'Idli Chutney No Sambhar': 'Technical Glitch' Led To Bizarre GATE Mail

A peculiar email sent to candidates of the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2025 from IIT Roorkee sparked a wave of confusion and amusement on social media. The email contained an unusual greeting that read, “Dear idli chutney no sambhar,” followed by the message, “GATE 2025 Admit Cards are now available to download from the GOAPS portal.”

The message, which appeared to be a mistake, quickly went viral, with users expressing disbelief at the strange combination of words. One user commented, "He's true, I received the same. Some must have done something messed up,” while another wrote, “Is this some joke?”

A GATE aspirant, who spoke to HT.com on the condition of anonymity, shared that many of their North Indian friends received emails with proper greetings, but their South Indian friends received the same odd message. “This was hard to believe as IIT is considered the most prestigious engineering college in India, reducing my identity to idli and chutney,” the aspirant said.

The email’s bizarre phrasing became a meme sensation, with social media users turning the error into a source of humor. Some joked, "Hello. Idli chutney no sambhar, from Sarson da saag and makki di roti," while others commented, “I hope it's orange chutney otherwise it would be an utter waste to be stuck with white chutney and no sambhar.”

In response to the viral incident, IIT Roorkee issued an official statement acknowledging the error. “IIT Roorkee, organizing GATE 2025, acknowledges a technical glitch in incorrect email salutations received by a few applicants while 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.