In a heartwarming (and hilarious) moment from Arunachal Pradesh, a little boy decided that he had had enough of school — and made a run for it. The boy bolted out of the school gates in tears, with his teacher hot on his heels. The entire chase was caught on camera and has since gone viral, garnering more than 4 million views on Instagram.
The video, posted by teacher Sonam Jangmu, shows the determined young boy clutching his school bag tightly as he sprints down the path, sobbing and refusing to glance back. “The struggle every teacher has to go through,” reads the caption — a sentiment many educators clearly related to.
Despite Sonam’s best efforts to console him, including running alongside him and trying to reason, the boy was not having any of it. It wasn’t until she dangled a packet of muffins that he reluctantly gave in, accepting the snack but still clearly devastated.
The video struck a chord with viewers, especially teachers and parents. One user couldn’t help but admire the kid’s commitment: “Kudos to the baby who remember to carry his bag in the dramatic escape.” Another chimed in, “As a nursery teacher, I see this every day for starting month. Once habituated they don’t cry or make fuss anymore.”
There were laughs too. “He wants to bunk the class,” joked one commenter. Another reflected on a deeper truth: “Children have an instinct not to be caged… I just wanted to fly, hone my talents and fly. But no, the system wanted to cage me, but I broke free and Happy.”
And perhaps the most relatable comment came from someone who noticed a tiny but telling moment in the video: “The disappointment in his eyes when the teacher overtook him.”