AIR 1 or 11? Institute’s Ad for IIT-JEE Toppers Sparks Internet Reactions

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras unveiled the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2024 results on June 9, with Ved Lahoti emerging as the top scorer with a near-perfect 355 out of 360. Dwija D Patel from the Bombay zone was the female topper, securing an all-India rank of 7 with 332 marks.

When I was a kid, and if Sachin got out early, I used to think, why can’t we send Sachin again, with some disguise, nobody will notice with a helmet on.

Now check the 1st and 11th ranker. pic.twitter.com/h2tUstNXLY

— Gabbar (@GabbbarSingh) June 10, 2024

Amid the celebrations, a coaching institute’s advertisement in the Times of India (TOI) drew widespread attention and amusement on social media. The ad featured a student named Matcha Balaaditya, who was intriguingly listed as both AIR 1 and AIR 11. This discrepancy quickly caught the eyes of readers, leading to a flurry of reactions on social media platform ‘X’.

One ‘X’ user humorously likened the situation to childhood fantasies of sending cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar back to bat after getting out, saying, “When I was a kid, and if Sachin got out early, I used to think, why can’t we send Sachin again, with some disguise, nobody will notice with a helmet on. Now check the 1st and 11th ranker.” 

Another user added, “I always used to think we can send Sachin in place of Nayan Mongiya.”

The humorous comparisons continued, with suggestions that the institute should have at least altered Balaaditya’s appearance in the ad: “At least for the 11th they should have used a helmet or put him in Dhoti Kurta,” and “This is crazy. Ek aur ek Gyarah hote hai. This is the perfect example.”

Amid the confusion and jokes, some users sought to clarify the situation, suggesting that the differing ranks might be due to category distinctions. 

One user speculated, “11th is the overall rank in India, 1st is category rank (my guess OBC). There is an * on 1st.” 

Another explained, “Check the * after name in 1st rank… The 1st rank will be in his category (OBC, SC, ST etc)… 11th is overall rank.”

Despite the mix-up, the internet reactions provided a light-hearted distraction, reminding everyone of the excitement and occasional confusion that accompanies major examination results.