'Dear idli chutney no sambhar': IIT Roorkee's email for GATE candidates goes viral. See institute's statement

Following the uproar, IIT Roorkee, which is organising GATE 2025, issued a statement acknowledging the error.

A peculiar email greeting sent by the administration of the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2025 has gone viral, sparking confusion and a wave of memes on social media. The email, which should have been a routine notification about the release of admit cards, instead featured an unusual salutation that read: “Dear Idli Chutney No Sambhar.”

The incident was brought to public attention after a Reddit user shared a screenshot of the email, expressing disbelief. “I got this official mail from GATE. Is this intentional? How can they make such a mistake?” the user captioned their post. The email otherwise informed recipients that GATE 2025 admit cards were available for download on the GOAPS portal.

Is this some kind of joke? byu/No_Yogurt8713 indelhi

The strange greeting, which seemed entirely out of context, left recipients baffled and amused. Social media quickly turned the error into a meme-worthy moment.

One Reddit user claimed, “He’s right, I received the same. Someone must have messed up.” Another user quipped, “Is this some joke?”

Adding to the conversation, a GATE aspirant, who chose to remain anonymous, told Hindustan Times, “I checked with my North Indian friends, and they received emails with their correct names. However, my South Indian friends received the same ‘Idli Chutney’ greeting. It’s hard to believe that such a prestigious institution could make such an error, reducing my identity to food.”

Social media users had a field day with the incident, posting a slew of humorous comments. One joked, “Hello, Idli Chutney No Sambhar, from Sarson Da Saag and Makki Di Roti.” Another added, “I hope it’s orange chutney, or it would be a waste to be stuck with white chutney and no sambhar.”

A user sarcastically suggested, “That intern should get a raise at the IT cell,” while another wrote, “Bhai, admit card download kar, uspe tera naam Idli Chutney to nahi hai kahi (Brother, download the admit card; check if your name isn’t Idli Chutney).”

Following the uproar, IIT Roorkee, which is organising GATE 2025, issued a statement acknowledging the error. According to the institute, the bizarre greeting was caused by a “technical glitch” during the bulk mailing process.

“We acknowledge a technical glitch in incorrect email salutations received by a few applicants during bulk mailing. The issue was resolved immediately, and emails with correct names were sent to these candidates. We regret the inconvenience caused,” said Sonika Srivastava, Media Cell In-charge at IIT Roorkee.