Mangalore: New Year welcomed with great joy, plenty of celebration

Pics: Ramesh Pandith
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
With Inputs from DHNS

Mangalore, Jan 1: The city ushered in the New Year with much joy at the stroke of midnight. Revellers gathered in large numbers in pubs, hotels and resorts where parties were organized.

But the celebration was not about partying alone. People also flocked to various churches in the city for the evening mass.

Lively music reverberated throughout the evening and past midnight, and the night sky lit up with a host of colourful fireworks. The customary 'old man' (effigy) was burnt to signify the transition from old to new.

The police department had issued strict warning against going overboard with the parties. Tight security was deployed to ensure that everything went on smoothly.

In Bangalore, the celebration was much more in the open, with streets reverberating with cheers and hoots ushering in the New Year. 

Despite the biting cold and heavy security cover, scores of revellers ventured out in high spirits to ring in the New Year. The party ambience had set in as early as 6 pm, mainly in the traditional hotspots such as M G Road and Brigade Road. It was chock-a-block even on the upmarket Vittal Mallya Road and UB City.

Many Bangaloreans this year prefered restaurants and pubs in areas such as Indiranagar and Koramangala to those in the central business district for safety and traffic reasons. