Varunika Ruwanpura had an unusual childhood. Her father worked in hotel management and as a result, he, Varunika and her mother lived in hotels all over the world. It was an exciting life for the family of three, but twice Varunika found herself in the midst of war. On both occasions, war arrived under a cloak of darkness in the middle of the night, bringing terror and havoc right to her doorstep. 

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Varunika shared her story at Darwin Festival in 2021 where the theme was 'After Dark'.