Both IIT Guwahati and IIT Kanpur are well-respected institutions, known for their high-quality education and research. Comparing the two is already justified and saying that one institution is becoming the next of the other is more so. Both institutions have their strengths and areas of expertise. Yet, if I was to choose one I would have always gone for IIT Kanpur.
Some points that favor my preference are as follows:
Overall, even if Guwahati was to be compared to IIT Kanpur, it still has a long way to go until it becomes the next IIT Kanpur.
This question can’t be answered definitely. It will be a wild assumption to say IIT Guwahati is the next big thing, just because one eccentric works.
It has a diverse students crowd. Everyone has different expectations from the curriculum. Some students aim for a job through placement , while some want strict assignments, quizzes, exams. You can’t look at it from just one perspective.
There is a misconception that IIT Kanpur is only about academics, and no fun activities. It will take some time for IIT Guwahati to catch up with the legacy of IITK.
Considering the academic pressure at IIT Guwahati, the answer is NO. This is because you will be putting extra efforts into doing not-so-important work and will not gain much out of it. However, this question here is not concrete.
Not all students are the same and not all have the same expectations. Some of them might think of it as an easy road to getting a decent job whilst. There are some who have expectations regarding the grading system, tough assignments, hard quizzes, and exams. It is not a good idea to look at it in just one way.
IITK is not just about academics but also about extra-curricular activities and a lot of fun. Assuming that IITK is just about academics is similar to assuming that IITB is only about chilling and IITs like IITGn and all the new IITs are crap.
IITG requires you to put extra effort into doing unimportant work which ultimately does not contribute much. This creates a negative effect as it restricts your technical and non-technical interests. If you choose to work hard, you will end up having a high CPI but, not exploring your interests and less knowledge in many courses.
It is equally important to remember that an institution is not just about its rules or fests. So, it is better to focus on other important matters than comparing IITs based on the academic curriculum only.