Dehradun college students dance to Ooh La La on Teachers' Day, video sparks backlash

A Teachers' Day performance at JB Institute of Technology in Dehradun faced criticism after students danced to Ooh La La, Tu Hai Meri Fantasy during an academic excellence ceremony.

In Short

• JBIT Dehradun Teachers’ Day dance video goes viral
• Four students performed to 'Ooh La La' from The Dirty Picture
• Social media debates cultural appropriateness in institutions

A Teachers’ Day celebration at JB Institute of Technology (JBIT) in Dehradun has gone viral after a video from the event showed four students dancing to Ooh La La, Tu Hai Meri Fantasy. The performance was criticised by users online as inappropriate for an academic function.

The viral video showed four girls performing to the song from Vidya Balan and Emraan Hashmi-starrer 2011 film, The Dirty Picture. As the students danced on stage, other students were seen cheering and whistling to the performance.

The dance took place during an academic excellence award ceremony organised as part of the institute’s Teachers’ Day celebrations.

The choice of song, however, became the focus of criticism after footage from the event was shared on social media platforms including Instagram and Facebook.

Watch the video here:

Teachers’ Day is observed on September 5 to mark the birth anniversary of former President Dr S Radhakrishnan.

Against that backdrop, several social media users questioned whether a suggestive song associated with an adult-themed film was appropriate for a formal academic event.

Critics described the performance as a lewd gesture in front of an audience gathered to commemorate teachers and honour academic achievement. The presence of students cheering during the performance also became part of the online discussion.

The incident has once again triggered a wider conversation around cultural performances at schools and colleges, particularly over how institutions decide what is appropriate for events attended by students, teachers and guests.

In August, a similar performance by students was stopped by a professor at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Durgapur.

The professor objected to the group of students dancing to Chikni Chameli during a freshers’ induction programme, questioning whether the performance had been approved by their faculty advisors.

- Ends