GATE 2025 aspirants were in for a shock when they received emails from IIT Roorkee addressing them as “Dear IDLI CHUTNEY NO SAMBHAR.”
What was supposed to be a formal communication turned into a bizarre fiasco, leaving students confused, offended, and amused all at once.
Screenshots of the email went viral on platforms like Reddit, with candidates sharing their disbelief. Many South Indian students, in particular, expressed frustration, feeling that the phrase reduced their cultural identity to a joke. As “Idli Sambhar” is a common slur for South Indian people.
“This is so insensitive,” one user posted, while others speculated that the email system might have been hacked or tampered with.
Facing a wave of backlash, IIT Roorkee, the organizing institute for GATE 2025, issued an apology. In their statement, they clarified that the incident was caused by a technical glitch and assured that corrected emails had been sent to all candidates.
While some found the situation hilarious, others didn’t see the humor. “It’s not just about a glitch—it’s about the lack of sensitivity and oversight,” commented a student on social media. Another said “This was definitely someone’s last day of work.”
The incident has raised questions about the transparency of communication. It showcases importance of respecting cultural diversity, especially in official communications, as such mistakes can be easily perceived as stereotyping.
For a prestigious institution like IIT, known globally for its excellence, this mishap has been an embarrassing reminder to double-check systems and processes.
For many, this was not just a glitch, but a wake-up call for organizations to be more careful, ensuring such incidents don’t happen again.
