesting universal humanity, compromise, or regional unity—was inherently toxic to the militant cause. The war, therefore, was not merely a contest over territory; it was a psychological battle fought for the complete control of the Tamil heart and mind.

I embraced this necessity early on, driven by the perception that violence was the only pathway to justice. My eventual position within the ranks afforded me limited access to external communication streams, ostensibly for intelligence gathering, yet this access became the hairline fracture in my ideological armor. The psychological cost of maintaining this state of purity was immense. The ideology demanded the suppression of all individual, non-political human longings—love, family bonds, and the simple desire for peace—equating such desire with fundamental weakness and betrayal of the sacrifice required for Eelam.⁶

Counterinsurgency doctrine often suffers from a fundamental miscalculation: conventional military forces tend to assume that the culture of a nation besieged by insurgency will adapt to the population-centric approaches of the intervening force.⁷ This expectation fails to account for what strategic analysts call ‘cultural entrenchment’—the inertial tendency of a deeply rooted culture to resist external pressures for change.⁷

Exploiting Cultural Entrenchment via Proximal Identity

My eventual strategic assessment, derived from my internal struggle, identified a critical vulnerability. The strategy should never have been to force a foreign culture (e.g., Western or Sinhala) onto the Tamil rebels. Such an approach would have simply reinforced the cultural entrenchment and the LTTE’s narrative of external contamination.⁷

The pathway to effective psychological influence lay in recognizing the paradox of Tamil identity itself: our language, art, history, and cinematic traditions were inextricably intertwined with the very mainland we were taught to despise. The strategic approach, which I would later help formalize, mandated the use of a culture that was geographically and ethnically proximal—the South Indian Tamil culture. This approach offered a familiar yet ideologically opposing anchor. The music and cinema of Madras thus became the vector for a ‘proximal identity’ weaponization, bypassing the entrenched resistance by offering an alternate, shared cultural truth.

Section II: Finding the Frequency – The Unintended Cultural Infiltration

The ideological fortress established by Prabhakaran’s strict command was massive, yet it was porous to the invisible hand of globalization and popular culture. Even in the most secure LTTE zones, we could not halt the flow of South Indian popular culture. Crude satellite signals, compromised radio transmissions, and, most critically, smuggled audio cassettes and video compact discs served as the persistent supply lines for cultural erosion. We attempted to filter the content and suppress the transmission, but the melodious compositions were too fluid, too easily concealed, and too deeply desired by the population, including the cadres themselves.

The Contagion of Universality

The shift in Tamil cinema, accelerated by liberalization and globalization, produced films that captured global attention while still adhering to commercially viable formulas rooted in the original cultural identity.⁸ These films and their associated music profoundly influenced South Asian diasporic cultures, extending their reach across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.⁹

The power of this culture lay in its thematic content. While our militant propaganda dealt with highly specific, tribal, and violent objectives, South Indian Tamil cinema frequently focused on universal human themes that were brilliantly presented: familial love, sacrifice, community solidarity, and resilience.⁶ These narratives, packaged in a familiar language and supported by undeniable artistic genius, acted as a psychological ‘Trojan Horse.’ They were inherently non-sectarian, presenting an alternative narrative about humanity that could not simply be dismissed as foreign, Sinhalese, or political propaganda. They spoke of a grander, shared existence.¹⁰

The Face of the Enemy Becomes Familiar

The first tremors of doubt shook my resolve when I encountered these cultural artifacts. I saw iconic actors like Rajinikanth, whose widespread appeal and inspirational quotes transcended mere entertainment, championing themes of hope and positivity in family-oriented narratives.⁶ This stood in stark contrast to the unforgiving doctrine of unrelenting sacrifice and fatalism preached by the LTTE leadership.

The core realization that precipitated my transformation was this simple, profound truth: the ‘Indian state,’ which we were trained to hate, was represented by hundreds of millions of people who shared our language, our food, our deepest emotional lexicon, and our cultural heroes. This vicarious identification facilitated a deep, irresistible sense of belonging and camaraderie.¹¹ The cultural bonds transcended the political border, suggesting that the ideological enemy was, in fact, our cultural kin. This established the necessary psychological permission structure to question my allegiance and eventually seek a non-separatist identity.

