By IANS,
Bangalore : Near-empty shopping complexes and malls, virtually deserted roads but packed pubs and clubs was the scene in Bangalore and major towns across Karnataka as the India-Sri Lanka cricket World Cup final began Saturday.
Only shops that had TV sets on had people crowding around, not to buy goods but to watch the drama unfold at Mumbai’s Wankhade stadium.
Traffic police personnel welcomed the break from the usually heavy weekend traffic while auto-drivers rued the day as lack of customers meant many would return home with lower earnings.
In residences, stacks of popcorn, chips, mixtures or the famous Karnataka ‘muruku’ (a spicy fried item made of rice and gram flour and chilly powder) came out of shelves as entire families gathered around the TV sets to catch the action live.
This is the second time this week that Karnataka has shut early for the day. It did so March 30 when India beat Pakistan in the semifinal at Mohali in Punjab.