Hostel wars: IIIT Kottayam students launch firecrackers at each other on Diwali. Viral video

Scenes from a firecracker fight at IIIT Kottayam (Image: @gharkekalesh/X)

Festival celebrations in college can be a loud, boisterous affair, but some students at the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Kottayam took things to the next level by waging a war with firecrackers on Diwali.

A video that has gone viral on social media, purportedly filmed at IIIT Kottayam, shows two groups of students launching firecrackers at each other’s hostel buildings. Skyrockets whizz from one building to the other as several students stand at their windows and balconies to witness the spectacle.

At one point, a firecracker enters the building and burns bright for a few seconds, sending sparks flying as some students stand right next to it.

Kalesh b/w Two groups of Hostel boys with Crackers during Diwali Celebration pic.twitter.com/6AUjNIB9FB

— Ghar Ke Kalesh (@gharkekalesh) November 13, 2023

While many criticised the students for playing with fire and dismissed their hostel wars as dangerous, others chose to see the humour.

“This is why women live longer,” wrote one person on X (formerly Twitter). “Seems like ‘Rocket Boys’ first draft from our college,” said another.

“Reminds me of the time in college when the boys and girls from H1 got shifted to H2 for few days and we used to throw bomb and rockets towards the other side of H2 just for the actual H2 boys to get the blame,” reminisced one commenter, while another said: “Ahh to be young and foolish, so much fun.”