IIT Bombay students' dance on 'Munni Badnaam' goes viral, netizens call it 'downfall'

A video showing students, allegedly from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, dancing to the Bollywood hit song 'Munni Badnaam' has taken social media by storm, sparking heated debates. The clip, shared widely on various platforms, shows a female student dancing with others in the background, and has led to a wave of mixed reactions online.

The video was notably posted by user @venom1s on X (formerly Twitter), but it hasn’t appeared on any of IIT Bombay's official social media accounts. The institute has also not issued any statement regarding the viral clip, leaving the debate to unfold primarily on social platforms.

The viral video has divided netizens, with some finding the performance inappropriate for a prestigious institution like IIT Bombay, while others see no harm in it. Critics expressed concerns about the image of one of India's top engineering institutes being linked to a dance performance on a popular Bollywood item song. One user questioned, "People go to IIT to study, then what is happening?" while another bluntly labeled it as "inappropriate."

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October 18, 2024

The critics argue that IIT Bombay, known for its rigorous academic environment and competitive spirit, should uphold a certain level of decorum, and that performances like this do not align with the values expected from students of such an esteemed institution.

However, not everyone agreed with the backlash. Several users came forward to defend the students, slamming the moral policing and calling out the unnecessary controversy. "What is the issue, actually?" one user asked, while another stated, "This just proves that IITians are good at everything." Many echoed similar sentiments, asserting that there was nothing offensive or inappropriate about the performance.

The viral dance video comes shortly after IIT Bombay was in the news for its 2023-24 placement report, which revealed that 25% of students did not secure jobs through campus placements. While the institute has long been celebrated for its academic rigor and high placement rates, some students reportedly received job offers with annual salaries as low as 4 lakh rupees, adding to concerns over the pressures faced by students.

The juxtaposition of these events has led some netizens to draw a link between the perceived "downfall" of IIT Bombay’s prestigious image and the dance video, although others see it as a non-issue and a light-hearted moment.

As the debate rages on, IIT Bombay’s silence on the matter leaves the incident open to public interpretation, with opinions continuing to clash on whether the video represents a harmless moment of student fun or a serious breach of the institute's image.