Learning Beyond Punishment

 A Comparison Between Sitaare Zameen Par (2025) and R.K. Narayan’s Crime and Punishment

Education is not just about books, grades, or trophies. It is about shaping lives, understanding individual differences, and guiding with love and patience. Recently, we were studying the story Crime and Punishment by R.K. Narayan, and in that reference, we have watched a movie named Sitaare Zameen Par to know more about this blog, click here. 

                          (Click Here To Watch Trailor)

The film Sitaare Zameen Par and R.K. Narayan’s short story Crime and Punishment (from Malgudi Days) explore these ideas in very different, yet deeply connected ways. Both have their own unique way of showing the education system.

Similarities Between the Movie and the Story

Both the movie and the story deal with the struggles faced by an educator—a coach in the film and a schoolteacher in the story. At first, both characters are frustrated, strict, and harsh. They try to control and change their students using anger and punishment, believing that discipline and authority are the best tools.

In Crime and Punishment, the teacher becomes angry with a mischievous student and beats him out of frustration. He later regrets it deeply.

In Sitaare Zameen Par, Gulshan Arora, the coach, is assigned to train a team of intellectually challenged adults. He yells, forces them to follow strict routines, and only cares about winning.

In both cases, the educator realizes that their approach is wrong. They see that fear does not help students learn or grow. Instead, patience, kindness, and emotional support make a real difference.

Differences Between the Two Stories

While the themes are similar, the context and characters are very different:

Aspect	Sitaare Zameen Par (2025)	Crime and Punishment by R.K. Narayan
Type of Learners	Mentally challenged adults with special needs	Naughty, mischievous schoolchildren
Educator's Role	Basketball coach (not trained as a teacher)	Schoolteacher responsible for discipline and academics
Initial Attitude	Angry, results-driven, focused on winning	Frustrated, tries to control with punishment
Turning Point	Realizes shouting doesn’t help; builds emotional connection	Regrets after hitting the child and seeing no improvement
Final Message	Success is about self-growth, not winning	Punishment damages learning; love works better

This contrast is important. The movie deals with sensitivity toward special needs, while the story focuses on everyday classroom misbehavior. But both reveal how hard it is to be an educator when students don’t respond the way we expect.

How Is Education Shown in the Movie?

The movie highlights the problems with the modern education system, especially its focus on results, medals, and success. The system often forgets to support students who learn differently or face mental and emotional challenges.

Har Govind, a talented player, is initially overlooked—not because he lacks skill, but because of the corruption and bias shown by his coach. This reflects how, in real life, even capable students can be held back when the system is unfair or focuses only on a narrow definition of success. His journey shows that potential can be wasted if not recognized or nurtured in the right way.

How Is Education Shown in the Story?

In R.K. Narayan’s Crime and Punishment, education is portrayed as a formal and rigid system where discipline is enforced through fear rather than understanding. The young teacher believes that punishment is the key to reforming behavior and that maintaining authority is more important than emotionally connecting with students. However, this strict approach fails—despite his efforts, the mischievous child does not change, and the teacher is left grappling with guilt and self-doubt.

What adds depth to the story is the parents’ perspective. They intervene not by scolding the teacher for being harsh, but by giving him a subtle lesson in how to teach. The child’s father, instead of reacting with anger, ironically lectures the teacher on how to teach children—suggesting it should be done with humor, patience, and understanding. The irony is sharp: the teacher, who came to instruct, now finds himself being taught how to teach. This moment reflects a core idea in Narayan’s story—education should not be mechanical or fear-based, but should consider the emotional and psychological needs of children. It subtly critiques the authoritarian style of education and hints at a more human-centered, empathetic approach encouraged by the parents.

The Role of Parents in Education (Story & Movie)

In the movie Sitaare Zameen Par, the parents support their child and accept that everyone has their own version of “normal.” However, in the story Crime and Punishment, the parents want to make their child a gentleman, but in their approach to his education, they are somewhat rigid. They end up teaching the teacher how he should handle their son, emphasizing kindness and understanding rather than strict discipline.

The Real Duty of a Teacher (or Coach)

Even though Gulshan is a coach and not a trained teacher, the movie redefines his role. Initially, he thinks coaching is about techniques and discipline. But over time, he learns that it’s much more than that.

Similarly, in Crime and Punishment, the teacher believes that punishment equals discipline. But he learns that empathy is more effective.

In both stories, the educators grow as human beings. They shift from controlling to understanding, from punishing to guiding.

Challenges Faced by the Coach and the Teacher

Both the teacher and Gulshan face emotional and practical challenges:

The teacher in Crime and Punishment feels helpless because his student keeps misbehaving. He loses his patience and ends up hurting the child.

Gulshan feels humiliated and frustrated because he thinks he was "demoted" to coach a team of special adults. He struggles to connect with them, and their learning pace tests his patience.

These challenges are real in everyday education too. Not every student responds quickly, and many educators feel pressure to perform. But the stories remind us that true teaching is not about results—it is about relationships.

Conclusion: Education with Heart 

Crime and Punishment and Sitaare Zameen Par are stories from different times and settings, but they meet at a powerful point: Educators must lead with heart, not hand.

They show that:

• Teaching is not about controlling students, but understanding them.

• Success is not about medals or marks, but confidence and happiness.

• Punishment may seem like a quick fix, but only kindness creates lasting impact.

Whether you’re a teacher, a coach, or a parent, these stories remind us that every learner is different, and every learner deserves respect, support, and belief.

Reference

Narayan, R. K. Malgudi Days. Indian Thought Publications, 1943.

Prasanna, R. S., director. Sitaare Zameen Par. 20AD, Accessed 14 July 2025.