The Girlfriends: Spotlight

Episode 14: Visaka Sparks a Ceasefire
Release Date: February 16, 2026
Host: Anna Sinfield
Featured Guest: Visaka Dharmadasa

Episode Overview

This episode tells the extraordinary true story of Visaka Dharmadasa, a Sri Lankan mother who, in the face of unimaginable personal loss, crossed enemy lines during the country’s decades-long civil war to meet with the notorious Tamil Tigers. Her bold, compassionate actions laid the groundwork for peace talks that would eventually halt one of the world’s most brutal conflicts. Through firsthand interviews and narration, the episode explores themes of maternal courage, grassroots activism, inclusive peace-building, and the transformative power of human connection—even with those seen as enemies.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: War and Personal Loss

• The episode opens with atmospheric storytelling: Visaka and six other mothers, at dawn, prepare to cross into Tamil Tiger territory, risking their lives to seek answers about their missing sons ([02:46]-[05:24]).
• Visaka Dharmadasa (03:03):
  “We’re sitting on what you call a makeshift bed of a military officer. It was all sticks tied together.”
• The Sri Lankan civil war is contextualized as a highly violent ethnic conflict between the Sinhalese-majority government and the minority Tamil Tigers (LTTE), marked by bombings, assassinations, and mass displacement ([06:08]).

2. The Personal Becomes Political

• Visaka’s two eldest sons joined the military, which brought the distant-seeming war uncomfortably close to home ([07:47]-[08:19]).
• When her son Achinta goes missing in battle, Visaka is thrust into relentless grief and bureaucratic entanglement, struggling to get information about his fate ([09:40]-[11:46]).
• Visaka Dharmadasa (09:47):
  “The day that I say the war was at my doorstep.”

3. Founding Activism Amid Grief

• After months of stonewalling from the Red Cross and the military, Visaka rallies other families of missing soldiers, organizing a powerful religious ceremony and launching an informal support network ([13:41]-[15:26]).
• The mothers stage symbolic acts—floating flower offerings and releasing balloons with their children’s names—as calls for peace ([15:12]-[16:04]).

4. Crossing Enemy Lines: The Mothers Meet the Tigers

• Deciding institutional routes are dead ends, Visaka seeks direct contact, securing reluctant government permission to cross into rebel-controlled territory ([21:13]-[22:17]).
• With church support, the mothers enter the jungle and meet Colonel Karuna (LTTE second-in-command)—a meeting that is tense, yet unexpectedly humanized by Visaka’s empathy and humor ([04:53]-[05:28]).
  • Visaka Dharmadasa (05:15):
    “We came to see your claws and your teeth, because everybody says you all are Tigers.”
  • This joke breaks the ice, and mothers and militants share banned sweets, shifting the tone from confrontation to connection ([05:40]-[06:08]).
• The conversations are candid and vulnerable on both sides; both parties acknowledge their pain and losses from the war ([24:34]-[25:27]).

5. “We Came to Speak to You as Mothers”

• The mothers’ appeal is not political, but deeply human, person-to-person ([05:52]-[06:08]).
  • Visaka Dharmadasa (06:08):
    “We came to speak to you as mothers.”
• The visit doesn’t yield immediate answers about the missing, but it opens a new channel for peace discussions.
• As a parting gesture, Visaka hands over a green file outlining their plea for ceasefire and peace with justice ([25:50]-[26:16]).

6. Catalyzing Ceasefire and Women’s Inclusion

• The mothers’ daring journey becomes a watershed moment—earning Visaka national recognition and triggering the first direct negotiations between the government and the Tigers ([30:06]-[30:45]).
• Visaka recognizes women’s exclusion from formal peace talks and launches a petition, collecting 60,000 signatures from both Sinhalese and Tamil communities—a unifying, logistically daunting feat ([31:45]-[32:07]).
• Visaka Dharmadasa (31:16):
  “What is happening? Where are the women? We want to work with women. Across the divide, we went.”

