For a literary piece, the most appealing titles are those which are symbolic and hint at some inner meaning. But in most cases the authors use the name of a character as the title. Here Nissim Ezekiel has done the latter.

The professor is the lone speaker in this monologue. He is having a conversation with his former student on the way. In the poem there is hardly anything that reveals the student’s identity or character. Rather, it is all about the professor’s identity, thought process and his way of speaking. His words actually reveal a great deal about his own character – what he likes to talk about and how he thinks about different aspects of life.

So we see that the whole poem revolves around the professor. The poet’s aim was to depict his character to showcase a typical stereotype Indian mind in a satiric way. In short, it is the characterization of the professor that makes the poet’s job done. The professor is of utmost importance in this poem. That is why I think the title of the poem is just and apt.