Don’t we all carry vivid memories of our teachers, some for their gentle words of encouragement, some for their patient guidance, and others, quite memorably, for the punishments that still make us wince or laugh years later? And if nothing else, there’s always Teachers’ Day on September 5, when we pause to remember them in honour of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. This year, we decided to add a playful twist by asking celebs to travel back in time and recall the strangest, quirkiest punishments they ever faced in school.
Seerat Kapot, Actress & Model
One of the strangest punishments I ever received from a teacher was for something as simple as laughing too much. I had this uncontrollable habit of bursting into fits of laughter during class, usually at the wrong time. One day, my teacher finally had enough. Instead of the usual scolding or sending me out, she came up with something quite unusual — she made me and my friend, who was also laughing with me, stand on a marked spot inside the classroom. The punishment wasn’t just for a few minutes; we had to stay there for the entire period while the rest of the class carried on. This happened when I was in the 6th grade, a time when school still felt both strict and fun, while our teachers often came up with creative exercises to discipline us. At that age, I thought it was hilarious to be singled out in this way, especially since I wasn’t standing alone and had company. However, at the same time, I could feel the weight of everyone’s eyes on us, and it was certainly uncomfortable to be laughing one moment and then treated as a spectacle the next. Looking back, the punishment had a lasting impact. It taught me that what feels lighthearted and joyful to you might not always be received the same way by others, especially in formal or serious settings. What seemed like a silly punishment at the time ended up shaping how I view expressions of emotion and the way they’re perceived by people in different situations.
Komalee Prasad, Actress
I was a very good kid my entire childhood. I was good in studies and extracurriculars, basically a teacher’s pet. I definitely had my share of mischief, but I always got away. More than receiving punishments, I was often the reason others received punishment. I remember one of my classmates once said ‘I love you’ to me, and I immediately went and complained to the principal. As punishment, that poor boy was tied alone to a pillar in the school for four hours after school hours were done. When I found out, I felt bad and apologised to him. I even gave him a chocolate the following day, but I rejected his proposal again (laughs). I have met so many teachers throughout my childhood, but my English teacher, Srinivas sir, was my favourite. At first, like every teenager, I admired him because he was good-looking and charming. But as time passed, I understood how different and impactful his principles were. He taught us values more than just English. He still stands as my most favourite teacher, and I would love to know where he is now and meet him to thank him.
Ravindra Vijay, Actor
It was probably in 9th or 10th standard, when my class teacher kept trying to get me to improve my handwriting. After repeated efforts and scoldings in front of the class, she sometimes made me rewrite the entire notes. As punishment one day, she assembled the entire class, made me sit next to her, and held my hand to write an entire page — like a kindergarten kid. It was quite embarrassing at the time. Not that the handwriting improved after that!
Rahul Ravindran, filmmaker-Actor
So, there are two parts to this. One, I wasn’t academically a very good student. I was one of those guys who was never interested in textbooks. I think the most brutal punishment we used to get was from our Hindi sir. I kept flunking Hindi examinations and was generally a little mischievous in class. Our Hindi sir had this habit of rapping us on the head with his knuckles, and a lot of us would end up with swollen patches. Not just that, he would make us kneel down for the entire 45-minute class right next to his table. Back then, your defense mechanism for such situations was to take pride in being a troublemaker. But now when I think back, it was actually quite humiliating. And then there were other kinds of teachers. For example, since my marks weren’t great, one particular teacher proactively started a programme for underperforming students. They handpicked about 15–20 of us, and I was one of them. Three times a week, after school, we were asked to stay back for almost a year and a half to work on our personality, motivation, and academics. Initially, it felt like a punishment, and we thought, “What the heck, why are we being made to do this?” But it turned out to be one of my fondest memories of school. That teacher was an absolute darling, G Meenakshi miss. She had a profound impact on many of us, something we only realised much later in life. What was supposed to feel like punishment actually nurtured us and gave us confidence. The other thing was that I passed both my board exams in all subjects, but until then, I had never passed a single term in all subjects. Typically, I would pass only in English and History and flunk the others. My mom and dad would come for the promotion meetings almost every year, and my principal, Alamelu Gopalan, would first scold me in front of my parents. After that, my mom would start crying, and my principal would console her. She would tell her, “It’s okay, he’s a smart boy. I can see he’s intelligent. He’s just not academically inclined. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine in life.” And then she would give me a warning promotion. This literally went on from fifth standard to tenth standard. Every single year, I got a warning promotion until my board exams. Looking back, it was supposed to be a punishment. But without Alamelu Gopalan, my life would have been very different. If she hadn’t chosen to give me those warning promotions year after year, I don’t know where I would be today.
