Students Etched in Memory is a beautiful mosaic of essays, written in the form of events, which could give a feel of short stories, detailing the author's rich experiences of his different students who carved their niche in Perumal's life.
It is in times of difficulty that we come to know who our true friends are. Hardship reveals to us our sources of support. It makes us appreciate the warmth of the fingers that caress us gently. It makes us realise the value of words. It bridges rifts.
These classic lines from A Lonely Harvest, an earlier text by litterateur Perumal Murugan, give an idea of what to expect from his literary works. Reading Murugan라이브 바카라 work is not just reading his texts in vapid textuality. It is experiencing spirituality and undergoing metamorphosis. It is always a psychological and sociological exercise, which one can’t avoid, especially his portrayal of the Kongu Nadu region. His portrayal of simple principles of life in its utmost morality makes his craft different. But, the outer simplicity is a misnomer, as the complex layers of gender-caste-class-regional praxis are enmeshed in it.
With this background in mind, a fresh addition to his literary repertoire is ‘Students Etched in Memory’. It is a beautiful mosaic of essays, written in the form of events, which could give a feel of short stories, detailing the author's rich experiences of his different students who carved their niche in his life. But this is not a typical descriptive banal memoir.
The simpler it appears, the more layers of complexity it has inherent in them. This text could be read in two ways. The first way is to look at it as a collection of experiences, devouring them as they come in a very naive but enjoyable manner. The reader will also not be disappointed as the writing is breezy, funny and sprinkled with the correct dose of humour where required. In one of the stories, hide-and-seek, the author describes an episode of his student Rajendran, who seems reluctant to take a lift from him while going to college. The author's intention is noble, as the students had to board a jampacked bus due to the lack of good transportation facilities there. So, many have to travel in suspension or on footboard, which could be dangerous. Hence, he tried to give a ride to any student he knew till college, and Rajendran happened to be the guy. Initially, the author didn’t register his hesitancy, but later, Rajendran used to hide when he saw the author arriving. The author later discovers why Rajendran used to hide and was hesitant to travel with him. The reason was that Rajendran wanted to go on the bus, whatever challenges it offered, as his love interest used to travel by bus. So, why would he miss that chance to impress her?
The text is filled with such events. A lay reader will enjoy this humorous and light ride. But along with these, the stories also break your heart and make you weep, pondering life's destiny. The author touches upon the events that break our hearts. In Pebble by the Gomukhi River, the author narrates the saga of his student Balamurugan. Balamurugan, came from a humble caste background. As caste is an enclosed class, it also dictates the material status of the people. So, he had to work at a mill to sponsor his studies and run his family. So, Balamurugan- a hardworking student, a son that every parent desires, a humorous chap, a sensitive human being- suddenly takes his life one day by drinking pesticide! The reason being Love. He had to go through a breakup due to caste differences.
There are numerous instances where the layers of human conduct, the embedded emotions that define our existence, are foregrounded in a very lucid narrative. The writings can take a reader to the author's world in the Kongunadu region, travelling places with the characters and being a part of their habitus. The second way to read them is not just for reading but reading them in their context. I recall the lines of Seyla Benhabib here, who says that the self is not an isolated entity but an entity that is deeply embedded and embodies the social and cultural contexts. In India's case, these social and cultural contexts primarily have graded layers of inequalities manifesting them through the agencies of gender, religion, caste, class, race, ethnicity or other factors. So, these essays/stories of the author come from his distinct self - a tangible, intangible manifestation of the socio-cultural-economic habitus he inhabits. A simple look at his repertoire of literary texts shall substantiate my point.
Be his One Part Woman, Pyre, Fire Bird, Resolve, Estuary, Season of Palms or my favourite Songs of a Coward. So, one understands what lies in the context beneath the text. In the story Towering over All, the author discusses marriage as an institution of maintaining caste. Love, which has the power to degender and de-caste the dogmatic caste system, has been forced to obey the casteist marriage institution, and the sad part is that the youth, too, falls in line.
Nevertheless, some outliers defy this system and foreground the force of Love. So, credit goes to these Bravehearts who have kept the embers of love burning and the hope of Annihilating gendered caste inequalities. This is the story of Raja, a medium-height fella, who the author says seemed towering over all by ensuring his self-victory with the instrument of lover over the religion-caste barriers.
One more vital point to note about these essays is that they point to the sorry state of the Education system in India. The author foregrounds the saga of Education in this era of Late Capitalism, with market forces imbibing its zealous essence to render education a commodified entity. Education works on the ethos of profits-losses, buying-selling, the efficiency of private over public and pressures of forced globalisation. Thus, the agency of education, which stalwarts like Jyotirao Phule had regarded as a booster to inculcate morals, values, and wisdom, ensure gender-religion-caste-class mobilities, is now fighting a tough battle with the Neo-liberal forces. But, until there are teachers like the present author and students who are passionate about education, who still fight to keep the basic motive of education intact! These small victories, like in his A Mere Six Hundred Rupees, inspire students to dream and break the invisible-dogmatic societal ceilings.
In his preface, the author talks about his wish to write more such essays; I, as a reader, also feel he must write more such essays that are a treasure of rich examples of the social anthropology of his region. The translation is also beautifully done; sometimes, there may be a gap between what the author wants to say and what is portrayed in the English translation, as the author originally wrote these essays in Tamil. This, I felt in some stories to name a few - Catman, Motor lifter.
I understand the challenges and limitations for the translator, as one can’t entirely reproduce the original work's essence. But, the prominent English-translated work is mesmerising, and it could evoke feelings of empathy, the quest for dignity, the value of labour, passion, and persistence in the efforts to rewrite the imposed destinies. The cover page is symbolic, challenging a perspective-based-experiential seeing through it rather than merely looking one. It may be farfetched, but sometimes, while reading, I felt the author resembles Nikumbh Sir, played by actor Aamir Khan, from the famous movie Taare Zameen Par. The text under consideration too reflects the standpoint of the author,
Every student is Special!