A Teachers’ Day celebration at JB Institute of Technology in Dehradun has drawn a lively debate online after a group of students performed to the popular Bollywood song Ooh La La during the event. The performance took place on September 5 as part of an academic excellence award ceremony organised to honour teachers and recognise their contributions to education.
The whole event was celebratory, with 46 teachers being felicitated for their work and achievements. But a student dance performance with the lyrics “Ooh La La, Ooh La La, Tu Hai Meri Fantasy” quickly became the centre of attention after a video from the programme was circulated widely on social media.
The song choice has divided viewers. Some social media users wondered if such a sensual and playful tone would be appropriate for a Teachers’ Day program. It is associated with Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, former President of India, philosopher, scholar and educator, whose birth anniversary is Teachers’ Day on September 5.
For critics of the performance, the issue was less whether students were dancing and more whether the music fit the significance of the occasion. They argued that a tribute based on teachers and the legacy of an eminent educator could have been accompanied by a better song. Some comments humorously suggested that Radhakrishnan might have been relieved not to see the performance himself.
At the same time, while many others have pushed back against the criticism in a positive way, saying the controversy was in fact a case of social media taking a light-hearted college performance too seriously. Students on campus cultural programmes often have music and dance styles that they’re allowed to show students who are in a position to show them at college.
The differing reactions also have opened up a larger dialogue on how traditional occasions are celebrated by younger generations. Teachers’ Day has a cultural and educational impact but college celebrations have increasingly adopted modern music, dance trends and social-media-friendly performances.
For most students, these programmes are not at all to be formal tributes. They could be opportunities for students and faculty to be social in nature and celebrate the day together. So that Bollywood music choice might have been more like a way to get people to dance and have fun and to have a young outlook on the programme.
Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan be like "Thank god, i didn't live long enough to see this"pic.twitter.com/ypB3p27XaH
— Keh Ke Peheno (@coolfunnytshirt) September 7, 2026
And the controversy is also an indication of the changing culture of campus life. Songs and dance forms that were inappropriate for formal occasions in those days may be considered differently by younger audiences. Social media has only amplified these differences as short clips can quickly go viral and reach thousands of people who were not present at the original event and may be able to interpret the performance without context.
The Teachers’ Day dance at JB Institute of Technology was therefore much more than a few minutes of entertainment. It was a debate about where tradition versus contemporary expression at educational institutions goes. And some people still think the song wasn’t fit for the occasion and the backlash was unnecessary; others say students should be free to express themselves during cultural celebrations.
Ultimately, the mixed response indicates even a relatively ordinary college performance can cause wider conversations when it reaches social media. College cultural practices and musical performances and appropriate celebrations will still be a part of campus life as long as educational institutions are trying to keep ceremonial traditions in line with the interests and cultural preferences of younger students.