Section III: The Maestros of the Mainstream – Decoding the Melodic Weaponry

The true power of this cultural infiltration lay not merely in the films, but in the meticulously composed music of two titans: Ilayaraja and A.R. Rahman. Their combined output, covering decades of popular evolution, delivered the psychological knockout blow by catering to two distinct but equally devastating psychological needs within the militant structure.

Ilayaraja: The Constitution and the Deep Soul

Ilayaraja’s influence is foundational; he is often regarded as the ‘Constitution Writer’ of modern Tamil music, establishing the framework upon which later artists would build.¹² His genius resides in his confidence in crafting the Indian vocal melody while simultaneously executing complex, elaborate arrangements, whether baroque, funk, or jazz-influenced, ensuring the melody and its musical architecture are inseparable.¹³ The strategic significance of Ilayaraja’s music was its ability to weaponize nostalgia. His compositions, such as “Raasathi unna,” “Poovae semboovae,” and “En iniya pon nilavae” ¹⁵, are saturated with a raw, rural, and deeply innocent Tamil sentiment.¹⁶ This music served a devastating strategic purpose: it countered the LTTE’s focus on a militarized, futuristic vision of Eelam by making the past—a time of peaceful, pre-conflict life—psychologically irresistible.¹⁶

Radicalization mandates the total erasure of the former self, replacing it with the identity of the militant. Ilayaraja’s haunting, soul-stirring melodies functioned as a psychological de-radicalization agent. By creating an emotional highway back to ‘cherished memories’ and the ‘soul’ ¹⁷, this music forced cadres to re-engage with the civilian, non-militant identities they had suppressed.¹⁶ This psychological return to normalcy is the crucial, essential precursor required for any individual to achieve behavioral disengagement and eventual defection from an armed extremist group.¹⁸

A.R. Rahman: The Fusion of Future and Faith

A.R. Rahman emerged as the evolutionary successor, building upon Ilayaraja’s modernization and incorporation of Western elements.¹² Rahman distinguished himself by excelling in the ‘production’ of the song, focusing on how to build a simple tune into a soaring power ballad, specifically positioning the music to achieve a desired emotional effect and a massive audience reaction.¹⁴ He represents globalization, technological sophistication, and cultural integration.

Rahman’s most strategically potent work came through his collaborations with director Mani Ratnam, notably the films Roja and Bombay. These projects explicitly addressed sensitive national and communal issues, championing unity in diversity and love transcending barriers, directly challenging separatist dogma.¹⁹ Tracks like “Uyire Uyire” and “Kehna Hi Kya” ²⁰ resonate with universal themes of love and conflict.

Most revealing was the creation of the Bombay Theme. Rahman revealed that the theme was intentionally based on the Raag Jajaivanti, the same musical scale used in Mahatma Gandhi’s favorite bhajan, “Raghupati Raghav Rajaram”.²¹ Rahman consciously sought a mood of divinity and patriotism, making the theme a subtle but powerful musical statement about non-violence and national integration.²¹ This was not accidental cultural output; it was covert indoctrination. Rahman’s music offered a global, cosmopolitan, and

successful South Asian identity, providing a non-separatist alternative to narrow Tamil nationalism. Using a core Indian national theme as the base for a wildly popular melody acted as a psychological tool, subtly implanting a sense of broader Indian cultural pride and citizenship, thereby dismantling the foundational ideological pillar of separatist hate.

The strategic mapping of these cultural themes demonstrates how effectively these melodies targeted the core vulnerabilities of the LTTE doctrine:

Table 1: The Counter-Narrative Scorecard – Mapping Melodies to Psychological Rupture

Section IV: The Unraveling of Allegiance – The Path to Double Agency

The constant influx of South Indian melodies created an unbearable cognitive dissonance. I was trained to kill, yet the music fostered a profound sense of camaraderie with the people I was supposed to be fighting. I realized that my purpose was tied to a violent, narrow political dogma, while the vibrant, shared cultural output of South India articulated a grander, more inclusive purpose for the Tamil people.¹¹ The LTTE’s ideology failed to offer the one thing every human craves: a peaceful future.

