Matthew Kurian Cherukara Memorial Scholarship at NALSAR

Honouring a Life of Grit and Justice: The Matthew Kurian Cherukara Memorial Scholarship at NALSAR

In a touching tribute to the life, courage, and ideals of Late Shri Matthew Kurian Cherukara, family members and college friends have come together to institute a scholarship in his memory at the NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad—an institution that shaped much of Matthew’s academic and personal journey. The initiative has received a warm and positive response from the University, which has also unveiled a large photograph of Matthew in its central library as a lasting symbol of his enduring legacy.

Matthew, who pursued both his B.A.LL.B. (Hons) [2014–2019] and LL.M [2022–2023] at NALSAR, passed away on 9 November 2024 after a long and courageous battle with a brain tumour. Despite facing profound health challenges and physical limitations, he completed his degrees, served as an Assistant Manager (Legal) at HDFC, and qualified the UGC NET-JRF examination in December 2023. His academic achievements stand as a testimony to his resilience and unwavering determination.

Matthew was deeply committed to the values of social and economic justice, a passion that permeated his conversations, coursework, and personal convictions. To honour these ideals and help others walk a path he once traversed with so much dignity, his family and friends have instituted the Matthew Kurian Scholarship. This fund aims to support students with disabilities (PwD category) pursuing the B.A.LL.B. (Hons) course at NALSAR, thereby carrying forward Matthew’s spirit of inclusion and empowerment.

The scholarship fund has already received an initial contribution of INR 8,00,000, raised entirely through donations from Matthew’s close-knit circle of loved ones. An additional amount of INR 60,000 will be transferred by July 2025 to kick-start the scholarship from the upcoming academic year (2025–2026). Starting 2026–2027, the scholarship will be disbursed from the annual interest generated by the fixed deposit.

The University will oversee the fair and transparent selection of deserving PwD candidates, with the flexibility to allocate the scholarship to one or multiple students. The support may come in various forms—including fee concessions, grants, or assistive technology—depending on the specific needs of the selected students.

On 5 May 2025, Matthew’s parents and sister visited the Vice Chancellor of NALSAR to express their gratitude and formally discuss the next steps in the scholarship’s institution. Their meeting marked a heartfelt moment of collaboration between the bereaved family and the University—united by the shared goal of nurturing future legal minds inspired by Matthew’s strength and ideals.

As the scholarship takes shape, the broader NALSAR community—faculty, students, and alumni—are invited to find inspiration in Matthew’s story: of quiet perseverance, academic excellence, and an enduring commitment to justice.

This collaborative act of remembrance is not only a celebration of a life well-lived but a beacon for future generations of law students at NALSAR.

Cheta’s dearest darling kochester,

From Matthew’s (Cheta’s) dearest darling kochester,

(Kochester is an inside joke which is a merging of “kochu” – meaning “Small” in Malayalam and “schwester” – meaning “Sister” in German)

My brother and I have a 13-year age gap, which, for some people, would be a big setback, but frankly, for us, I don’t think it was! Mostly because my brother always acted like he was half MY age >ᴗ<! My brother was more than just a familiar figure to me, he was my best friend, my guide, my mentor (he would tease me if he were to read this ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡) and as I often called him, my Obi Wan Kenobi. 

Graduation!

I am not very good with words, but I know that without my brother’s guidance, I would never have been able to build and develop my personality to what it is today. His talent with words and his ability to capture a person’s attention just by listening to him speak is something I aspire to.

One of the things I will always be grateful to my brother for is; introducing me to the world of books. As a kid I hated reading, I really did! Just looking at a book would bore me to pieces, but seeing my brother holding books in his hands like they were the most precious things he’d ever held was something that truly fascinated me. 

That was when he introduced me to Percy Jackson. Thanks to him, I have been trained in identifying good books from the rest, good movies from the rest and, more importantly, how to imagine! How to dream! 

He was the one who first taught me how to imagine what fantasy novels would look like if I started picturing them in my head. Thanks to him, I will always be the most well-read person in whatever group I’m in, or at least knowledgeable about the classics of literature.

My brother introduced me to most of all of the franchises, books, movies, etc., like Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel, Indiana Jones, and the entire Tolkienverse. On that note, my brother was the biggest Tolkien fan I knew; he had that excited gleam in his eyes, even at the age of 28, whenever he spoke of Sauron or Gandalf or Mordor that I will never be able to forget and like a bittersweet memory keep in my heart until I get to see him again.

I know everyone tells me he’s in a better place, and he’s happier now. I find myself- willing -to believe that because anything less than that would be too much for me to bear, so I hope that we can all remember my brother as who he was. 

An eccentric, not very outgoing, but at the same time intelligent, classy without showing it, and an overall inspiration for all of us to look up to and remember. Let’s never forget him. That’s the best thing we can do for Matthew Kurian, whom we all knew. 

Let’s never forget who Matthew Kurian was and the irreplaceable dent he has left in all of our hearts.