• Rukshani Weerasooriya Wijemanne, Rushika Weerasooriya Heinle, and Rajeev Colton on the grief, memory, and collaboration behind their BBC-recognised script

Three Sri Lankan storytellers have earned international recognition after their audio drama script ‘There is Something I am Feeling’ was named first runner-up in the BBC International Audio Drama Competition 2026. Written by Rukshani Weerasooriya Wijemanne, Rushika Weerasooriya Heinle, and Rajeev Colton, the script was selected from hundreds of entries submitted from around the world.

Set in Mount Lavinia in 1989 and told through the eyes of an 11-year-old girl, the drama explores memory, emotion, and the complexities of growing up against a backdrop of uncertainty. The achievement marks a significant moment for Sri Lankan storytelling, demonstrating how locally rooted narratives can connect with audiences far beyond the island’s shores.

The Sunday Morning Brunch spoke with the three writers about the origins of the script, the collaborative process behind it, the challenges of writing for audio, and what this international recognition means to them.

Following are excerpts:

How did each of you react when you found out that ‘There is Something I am Feeling’ had been named first runner-up in the BBC International Audio Drama Competition? 

Rushika: I felt very grateful. Rukshani took an email I had written to my husband describing that difficult day when our brother left us, and wove in so many layers to it, over a long period of time, and Rajeev put it into script form. I did not know much about the competition, but I supported their effort, and was very proud to hear it had paid off. 

Rukshani: There was a certain amount of shock and surprise, because I have grown used to making submissions that get lost in space. It is a rare thing to even hear back, much less to be awarded something. But more than that, I think I felt comforted on some level. This story is so personal to us, as a team, so to think that it stood out from the rest and resonated with people across the world from us meant a whole lot. 

Rajeev: It was a mixture of emotions. I felt incredibly proud of the three of us, especially the sisters, who did so much of the work to bring everything together. I also felt deeply blessed because of how much this story means to all of us personally. It was a reminder that the years we have spent honing our craft as writers have not been in vain. We are truly honoured to have received this recognition. 

What is ‘There is Something I am Feeling’ about, and what drew you to this particular story? 

Rushika: It was a very private story of the day Rukshani and I lost our older brother. I had not shared my memories of that day with anyone, as those memories were all I had left. But seven years ago, 30 years after my brother died, and after almost 17 years of knowing my husband, I finally felt it was time to let him in to all that happened. 

I wrote him a long email with the whole story. The most healing moment for me was seeing my husband sit down and read it, after a long day’s work. He read it all the way through, wiping tears off his face as he read. It showed me that he had heard my heart, and that my memories were safe with him. This act of baring it all strengthened our relationship and began a process of healing in me. 

After this, I shared the same email with a few close friends, and with my sister Rukshani, and our parents. Rukshani asked for permission to use it, as she was interested in building on it and layering it, to make it a more complete story, using her memories of that day, and those of our parents. This was therapeutic for her. 

I believe Rukshani’s heart behind the story is to show the power of allowing one’s self to feel, and sharing those feelings with others, in the hope that they too can articulate their pain and start their own process of healing. 

Rukshani: I was five years old when my older brother died. I saw him take his last breath. Yet, in this culture, and especially back in the day, the impact of experiences like these on children was completely overlooked or minimised. I did not understand everything I saw, but I felt it all, and those feelings needed to be processed. What I did not or could not process at the time would surface in the most unexpected ways, especially as I became a teenager and young adult. 

Now, as a mother, I find those feelings still being triggered, but in whole other ways than they did in the past. My parents did an excellent job talking to Rushika and me about what happened. They grieved openly, and this was a great model for us in our own grief journeys. When I first read Rushika’s email, it shattered me. I had never heard her perspective on what took place the day our brother died. And this is what propelled me to explore, as a writer, the same incident from each of our points of view. 

Rajeev: To me, the story is about what processing grief looks like when you are a child and how that grief carries into adulthood – sometimes in profound ways, and sometimes in ways so subtle you barely notice them. The story is set against the backdrop of the civil unrest in Sri Lanka during the 1980s, but that setting is far more than cultural context. 

Those events play a significant role in the family’s life and in the circumstances that shape what unfolds in the story. What drew me to the project were the two sisters, who are like family to me, and the opportunity to help tell a story about their older brother, Rajeev. 

Could you describe the real events, personal memories, or observations of Sri Lankan society that inspired the story? 

Rukshani: This story is based on the day our older brother, named Rajeev, passed away. The incident took place in our home in Mt. Lavinia, on a Friday evening in June 1989. 

Rajeev: The story is very much inspired by real events and personal memories. It is a deeply personal story for all of us, and a lived experience for Rukshani and Rushika. While the backdrop of Sri Lanka during the period of civil unrest inevitably touches on aspects of Sri Lankan society, both then and now, I would say that, at its heart, this is a personal story about grief, rooted in real experiences. 

How did the three of you come together to develop this project? 

Rukshani: The initial spark for this project was provided by Rushika’s email. She and I obviously have a shared interest in the story. A little known fact is that the third collaborator, Rajeev, was named after our brother. Rajeev’s parents are close friends of our parents, and were a big part of our parents’ grieving process. Rajeev was born a few years later, so although he never met his namesake, he was told a lot about him, growing up. Today, Rajeev is an accomplished creative. So when I needed to turn our story into a script, I knew who best to look to. 

Rajeev: Rukshani, Rushika, and our families have essentially grown up together. We love each other deeply and have always been more like siblings than family friends. A couple of days before the competition deadline, Rukshani messaged me and said: “Malla... shall we do this?” My answer was an immediate and obvious yes, and the rest is history. 

What was the creative process like? 