The Crisis of Identity and Purpose

My personal crisis mirrored the analytical definition of defection: a cognitive and behavioral process where an individual abandons extremist ideologies, typically triggered by disillusionment coupled with external ‘push-and-pull’ factors.¹⁸ The music provided the emotional context for the necessary ‘push.’ It made the psychological pain of ideological adherence greater than the fear of political betrayal. The songs painted a vivid picture of a life

after the violence—a life of love, family, and normalcy—that actively challenged the LTTE’s demand for fatalism.⁶

This realization transformed my limited role as an intelligence monitor into an active defector. My defection was strategically valuable because it was rooted in cultural conviction, making me a highly credible and ideologically flexible informant for the other side.

Establishing the Dual Channel: RAW and DMI

My journey led me to establish a liaison with India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). RAW immediately recognized the value of a defector whose motivations stemmed from cultural disillusionment, placing great emphasis on my expertise in interpreting the subtle cultural dynamics of the operational zone. India had a history of involvement in the conflict, notably the deployment of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) between 1987 and 1990.¹ While the IPKF mission ended in withdrawal, India’s strategic interest remained, and its eventual tacit support was crucial to the Sri Lankan military’s final offensive.²³

My defection and subsequent double-agent status, serving both RAW and the Sri Lankan Directorate Military Intelligence (DMI), was predicated on this critical observation: that culture had already bridged the geopolitical divide. RAW was focused on leveraging the soft power of the cultural narrative and managing the psychological “pull” factors for other potential defectors. DMI, conversely, sought to exploit the resulting hard operational intelligence.²⁴ I became the essential cultural translator and geopolitical nexus, converting the emotional data of melody into actionable intelligence doctrine.

Section V: Operation Sangeetha – Weaponizing the Soft Power Pipeline (The Doctrine)

The operational phase required formalizing the use of cultural diplomacy into a systematic psychological operation (PSYOP). My thesis, presented to my new handlers in RAW and DMI, was simple: We are not primarily fighting their firepower; we are fighting their doctrine. The LTTE was an emotional machine powered by hate and historical grievance, and culture was the only tool capable of surgically striking the heart of that emotional commitment.

The Strategic Brief: Culture as a Counter-Narrative

Strategic analyses consistently confirm that the initial step toward successful counter-terrorism is building a credible counter-narrative, often achieved through cultural diplomacy and soft power to fundamentally shift mindset.²⁵ Unlike traditional government propaganda, which cadres were highly trained to detect and dismiss as easily fabricated lies ⁴, South Indian popular culture benefited from its perceived neutrality and commercial success. Since it was already widely accepted by the diaspora and local populations, it allowed the counter-narrative of peace, unity, and shared identity to be internalized subconsciously.⁸

Tactical Implementation: Diffusion and Resonance

Operation Sangeetha centered on covert dissemination through compromised civilian logistics routes and strategic radio broadcasts utilizing intelligence assets. The operation was surgically precise: we targeted specific cadres known to harbor deep operational trauma or resentment, individuals whose psychological commitment was already strained.¹⁸ The music served as the therapeutic entry point.

For instance, Ilayaraja’s deeply nostalgic tracks, which often carry notes of pain and yearning, were deliberately disseminated in isolated operational zones and timed to coincide with severe internal LTTE security crackdowns or periods of intense operational stress.¹⁶ The pain expressed in the melody was thus amplified by the pain in the cadres’ actual lives, making defection appear not as a political betrayal, but as a desperately needed return to sanity and emotional freedom.

The Karuna Precedent: Modeling Defection

The defection of senior LTTE commander Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, known as Colonel Karuna, in 2004 provided the essential strategic blueprint for weaponizing internal organizational splits.²⁴ Karuna’s split, precipitated by a disagreement with Prabhakaran, deprived the LTTE of several hundred experienced fighters and critical regional support.²⁷

