Orry makes 'special appearance' in CBSE Class 12 history paper!

“I am extremely humbled to now officially be a part of Indian history,” Orry wrote on instagram.

Just when it seemed like the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had moved past its viral “rickrolling” moment, the board has once again found itself at the centre of internet memes  and this time, thanks to a surprise appearance by pop culture personality Orry in the Class 12 history exam.

The paper, conducted on March 30, took an unexpected turn when students scanned a QR code printed on the question paper, only to be redirected to a Google search page for Orry, also known as Orhan Awatramani.

Within hours, videos began flooding platforms like Instagram and X, with students sharing clips of the question paper and their reactions online.

Orry reacts: “Could not think of a more fitting achievement”

It did not take long for the viral question paper to reach Orry himself, who leaned into what he called his “peak fame moment”.

In a now widely shared video, actor Khushi Kapoor is seen handing him the question paper. His reaction, in a clip that appears to recreate Ananya Panday’s viral “phuljhadi packet” video, quickly caught on across social media.

Sharing the video on Instagram, Orry wrote, “It is an extremely large and appropriate honor to be on a national pan India examination paper being crowned as youth pop culture icon. I am extremely humbled to now officially be a part of Indian history both literary and metaphorically. I could not think of an achievement more fitting than this.”

The post only added fuel to the meme wave, with users, and even a few celebrities chiming in with comments like “biology textbook next” and “gonna go down in history”.

What exactly happened?

According to students, the QR code printed on the paper, typically meant for authentication or accessing supplementary information, redirected users to a Google search result for “OOORRRYYY”.

While some initially assumed it to be a prank or a printing error, others speculated that it could be linked to the subject code for history, possibly derived from its last three letters. However, there has been no official clarification confirming this.

QR codes have increasingly been used by CBSE as a security and verification feature to ensure the authenticity of question papers. This raises the possibility that the redirection was not intentional, but an unintended outcome that quickly snowballed into a viral moment.

Not the first time: CBSE ‘rickrolling’ incident

This is not the first time CBSE has come at the centre of internet memes this exam season.

Earlier, a QR code in Class 12 Mathematics exam paper redirected users to Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley, a classic internet prank known as “rickrolling”.

Responding to the controversy, CBSE had clarified that the question papers were “genuine” and acknowledged the concern.

“It appears that this has raised concerns about the veracity of the question papers amongst concerned students and their parents. While the concern about the veracity of the question papers is put to rest, the matter has been viewed seriously. Necessary steps are being taken by the Board to ensure that such issues are not repeated in future,” the Board had said.

With two back-to-back viral incidents, questions are now being raised about whether these QR code surprises are technical glitches, possible tampering, or simply unintended consequences of digital security measures.

Bottom line is this: while board exams may be stressful, but this year, they have also come with unexpected comic relief.