Rukshani: For me, it was an exploration at first. An exploration of memory, emotion, history, and so much more. The first few years, I did not know what exactly I was writing. Was it a record of what happened? Was it a short story in the making? I just kept writing. And every year or so, I would circulate the current version among trusted readers to see if it made sense to them. 

The last version of it took the form of a short story, but the problem I was facing was the different points of view being confusing to the reader. This problem was a difficult one to solve in short story form. I shelved the project for a while, until I came across the ad from the BBC about this competition. I thought an audio drama script might help solve the problem of different points of view. It felt like a great learning opportunity, if nothing else. That said, I had little to no experience writing scripts. That’s when I asked Rajeev if he would come on board. 

Rajeev: For me, the creative process was more structural and technical as Rukshani had already developed the narrative, based on hers and Rushika’s lived experience. I know the story well, so it felt natural and easy to work alongside them in shaping the elements that would make it function as an audio drama. 

Audio drama is a unique medium. How did writing for sound differ from writing for film, theatre, or prose? 

Rajeev: One of the lessons I learnt early in film school involved writing for silent film, which in many ways sits at the opposite end of the spectrum from audio drama. A good story should not be limited to a single format. With silent film, the audience should be able to understand everything through sight alone. With audio drama, the audience should be able to close their eyes and see the world entirely through what they hear. 

As we worked to bring the story to life, I often closed my eyes and imagined the entire narrative unfolding. I would ask myself what images emerged from the writing, storytelling, and flow, alongside the sounds that make up Sri Lanka. We also did research into the 1980s to ensure the soundscape authentically reflected that era. 

Rukshani: It certainly is a unique medium, which I knew very little about, getting into this competition. In terms of how it differs from prose, I think it differs a little in the application of the ‘show, don’t tell’ principle. In audio drama, which includes audio books, radio plays, etc., you do not have as much liberty to show, so your telling has to be finetuned and wielded skilfully. 

What themes were you most interested in exploring through the script? 

Rushika: For me it was simply recording a day that changed my life, and processing that loss through the eyes of the child I was, and the adult I am today. 

Rukshani: It started out as me wanting to sew our story together – the story of our brother’s death from each of our perspectives. But as I continued to work on it, it grew into an exploration of grief and how the same incident could be felt differently by different members of the same family. I also wanted to explore the impact grief has on siblings. That is something I wanted to show, through how the main character Rushika develops. 

Rajeev: For me personally, I was interested in exploring who Rajeev was, and who he continues to be through those of us who carry his memory forward. I have always felt a strong connection to him, despite never having met him. Because I carry his name, I have always felt a responsibility to honour him in whatever I achieve. This experience brought me even closer to him, and every time I hear his story, I feel that connection deepen. To receive an award while helping share his story feels like an incredible blessing. 

What aspects of Sri Lankan culture or experience do you feel international audiences connected with in this script? 

Rushika: I think the culture I was most focused on was that of ‘family’. Every family has a culture no matter where they live. The story for me was about the chaos and beauty of loss, experienced within a family. And this, I think, is something people from all over can connect with. 

Rukshani: Grief is both personal and universal. Based on the comments we got from the judges, our description of the experience of grief is what spoke to them, emotionally. 

In terms of Sri Lankan culture, I think the story of a military family in a time of national crisis is rare, coming out of Sri Lanka. To that extent, it may be something ‘new’ or unexpected to international audiences. It is not that there aren’t such stories, but very few are written. Stories like ours show that behind common stereotypes live real human beings. Personal grief breaks down barriers, and has tremendous power to connect. 

Rajeev: Rukshani and Rushika do a brilliant job of capturing what life felt like in their part of Sri Lanka during the 1980s. Even though that period has passed, their language and storytelling paint such a vivid picture that I think audiences who have never visited Sri Lanka can still clearly imagine what life was like. More broadly, Sri Lankan culture is deeply rooted in family. Family plays a huge role in shaping who we are and who we become. I think that sense of connection, responsibility, and love within families is something that resonates universally. 

Do you think there is growing international interest in stories from Sri Lanka? 

Rukshani: I would say there is. With two Booker Prize winners and so many others who have received international acclaim, it is hard to ignore writing coming out of Sri Lanka. Speaking from within the writing fraternity, I think the standard of English writing in Sri Lanka is extremely high, and this makes it all the more exciting. 

Rajeev: Absolutely. Now more than ever before, people are looking outward and seeking stories from places and communities that have historically been overlooked. There have been times when I have seen world maps in the United States that did not even include Sri Lanka, and I think there is now a growing awareness of the need to change that. 

Sri Lanka has an incredible wealth of artistic talent, and it is wonderful to be part of a generation that is helping bring our stories to international audiences. It is exciting to see so many Sri Lankan artists contributing to that shared effort. 

What are each of you working on next? 

Rushika: I am working on writing stories that show how big questions in life often get answered in simple and unexpected ways. 

Rukshani: I have a growing portfolio of children’s books. ‘Mr. Choon Paan’ was published in 2022 in response to the child’s experience of the economic crisis in Sri Lanka at the time. Earlier this year, the first of my ‘Legal Tales’ series came out – ‘The Ginger Beer Snail’. There are four more books in the series to be released over the next few years. This series is a retelling of old court cases, in rhyming verse, with colourful illustrations by Nicole Parakrama. 

Rajeev: I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to study and work in Hollywood, and equally fortunate to now be back home building my own production company and telling our stories. I have recently wrapped a short film titled ‘Good Boy,’ which I hope to submit to film festivals, while also developing two feature film projects, including one centred on the 2004 tsunami. 

In addition, I am continuing to work in local theatre, with the hope of one day touring productions internationally. I am also developing workshops that will give aspiring artists opportunities to refine their craft, build meaningful connections, and engage with creative communities around the world.