Actor Archana Puran Singh has opened up about one of the most unforgettable memories from her childhood, revealing that she was punished with a cane when she was only six years old. The actor recalled that she was called to the head nun’s office at her convent school in Dehradun and was caned 10 times on her hand. Even after so many years, Archana said she still remembers the punishment clearly, although she does not remember what mistake led to it.
Speaking to Fever FM, Archana was asked if she had ever been called to the principal’s office during her school days. Remembering the incident, she said, “I was caned when I was in first standard. I was taken to the head nun. It was a long cane and she called me ‘wicked child’ and she caned me 10 times on my hand. I was 6 years old. I don’t remember what I did but I only remember getting caned.”
Archana explained that discipline was taken very seriously at her convent school. She recalled that students were given strict punishments if they broke rules. Instead of common punishments like making children squat, students were often asked to kneel outside classrooms. Talking about those days, she said, “The nuns at our school wouldn’t say ‘bakra’ or ‘murga’ but we were told, ‘Kneel down, my wicked child’. So we would kneel down outside the class. It was very humiliating in a convent school because we were all supposed to be very good children. I loved my school but they had different rules.”
Despite these strict experiences, Archana said she was a bright student and regularly performed well in academics. She described herself as a topper and a front bencher but also admitted that she was mischievous during her school years. Recalling her teachers’ reactions after she entered acting, she said, “I was a topper, a front bencher but I was also very naughty so my teachers would always say, ‘What a waste of your talent and ability.’ And when I became an actor, they said, ‘We thought you would become an IAS, IFS, but you became an actor. Your whole life has been destroyed now.’.”
Archana spent her early years in Dehradun before moving to Delhi for higher studies at Lady Shri Ram College. She later moved to Mumbai at the age of 18 or 19 to pursue acting. Over a career spanning more than four decades, she has appeared in several popular Hindi films including Agneepath, Saudagar, Raja Hindustani, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Mohabbatein, Krrish, Masti and Bol Bachchan.
While Archana is now widely recognised for her television appearances, she continues to work in films and web shows. She is currently seen in the Prime Video series Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya. Apart from acting, she has also gained popularity through her YouTube family vlogs, where she often shares stories from her childhood and life in Dehradun. Her YouTube channel had around 1.29 million subscribers as of July 28.