Getting to share my thoughts on Freedom of expression on a Global platform was definitely Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, but it sure wasn't something I signed up for. Link to the full video is on the bio.
Edited by @realtalk.media ❤️
This was a wild one 😶🌫️
Natasha Edirisooriya is a Sri Lankan stand-up comedian, writer, and content creator known for her bold, thought-provoking humor and fearless social commentary. She rose to widespread attention not only for her sharp, satirical performances but also following her controversial arrest in 2023 over material from her comedy show that sparked a national debate on freedom of expression and religious sensitivity in Sri Lanka.
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Where are the feminists when I need them? A clip from my standup performance Bail-Out, written and performed in January 2024, while still on bail, in-between court dates and before the bogus legal case was dismissed. So this was before I got all the other legally binding documents to prove I wasn’t a bad girl.
Dhal curry is on the stove, makes my mouth water, aromatically pleasing, tastes exactly as I wanted. Yet I feel frustrated. It is not the right shade of yellow, a little on the paler side. I feel frustrated. I check my emails, I see myself featured in the same montage with Salman Rushdie, I feel pride, we both have spoken on the same stage. I feel a sense of achievement. Then I remember Midnight’s Children, sitting on my bookshelf for more than a year, stuck at the second chapter, too dense for my brain to proceed further. I feel lacking. The next millisecond I am reminded of the three words Salman Rushdie wrote in praise of Shehan Karunatilake’s Chinaman. “I Loved Chinaman”. I feel annoyed. Is that the best he could do? “live an equanimous life” I hear the words of my therapist, I sprinkle some turmeric into my Dhal curry. Maybe tomorrow… third Annual Global Free Speech Summit is happening on this October
I wore sarees for six months straight during the internship I did just after School. I took the 138 bus at peak hours wearing a saree. By the end, I had become a pro at draping. Got so good at draping, my saree remained unscathed by the tossing and hurling I went through in buses, thanks to the habitual breaks of bus drivers. Slowly, I lost touch with the saree over the years. The saree-draping skills I had acquired more than 15 years ago came in handy when I had to drape a saree to give a speech in a room full of white people. This was the first time I had ever been photographed wearing a saree I draped by myself. It might not look like it, but this is a saree drape that can easily survive the peak 138 bus ride any day.
Link for the speech is in the bio.
#freespeechsummit2025
I couldn’t be more proud of her.
Watching Nathasha step onto an international stage for the very first time, and own it with this level of honesty, courage, and humour, is something special. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to help make that first international appearance happen.
What she represents goes far beyond a single set. It’s resilience. It’s nuance. It’s the complexity of free speech in the real world.
And I have to admit, I’m genuinely fascinated by the free speech debate unfolding in the comments. It’s almost poetic that a set about censorship and tolerance is sparking exactly the kind of conversation it questions.
Proud is an understatement. I encourage you to watch the full dialogue here : https://youtu.be/5i5Dmys3XbY?si=w0grmqhtTGxSTsU6
When she was put in prison for telling a joke, @nathashaedi says she found unexpected support from others behind bars — even from those who disagreed with her.
🔗 Watch her full speech from our #FreeSpeechSummit2025 on YouTube using the link in our bio.
A comedian’s worst nightmare should be a joke that doesn’t land — not a fear of execution for telling it.
At the#FreeSpeechSummit2025, @nathashaedi shares what’s truly at stake when punchlines are treated as crimes and speech becomes a punishable offense.
🔗 Listen to her story on our YouTube using the link in our bio.
If anyone is looking to pitch a legal drama, I already have three seasons ready. The past three years post-arrest could outperform Suits.
I joined the drama somewhat late. I was held in prison before I could even enter the story, and catching up was not easy. I have only heard accounts of the High Court bail petition that granted me bail with a landmark order. The moment I stepped out of prison, I had to take over handling all legal matters. It was like inheriting a very complicated school science group project I knew nothing about, yet my life depended on it.
My life rotated between bail orders, bail applications, petitions, B reports, Magistrate Court proceedings, and piles upon piles of files. Half the time I ended up handing the wrong document to my legal counsel. In my defence, they all looked boring, important, and threatening at the same time.
The Magistrate Court case was eventually dismissed a year later due to lack of evidence. Then came the Human Rights Recommendation, concluding that my fundamental rights had been violated. Then began the Fundamental Rights Petition.
Somewhere between court dates and B reports, I managed to secure a prestigious scholarship and completed my Master's with a distinction. Getting a distinction was hard. Handling a legal case was harder.
After almost three years since the arrest, the legal drama came to an end with a victory ending that truly deserves its own TV show.
I will not miss the court appearances, or the heaviness in my heart before every date. But I will miss the people. The lawyers and everyone who stood with me in solidarity.