7. A Turning Point: The Press Conference and Ceasefire

• The LTTE invites Visaka back for a press conference—a day-and-a-half wait to announce the release of prisoners and, most importantly, a ceasefire ([33:32]-[35:25]).
• On February 22, 2002, Sri Lanka experiences its first peace in nearly two decades; highways reopen, families reunite, and the country glimpses hope ([36:12]-[36:22]).
  • Visaka Dharmadasa (36:12):
    “It was so nice because we could go, we could really cross by road… It was nice to meet others.”
• Visaka organizes meetups between mothers from both sides—fostering recognition of their shared suffering and creating the Association of War Affected Women ([37:33]).

8. Legacy and Lingering Grief

• Despite her achievements, Visaka has never learned her son’s fate. She describes her ongoing hope, symbolized by unused sandalwood soap left for Achinta ([38:40]).
• Visaka Dharmadasa (38:40):
  “Even like today… nearly 27 years, I’m still waiting for him. The urge to know… that’s very, very powerful.”
• Visaka’s activism continues internationally, connecting with other women from conflict zones and advocating for dialogue and peace ([39:01]-[39:44]).
• She describes friendships formed with former enemies, emphasizing that in war, there are “no winners, only loss” ([39:44]).
  • Visaka Dharmadasa (39:44):
    “Really, there is no personal animosities… We wanted everybody to live. That’s why war anywhere, for whatever reason, is not going to resolve anything.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Breaking Tension with Humor ([05:15]):
  “We came to see your claws and teeth, because everybody says you all are Tigers.” —Visaka Dharmadasa

• A Human Appeal ([06:08]):
  “We came to speak to you as mothers.” —Visaka Dharmadasa

• Channeling Grief into Action ([14:50]):
  “That’s the time that we also established this parents of servicemen missing in action. A very loose network… I told, definitely, let’s really go to the north to find sons and daughters.” —Visaka Dharmadasa

• Recognition and Responsibility ([30:20]):
  “That was something that exactly gave me a huge recognition within my country, within Colombo… I am very important in this whole journey of peace building.” —Visaka Dharmadasa

• On the Power of Shared Motherhood ([37:16]):
  “It was really good for them to… understand that it’s not only you, but also from the other side. They were sharing the photographs, you know, crying together… a lot of understanding.” —Visaka Dharmadasa

• On Still Waiting ([38:40]):
  “Even like today, though it’s… nearly 27 years, I’m still waiting for him… The urge to know… is very, very powerful.” —Visaka Dharmadasa

• On Reconciliation ([39:44]):
  “Frankly, there is no personal animosities… We wanted everybody to live. That’s why war anywhere… is not going to resolve anything or, you know, nobody will win in a war.” —Visaka Dharmadasa

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:46]: Introduction—Mothers prepare to cross enemy lines
• [07:47]: Visaka describes pre-war mentality in central Sri Lanka
• [09:47]: Achinta goes missing; the personal impact of war
• [14:50]: Formation of support networks and ceremonial activism
• [21:13]: Gaining government permission to cross into Tiger territory
• [22:46]-[25:27]: The first meeting with the Tigers; unexpected connections
• [30:06]: Impact of the mothers' journey—kickstarting dialogue
• [31:45]: Petition to include women in peace talks
• [35:10]: The press conference and the announcement of ceasefire
• [36:12]: First days of peace following the ceasefire
• [37:16]: Meet-up between northern and southern mothers
• [38:40]: Visaka’s continued hope and activism
• [39:44]: Reflections on reconciliation and the futility of war

Conclusion

“Visaka Sparks a Ceasefire” is a testament to the power of ordinary people—particularly women and mothers—to effect extraordinary change in the face of loss, violence, and bureaucracy. Visaka Dharmadasa’s story blends heartbreak, courage, and enduring hope. Her actions catalyzed the first ceasefire in a generation, fostered cross-community healing, and advanced the role of women in peace negotiations, both in Sri Lanka and globally.

For more stories of women changing the world, listen to other episodes of The Girlfriends: Spotlight.