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NOIDA, INDIA, March 3, 2004: Hundreds of students at a premier school in Noida on Wednesday took part in a special prayer ceremony to seek divine blessing ahead of their career-determining high school examinations, considered to be most crucial. Organized by a school in Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi, the ritual was performed with full Hindu rites, as the priest chanted Vedic hymns invoking Saraswati, the Goddess of learning. Over 900,000 children across India will be appearing for their standard 10th and 12th papers, conducted annually by the country’s main education board. “Well, the purpose is to bring mental peace to the children before they appear for the exams, that is one purpose, and that is why all the children are attending it. We specifically told them to meditate and concentrate on the prayer and Gayatri mantra (a Vedic chant), so that they are calm and peaceful before they are going in for the exams, and can go with a clear mind. The other purpose is to give them blessings,” Mohina Darr, principal of the Amity International School, said. Poonam Sharma, a secondary school student, appearing for her first board paper, said she felt much eased after the prayers. “I was feeling very tense earlier, but after attending this havan I feel quite at ease. I believe in God,” Sharma said.

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