The Sri Lankan Military Intelligence (DMI) immediately capitalized on this fissure. DMI began providing Karuna’s splinter faction with weapons and operational advice in exchange for hard intelligence, effectively utilizing the group as a proxy to draw Prabhakaran’s attention away from the Western front.²⁴ High-profile defections like Karuna’s—who later successfully entered mainstream politics—demonstrated that betrayal was survivable and potentially rewarding.²⁸ The soft power component of Operation Sangeetha played a critical role here by normalizing treason through the promise of cultural reclamation. The music presented the life promised by the defectors—peace, safe passage, family reunion—as being real and attainable, emotionally mirroring the peaceful themes celebrated in the songs. The cultural PSYOP made the otherwise unthinkable maneuver of strategic defection emotionally viable.¹⁸

Section VI: Strategic Synthesis – The Dual-Agency Intelligence Yield

The campaign against the LTTE succeeded because it moved beyond pure kinetic engagement, synthesizing RAW’s long-term cultural influence with DMI’s immediate tactical intelligence requirements, with me serving at the critical nexus of information exchange.

RAW’s Cultural Infrastructure and Long-Term Influence

RAW maintained the critical infrastructure of soft power flow. Their strategy focused on sustaining the positive portrayal of India and inclusive South Asian identity, particularly targeting the vulnerable Tamil diaspora whose contributions funded the LTTE.¹¹ Crucially, RAW managed the “pull” factors: the consistent promise of safety, rehabilitation, and a viable return to a non-violent life.¹⁸ They ensured that the narrative of hope, as articulated through cinema and music, correlated with tangible opportunities for defectors.

DMI’s Tactical Exploitation and Hard Intelligence

DMI was positioned to capitalize on the cognitive shifts induced by the cultural operation. Every cadre that defected, driven by cultural disillusionment and the pursuit of the life articulated in the melodies, provided essential hard intelligence—operational security details, command structures, and precise troop movements.²⁴

This process created a powerful operational structure: The Cultural Domino Effect. Soft power, transmitted through Ilayaraja and Rahman’s melodies, caused Cognitive Defection (Emotional Rupture). Cognitive Defection led to Behavioral Defection (Physical Escape from the organization). Behavioral Defection provided essential Hard Intelligence (Exploited by DMI/RAW), which in turn fueled the precise military targeting and sustained the necessary military superiority for the final offensive.²³ The entire chain of action—the destruction of the world’s most formidable terrorist organization—was effectively initiated by a melody, not a bullet.

The framework employed by the dual agencies illustrates the deliberate operationalization of cultural soft power:

Table 2: Operationalizing Soft Power – The Dual-Agency PSYOP Framework

Section VII: Final Crescendo – The Obliteration and the Cultural Victory

The long and bloody conflict reached its inevitable conclusion in May 2009. The Sri Lankan armed forces defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, resulting in the elimination of the entire LTTE leadership on a small strip of land in the northeast.³⁰ The sustained military offensive, supported by international arms transfers and its own overwhelming numerical superiority, forced the LTTE away from asymmetric guerrilla warfare into conventional battles of attrition where its defeat was certain.²³

Reflections on Soft Power’s Lethality

While superior military force delivered the final, decisive blow, the strategic timing, precision, and efficiency of the final offensive were critically dependent upon the actionable intelligence derived from culturally induced defections. We knew the internal friction points, the specific command lapses (especially post-Karuna’s split), and the morale degradation precisely because the cultural operation had opened secure channels of communication into the heart of the organization.²³

Music, art, and popular culture should never be viewed as mere ancillary diplomatic tools. When deployed strategically against a rigid, isolating ideology like that of the LTTE, they become the most effective tool for psychological disaggregation. The failure of traditional counterinsurgency lies in its inability to overcome cultural entrenchment.⁷ Our success lay in leveraging a different interpretation of the shared Tamil culture—one that celebrated family, peace, and cosmopolitan inclusion—to introduce cognitive dissonance that the organization could neither filter nor fight.

The LTTE was defeated not solely by bombs or bullets, but by the relentless, invisible force of shared humanity transmitted through melody. My defection, rooted in the profound realization of a wider sense of belonging, purpose, and camaraderie offered by the Indian cultural mainstream, validates the principle that the most effective counter-terrorism measure is not destruction, but the reclamation of the shared cultural soul. The haunting nostalgia of Ilayaraja’s orchestrations, followed by the unifying anthems of A.R. Rahman, served as the final, undeniable signal that the war was irrevocably lost—not on the battlefield, but within the individual Tamil heart.

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