Thaindian News

Bangalore, April 2 (IANS) Women in several parts of Karnataka offered special prayers, die-hard fans broke coconuts and astrologers studied star alignments — all for India’s victory in the cricket World Cup final Saturday. But it has to be the state’s around 875,000 Class 10 students who must be feeling the luckiest.

The stars have aligned perfectly to usher in the Hindu New Year in the state April 4, making it a public holiday - a god-sent day off in the midst of their crucial Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations, as the Class 10 exams conducted by the state board are known.

“I have to thank my stars for making Monday a holiday. My parents have allowed me to watch the finals on the condition that Sunday and Monday I will make up for the lost time,” said S. Prashanth, who stays in an upscale apartment complex in south Bangalore.

The April 1-13 examinations will decide not only the higher studies streams the students can opt for, but will also play a role in their job prospects later in life.

March has been a tense period for tens of thousands of students and their parents in the state as the pre-university (Class 12) exams got over as the cricketing action in the World Cup peaked.

Groups of women in Hubli in north Karnataka, Davangere in central part, Bidar in north and Mysore in south have been organising special pujas for India’s victory since the World Cup began.

On Saturday morning, hours before the match was to begin, dozens of coconuts were broken in Shimoga by a group of young fans to appease the gods to ensure India’s victory.