“I Hated School…: Aanchal Agrawal Recounts Facing Bullying And Shame

In a recent episode of The Rulebreaker Show, New York and Mumbai-based stand-up comic Aanchal Agrawal joined Shaili Chopra, the founder of SheThePeople and Gytree, to open up about her memories of being bullied in school. She spoke about how the very system that’s meant to nurture and guide children can sometimes end up doing the opposite.

For years, incidents of public shaming or humiliation in classrooms have been seen as a “part of growing up.” Aanchal’s experience shows it’s far from harmless. Sometimes the worst scars aren’t from classmates, but from the very adults who were meant to protect her. She remembers being called as “indisciplined,” a word that made her feel cut off from everyone else in her class.

Those experiences didn’t end with school; they followed her, shaping her sense of confidence and the way she viewed learning and childhood itself. In her conversation with Shaili, Aanchal shared how deeply those moments stayed with her.

From Classroom to Confidence Crisis

Aanchal recalled, “There were incidents where these teachers would say, ‘One dirty fish pollutes the whole pond,’ and that I was the dirty fish. It would be better if everyone else stayed away from me. I hated school."

When she says this, you can’t help but feel it. A child singled out like that might start doubting everything about themselves. It’s a harsh lesson: sometimes curiosity and confidence aren’t celebrated; they’re treated as a problem.

When Being Yourself Gets You in Trouble

Aanchal explained that her confidence often put her at odds with her teachers. “I was naturally a very confident child and that was a problem for my teacher". One day, in seventh grade, she asked a genuine question to her teacher, and the teacher lost patience.

“For two or three minutes she lectured me on how indisciplined I was... I was very embarrassed, and even heartbroken.” Moments like these may seem small, but they leave a deep mark, teaching children that curiosity and speaking up can be punished.

Peer pressure only made things more difficult. Aanchal said, one or two people sitting beside her raised their hand, but most stayed quiet, afraid to step in. This says a lot; bullying isn’t about one teacher or one child, it’s a whole culture that feeds on fear and silence.

Breaking the Silence

Aanchal said, “I think the school system in our country needs very serious reforms, because it actually breaks confidence in kids as opposed to building confidence." This is a reminder that schools are supposed to be safe spaces to explore, learn, and grow. But when obedience is valued over curiosity, students are forced to hide their strengths and hold back their voices.

By sharing her story, Aanchal Agrawal is urging everyone to rethink how schools deal with discipline, authority and peer dynamics. Classrooms should build confidence, curiosity and courage, not fear.

Bullying isn’t some childhood phase you outgrow. It’s a bigger, systemic issue that really needs attention. And voices like hers matter, because they get people talking honestly and push for actual change.

Watch full video here:

Views expressed by the author are their own.