The first day of Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) state board exam went smoothly without any hitches. Despite the board banning mobile phones, many students brought them. Some colleges relaxed the rule and allowed students to deposit their mobile phones in their bags outside classrooms. However, Ruia college did not allow students to keep their cellphones inside their bags. This led to panic among students. Some students managed to leave their phones with their relatives and parents. However, a harrowed student threw her mobile in the gutter. Anushree Lokur, vice-principal of Ruia College said, "It is the state board order which is also printed on the hall tickets. Students cannot bring mobile phones in inside the examination centre. Our college just followed the board rules." Nearly 3.5 lakh students appeared for the HSC English language paper on Thursday. Anushka Madhav, an HSC student, said, "The paper was easy but lengthy." Mansi Yemjala, another student, said, "The paper was so long that I could not complete it in three hours." Many students made calls to the state-appointed counsellors for academic counselling and tips to reduce stress. A counsellor from the State Board office said, "There were no calls related to any major problems except few on sub-centres. The students were given the name of the main centre on their hall tickets but they were supposed to sit in the sub-centres for the exam due to space crunch. It was time-consuming for the students to travel from one centre to the other in the same premises or a nearby school." Panic Strikes

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