Interviewer: Perhaps because of a lack of understanding among sections of people in Sri Lanka, there was the need for an army from your own country, India, to be brought to this country in order that peace be achieved. Now the President of this country has requested that this army be removed by 29 December 1989. How do you respond to the presence of an outside army within this country?

Sri Chinmoy: First of all, I must tell you in all sincerity that politics is not my forte. But as a truth-seeker and a God-lover, I can offer my own soulful opinion. Let us say that when I was in need of your help, you were kind enough to come to my rescue. But when I feel that I am all right again, then I am doing the right thing when I tell you that I no longer need your help. It is like calling a doctor. When I have a physical ailment, I call a doctor and he comes to cure me. When I feel that I am completely cured, then I tell the doctor, "It was so kind of you to come and cure me. Now, fortunately, I no longer need your help. If necessity demands, if I fall sick again, then I will ask for your help again. But now I feel that I am perfectly all right and I can enjoy my health without your presence."

Or let us say that you and I are friends. If I need your help desperately, immediately you come to help. But when I feel that my problem is solved, I thank you deeply and tell you that I can now manage on my own. If you are in trouble one day, I will be the first to come to your aid. And when you no longer need my help, you will ask me to go away. Friends can deal with each other like that.