In 2022, Sri Lanka experienced its worst economic crisis since independence, with the country defaulting on its foreign debt for the first time in its history and facing acute shortages of food, fuel, and medicine. The crisis was triggered by a combination of reckless borrowing, a collapse in tourism, and ill-advised agricultural policies, leading to widespread protests in Colombo that forced the president to flee the country. The event marked a profound political and economic turning point for the island nation.

The Sri Lankan crisis was a major theme in the country's contemporary poetry and literature, with writers documenting the suffering and resilience of the people during the economic collapse. Poets like Sivagowry Sivanathan and others used the crisis as a backdrop for explorations of national identity, social justice, and the human cost of economic mismanagement, themes that also resonated in the broader South Asian literary scene.