Gananath’s Manifold Reach: Many Voices in Vale

IT is a testament to Gananath’s openness and skills that personnel from so many walks of life have stepped up to record his influence on their thinking and lives. May he dwell comfortably in his after-life. ….. Michael Roberts

A Female Voice in Facebook, March 2025

I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Prof Gananath Obeyesekere. Much will be written about Prof Obeyesekere’s contribution to academia in the coming days. He was a giant in the field and one of the most well-known and respected Sri Lankan intellectuals.

Prof Obeyesekere’s influence on generations of anthropologists is without question. Speaking with my anthropology colleagues after his demise, all of us felt the same sense of an irreplaceable loss. His work was accessible; he was one of the first anthropologists I read, from whom I learnt, the art of writing. I learned that you can communicate profound and important ideas in an engaging manner. His lectures were riveting – blending a wicked sense of humour and a flair that was unique to him. It was not just Prof Obeyesekere’s work that was accessible. He was generous with his time to others. When I was working at the Department of Social Studies, Open University of Sri Lanka, we invited him to record a few sessions for our students. He readily agreed – and spent several hours in our studios, recording material which students were able to access through the Department’s online resource library. He also agreed to establish the Gananath Obeyesekere Gold Medal for the best student in Sociology in our department. It didn’t matter to him that he was one of the best known intellectuals in the world and we were just an emerging department with little claim to fame – he was happy to support our efforts to promote anthropology and sociology within Sri Lankan universities.

My deepest condolences to his family, especially his devoted wife, Professor Ranjani Obeyesekere, a much respected figure in her own right. Together, they were truly a force to reckon with. There is so much to say about this wonderful man – but for now, rest in peace, Prof Obeyesekere. You will be deeply missed but never forgotten.

Uditha Devapriya in Facebook, 27 March 2025

This morning I received news of Professor Gananath Obeyesekere’s death.

I never met him, nor talked with him, nor had the good fortune to be in the same room or place as he, except once at a film screening in 2019. I realised early on, when I began reading about anthropology, how Obeyesekere changed the face of that discipline, both in Sri Lanka and the world. I was particularly moved and convinced by his point – which he made time and time again – that our folk culture helped insulate us from violence and gave us a sense of conscience and humanism which we lost later on.

To many of us, Gananath Obeyesekere was like a god. Yet he defied divinity, and passed on. This is an irreparable loss, though I am comforted by the thought that, to quote a prominent commentator I messaged after hearing news of his death, he lived a full life, acknowledged by all those who came under its spell.

We are grateful.

Image courtesy: Princeton University

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