Exams ruin IPL fun for youth

Even as Hyderabad will be thunderously cheering the Deccan Chargers once season three of IPL starts rolling, a certain section of youngsters, who are busy prepping up for their board exams will be cooped up indoors, excluded from the big party. But instead of lamenting their “cable connection-less, Internet-devoid existence,” these students have already started devising ways to work around IPL and study schedules.

The IPL timing couldn’t have been worse, laments 17-year-old Vamshi Krishna. “I am already making plans so that I don’t miss out on watching the matches. I’ll be heading to a friend’s place to catch at least one innings. It won’t be easy because most parents are very vigilant around this time.”

Paiman Irani, a class XII student of Sri Chaitanya Junior College, who hung out at sports bars to catch the matches last year, rues that the IPL matches clash with exams. “I want to cheer the Deccan Chargers, but my parents are all set to disconnect the cable connection. Some of my friends and I have enrolled into the Deccan Chargers fan club, which will send us score updates on our mobile phones.”

Meanwhile, Kevin George who is busy preparing for his intermediate exams, has worked out a deal with his father. He says, “My dad has agreed to let me tune into the matches as long as I finish my preparation before the games begin. My study hours are already allocated and I will study extra hard now so that I can catch the matches.”

Another victim of the “no cable connection during exams” rule, Cheraag Sabzeh, a student of St. Mary’s has a plan up his sleeve too. “My dad intends to watch the matches with his friends and I am following his lead. I will sneak out on the pretext of combined studies and watch some matches. I’ll obviously have to win my mom’s confidence before doing that,” he says.