'Harini Amarasuriya Social & Ethnographic Research Lab' much ado about nothing?

The eponymous lab is not an awe-inspiring phenomenon, but by virtue of carrying the Sri Lankan Prime Minister's name, its significance should be mirrored in remaining relevant. Anyone with an iota of national pride would not want a room bearing our Prime Minister's name to fall by the wayside, as many other ill-thought-out political projects in India and Sri Lanka have become or could become. After all, University of Delhi, to which Hindu College is affiliated, recently cancelled a scheduled lecture which was part of the long standing 'Friday Colloquium' series at the Department of Sociology at Delhi School of Economics right next door to Hindu College and in the same breath asked its affiliate colleges to promote a summit on "cow welfare." This emanates from the sanctity associated with that animal in Hinduism.

- by Sasanka Perera

PM Amarasuriya

As I listened to the Prime Minister, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya at University of Colombo on 28 October 2025, she noted that research symposiums, conferences, and academic publications across the country's universities have expanded in recent years, and this visibility had contributed to improved global university rankings. Nevertheless, and more importantly she cautioned that rankings should not be the sole benchmark of academic excellence. She rightly observed that research was a central mission of universities, not only for generating new knowledge but also for enriching the learning experience and nurturing future scholars. After a long time, I was able to agree with a political leader, and much of what I said later that morning in the same event resonated with her basic assumptions.

However, as I listened to her thought-provoking address and the need to reflect and analyse which should necessarily be part of university training, the recently established eponymous research 'lab' in her name at Hindu College, University of Delhi, came to mind.

Taking a cue from the Prime Minister and the need to be reflective in what we write, it would be disingenuous on my part if I do not discuss what the 'Harini Amarasuriya Social & Ethnographic Research Lab' means in terms of real politics as well as common sense. After all, she is not just an anthropologist and a former academic but also and more crucially, Sri Lanka's Prime Minister. The overwhelming majority of Sri Lankans, including me, voted to send her and the government she represents to parliament with considerable electoral backing. As a voter and a scholar, but importantly as a citizen, the public use of a Sri Lankan leader's name internationally is a matter of interest as it has broad connotations and implications beyond individuals.