From buckets to pressure cookers: Why ‘No-Bag Day’ is becoming a campus trend at IITs, IIMs

At Indian higher education institutions such as IITs and IIMs, a novel trend known as "No-Bag Day" is gaining popularity. Students are leaving their bags behind, opting to carry their belongings using unconventional objects such as buckets, drawers, umbrellas, and even bicycles. The concept is simple: conventional backpacks and laptop bags are prohibited, while students can use almost anything else to carry their essentials.

The idea originated at IIT Bombay and IIM Lucknow, with students marking their final lectures with playful exercises in creativity and camaraderie. At IIT Bombay, students arrived with buckets, chairs, cardboard boxes, hangers, umbrellas, and even a bicycle to carry their classroom materials. Similarly, at IIM Lucknow, students from Section F of the PGP batch organized a student-led No-Bag Day, describing it as a small experiment in creativity that questioned the routine nature of their daily lives.

The activity has since become a campus culture phenomenon, with videos of students participating gaining traction on social media. The format is not new internationally, as "Anything But a Bag Day" is often organized as a school or campus spirit activity, encouraging students to approach everyday objects differently. The appeal lies in its simplicity, requiring no elaborate arrangements or expensive equipment, just one rule: leave the conventional bag at home.