IIT Bombay cancels Mood Indigo pre-registrations, stops entry of outsiders amid crowd chaos

All pre-registrations for IIT Bombay’s Mood Indigo events – one of India’s largest college cultural festivals – have been cancelled after thousands of people gathered outside the main gate, causing traffic jams and widespread inconvenience. Social media is flooded with viral videos of severe overcrowding and long queues outside the venue.

Mood Indigo, IIT Bombay’s annual cultural fest, is being organised from December 16 to 18. This annual cultural fest, which features concerts, performances, fashion showcases, art installation, and interactive sessions, attracts thousands of students and visitors from across the country. Notably, the IIT-B cultural festival is also open to outsiders.

However, after a large number of people crowded the campus gates, the institute announced its decision to stop the entry of outsiders, except for registered participants and IIT Bombay residents.

The decision comes ahead of Mood Indigo’s evening concert line-up including Sonu Nigam, Dhruv, and Seedhe Maut, a hip hop duo Siddhant Sharma and Abhijay Negi. The event is also scheduled to host interactive sessions with actors Vicky Kaushal, Pulkit Samrat, Varun Sharma, Rakul Preet Singh, and Jaideep Ahlawat over the next two days.

IIT Bombay’s Mood Indigo turns chaotic

Gross mismanagement, a student said. Another student from IIT Bombay told Academia360, "Till yesterday people from outside were allowed and we are receiving emails from administration that people from outside won't be allowed but still many people from outside are coming."

Expressing disappointment over the decision, another participant said that despite registering for the event and getting an entry band, entry to the event was denied. “Many students came a long way spending time and money to attend the event and the way they managed the crowd was inappropriate,” the student said.

A student who claimed to be a part of the organising team wrote on Instagram: “I don’t understand why it is so cool to complain about everything in India. I am part of the organising team and being a fresher, I have seen my seniors work day and night to make your experiences memorable and smooth, but this being the largest cultural fest in India, is bound to have some issues.

“But for some reason, every reel about moodi is just complaints. Guys, please understand, not everything is always going to be like you want them to be. And again, I’m not saying stop complaining because that stops us from improving, but make sure to also be understanding,” the post read.