ThiS is a real-life incident from 2007 that illustrates the sort of addictive hold carrom has on people. Five college kids from Kolkata hooked to the game met each other on the morning of their university exam intending to study at the last minute. But then they thought, "Let's play just one game before we begin." With biryani as the prize, that game multiplied and went on for 4.5 hours, till 1.30 in the afternoon.

The exam was meant to start at 2. But the students were still in no mood to leave. They kept thinking, "Let's play just one more game," till Safdar, the teenage brother of Faisal Rahman — the friend whose house it was — returned from school, saw the addicts in the midst of their fix and wasted no time in upturning the entire carrom board before pointing out, "You idiots, have you forgotten that you have an exam to reach to?" Awoken from their stupor, the five collegians rushed out thinking they could still make it in time. But, they met with crazy traffic. And it's only because they had strength in numbers that the invigilator had no choice but to let them in when they finally made an entrance to the hall, 45 minutes late.