School shines in star glow

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">DARJEELING: Bollywood has given the Hills a new tourist spot. St. Paul''s School, where much of the latest blockbuster <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Main Hoon Na</span> was shot has been drawing crowds by the hundreds — and even eager youngsters, from as far off as Mumbai, who want to study in the "college".<br /><br />School officials confirm that the scenic campus gets at least 100 visitors every day, with the number shooting up to 300-400 in the last couple of days.<br /><br />Local transporters are cashing in on the unprecedented tourist rush for the school, charging Rs 400 for the 2-km trip from town.<br /><br />"Tourists start gathering outside the school from as early as 6:30 am and a steady stream continues till 7 pm," said office bursar Suresh Panchawani.<br /><br />Though they are not allowed beyond the gate, the tourists seem happy to take photographs from outside.<br /><br />School sources revealed that a few days ago two groups of teenagers from Mumbai and Kolkata had come to inquire about the cut-off marks because they thought St.Paul''s was a college — as it has been portrayed in <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Main Hoon Na</span>.<br /><br />The school has a long tryst with Bollywood, with several movies having been shot here in the past. But never had it aroused such excitement as now, thanks to cable TV.<br /><br />"We haven''t seen Shah Rukh or Sushmita in real life but we are excited to at least see the location of the movie," said Ashis Patel, who has come here from Chennai with his friends.<br /><br />"I''m so thrilled to see the place where Main Hoon Na was shot. I''ve taken lots of photographs of my family and myself with the school as the backdrop. I''m going to show these to my friends," said Mumbaikar Piyali Dixit.</div> </div>