Alma Matters: Inside the IIT Dream Review, Ep 1: A deep dive into IIT Kharagpur cracks the entertainment code

Alma Matters 

Alma Matters Creators: Pratik Patra and Prashant Raj

Alma Matters Stars: 3/5

With Netflix bringing ample of Indian content to its streaming platform, this week instead of a film, we get to see the docuseries Alma Matters: Inside the IIT Dream. The show is divided into almost three 50-minute long episodes and takes us inside some of the brightest brains of the country and their engineering dreams. However, Alma Matters begins on a quite different note. 

The show does not show students sinking themselves into books or hooked to their laptops, but at a party dancing the night away, just like any other 21-year-old youngster. If you've been under the impression that IIT students probably belong on the top tier at the tower of geek, Alma Matters will bursts these myths the minute you hit play.

Created by Pratik Patra and Prashant Raj, Alma Matters is one-of-a-kind docuseries that has probably never been made before. From the grim realities that IITs face today to the hopes and dreams of millions that apply every year, Alma Matters takes a deep dive into this oasis that is IIT Kharagpur. 

In the first episode, Alma Matters chronicles the happenings at IIT Kharagpur -- the first of the IITs to be built in India in 1951. The creators highlight around four main subjects in the first episode which mainly revolve around cracking IIT, overcrowding, sexism and finding one's own identity. Ex-IITian and comedian Biswa Kalyan Rath also features in the series as he reflects on his own journey and even decodes a few terms like 'Chaggi' and 'Satti', privy only to the students residing in those numerous halls.

Everything but education 

Several minutes into the first episode, one of the many students calls preparing for IIT like 'jail time'. He remarks, "When students get selected and come here, they find freedom. Why will they study?" And that is exactly what we see after that. From fighting tooth and nail in general championships to building racing cars to campaigning for elections and rehearsing for well-produced theatre plays, these students do everything else but actually study. 

Throughout the episode, Alma Matters profiles various students in different years of study to understand and breakdown the grandeur of the Indian Institute of Technology. One student even goes on to say, "I got disappointed when I first came here because the entrance gate looked so normal." 

The creators use actual mobile-shot footage of celebrations, birds-eye view of IIT Kharagpur and decade-old footage of the institute's commercials as well as Nehru's visit to the premiere institution to track its history.    

While this is a way of life for thousands of students across IITs, it is an unknown territory for millions of viewers in India. And that's what makes Alma Matters all the more interesting. From chronicling stories of students who have passed decades ago to getting insights from professors and even a sneak peek into student residencies, Alma Matters: Inside the IIT Dream will keep you hooked to the IIT tradition that is being passed down since ages. 

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