By M.R. Narayan Swamy,

New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Thursday met Tamil Tiger guerrillas in Sri Lanka's north and discussed an "active role" for India in the peace process, later describing his efforts as "a confidence building measure".

"Change of opinion can only be brought about by spiritual people," Ravi Shankar told IANS on telephone from the Katunayake airport near Colombo shortly after landing from Kilinochchi, where he met representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for a couple of hours.

"We are trying to bring the parties together," the hugely popular guru said, referring to Colombo and LTTE, which have been locked in serious military clashes in recent months leaving hundreds dead. "The technical details can be left to others. We will put our effort, and keep our fingers crossed."

Ravi Shankar, who in April visited Jaffna and interacted with thousands of Tamils, added that both the government and the Tigers desired peace.

Swami Sadyojathah, who heads the Art of Living project in the island and flew with Ravi Shankar to Kilinochchi in a helicopter provided by the government, added: "This is the beginning. The guruji suggested that India should play an active role in the peace process, and they (LTTE) supported the idea."

Swami Sadyojathah did not specify whom the guruji met but said it was not S.P. Thamilchelvan, the LTTE's political head.

"There were a lot of discussions about the whole issue. We exchanged ideas," he added. "The LTTE told us that they would like to come to peace talks without any conditions."

Ravi Shankar, whose Art of Living project enjoys a large following in Sri Lanka, flew to Colombo Wednesday from Bangalore, where his foundation is headquartered.

Ravi Shankar, a spiritual leader who over the past 25 years has established a global presence, earlier met leaders of the government, the opposition and some Tamil MPs in Colombo before leaving for Kilinochchi.

Former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was among the Sri Lankan leaders who met him. Wickremesinghe, who in 2002 signed a Norwegian-brokered ceasefire agreement with the LTTE, frequently flies to Bangalore to meet Ravi Shankar.

"Guruji is respected by all sides in Sri Lanka," a spokesperson for Art of Living told IANS.

Ravi Shankar visited Sri Lanka last year in the wake of the deadly tsunami that killed over 30,000 people in the country, including in areas of the northeast where the LTTE holds sway.

It is not clear if Ravi Shankar's visit to LTTE area is anyway linked to the present visit to New Delhi of members of the pro-Tigers Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the leading Tamil party in the Sri Lankan parliament.

The TNA MPs, who met National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan Tuesday, are to call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday.

The Art of Living Foundation is an international non-profit educational, charitable and humanitarian group offering programmes in more than 140 countries including in war torn places such as Iraq and Lebanon.

As a NGO, it works in special consultative status with the UN, participating in a variety of committees and activities relating to health, education, sustainable development and conflict resolution.

India keeps a close watch on Sri Lanka, where violence between the government and LTTE has shown a sharp rise in recent months claiming hundreds of lives and leaving hundreds of thousands displaced.

New Delhi supports Norway, which is leading international efforts to resolve the Sri Lankan crisis.