Students Etched in Memory

by Perumal Murugan, Iswarya V. (Translator))

Students Etched in Memory is a remarkable collection of forty essays by Perumal Murugan, translated with sensitivity and grace by V. Iswarya. While Murugan is widely acclaimed for his novels such as One Part Woman and, this collection reveals another facet of his work—as a teacher, mentor and keen observer of young minds. In these deeply personal essays, Murugan offers an intimate look into the lives of college students from small-town Tamil Nadu. Each is a portrait of youth, where the pursuit of education becomes a journey not just of academic growth, but of self-discovery. Through his sharp yet compassionate observations, Murugan captures the delicate balance between the quest for knowledge and the search for identity, belonging and purpose.

With profound empathy for his students, Murugan recognizes that education is far more than textbooks and exams. Against the backdrop of contemporary India, the essays reflect the broader challenges facing students—pressures of family expectations, class, caste and the tension between tradition and modernity. Yet, they carry a sense of hope—of education as a pathway to change, upward mobility and the possibility of personal transformation. Once again, Perumal Murugan demonstrates his mastery in capturing the lived experiences of individuals navigating the shifting currents of change.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays

220 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2025

About the author

Primary profile for this author.

Do NOT merge author profiles in different languages/spelling.

Per GR policy, books published in another language/script should have the name on that book as secondary author, with Perumal Murugan as primary author.

Perumal Murugan is a well-known contemporary Tamil writer and poet. He was written six novels, four collections of short stories and four anthologies of poetry. Three of his novels have been translated into English to wide acclaim: Seasons of the Palm, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Kiriyama Award in 2005, Current Show, and most recently, One Part Woman. He has received awards from the Tamil Nadu government as well as from Katha Books.

Reviews

[Priyanka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh the simplicity and beauty of it!! 💛💛💛

[Kalaiselvan selvaraj · Rating 3 out of 5]

கல்லூரி ஆசிரியரான பெருமாள் முருகன் தன் நினைவில் இருந்து நீங்காது நிலைத்து நிற்கும் மாணவர்களை பற்றி எழுதியுள்ள கட்டுரைகளின் (40) தொகுப்பே இந்த மனதில் நிற்கும் மாணவர்கள் புத்தகம். -கலைச்செல்வன் செல்வராஜ்.

புத்தகத்திலிருந்து சில நினைவுகள்,

வெற்றி அமைதியாகிவிடும். தோல்வி ஒருபோதும் அடங்காது. வெற்றியின் அமைதி மேற்கொண்டு என்ன செய்வது என்று தெரியாமல் தடுமாறும். தோல்வியின் எழுச்சி வீறுடன் செயல்படும். வெற்றியின் கவனம் முழுவதையும் தன்னை நோக்கித் திருப்பித் தன்னையே கவனத்தில் கொண்டு செயல்பட வேண்டிய நிர்ப்பந்தத்தைத் தோல்வி உருவாக்கிவிடும். காயம் பட்ட புலியின் பாய்ச்சலைத் தோல்வியிடம் காணலாம்.

ஆசிரியர் மாணவரை மறக்கலாம். ஆனால் மாணவர்கள் ஆசிரியரை மறப்பதில்லை. அவர்கள் ஆளுமையில் ஏதோ ஒரு மாற்றம் ஏற்பட ஆசிரியர் தம்மை அறியாமலே காரணமாக இருந்திருக்கலாம். அல்லது எந்த மாற்றத்தையும் ஏற்படுத்த இயலாதவராகவும் வெறுமனே கடந்து போயிருக்கலாம். எப்படி இருப்பினும் மாணவர் நினைவில் இருந்து ஆசிரியர் மறைவதில்லை.

எதிலும் இல்லாத பெருநிறைவை ஆசிரியப் பணியில் பெற முடியும். அதை உணர எங்கேனும் வழியில் பார்க்கும் மாணவர் ஒருவர் மகிழ்ச்சியோடு சொல்லும் ஒரே ஒரு வணக்கம் போதுமானது. -பெருமாள் முருகன்.

[Girish Vivek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but was repetitive several times in between

[Vignesh Harshavardhan V · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a collection of 40 essays by Perumal Murugan (originally written in Tamil) on students he has taught over his long career in the Government College system of Tamil Nadu.

[Graeme Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Students Etched in Memory is a quiet, humane, and deeply affecting collection that reveals Perumal Murugan not only as a novelist of social insight, but as a teacher attuned to the fragile interior lives of his students. Across forty short essays, Murugan captures moments of youth that are fleeting yet formative, rendering them with clarity, warmth, and restraint.

The strength of the book lies in its attentiveness. Murugan does not dramatize his students’ lives; instead, he observes them closely how they speak, hesitate, dream, and struggle. These portraits of college students from small town Tamil Nadu show education not as an abstract ideal, but as a lived experience shaped by class, caste, family pressure, and the pull between tradition and aspiration. Each essay feels rooted in a real encounter, marked by respect rather than authority.

What makes the collection especially resonant is its moral steadiness. Murugan never claims to have answers for his students’ dilemmas. He listens, reflects, and records. In doing so, he acknowledges education as an imperfect but hopeful space one where transformation is possible, even if it is incomplete or uncertain. The translation by V. Iswarya is clear and sensitive, preserving the understated emotional weight of the prose.

Students Etched in Memory will resonate with teachers, students, and readers interested in contemporary Indian life. It is a book about learning, but also about care about noticing young people as they stand on the edge of becoming.

[Shreela Sen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's exactly what the title says - reminisces of the author about his students across his teaching life.
Each essay is a simple anecdote or a set of 4-5 connected anecdotes.
Some are funny, some are touching, some are insightful, some are hopeful, & some are bland.
Each is affectionate, cherished, heartfelt & enthusiastic.
There is very little drama.
Murugan's observations are mostly easy to agree with.
Translation is very smooth & in a very simple language. Tamil words in the text do not cause any hindrance to the reading.
I actually enjoyed the preface more than any of the individual essays!