IIT Kanpur turns 'Kejriwal vs Modi' into a viral engineering puzzle

An electrical engineering exam question at IIT Kanpur referencing former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's radio program "Mann Ki Baat" has gone viral, prompting varied reactions online.

The question, part of a quiz on February 11th, asked students to design a radio filter enabling "Kejriwal" to isolate a specific channel while blocking adjacent ones. The scenario described "Kejriwal" attempting to listen to "Mann Ki Baat" after an election defeat with limited electronic components due to campaign spending. Students needed to calculate the filter's quality factor and component values.

IIT Kanpur officials responded with a statement: "It has come to our attention that a question from an exam in the department of electrical engineering has been circulating on social media. We would like to clarify that the faculty member in question frequently incorporates references to well-known personalities—both real and fictional—to make exam questions more engaging for students. In the past, similar references have included characters such as Tony Stark. The intent behind this approach is purely academic, with no other implications."

A student, speaking anonymously, explained to TOI that, "The names of Arvind Kejriwal or Mann Ki Baat in the question were used for added effect. There are professors who make questions interesting with their innovations by incorporating current events."

Social media users reacted with a mixture of amusement and criticism. Some found the question humorous, while others considered it inappropriate for an academic setting. Reactions ranged from "brilliant" and "application-oriented teaching" to "bizarre" and evidence of a "narrow-minded society."

With inputs from TOI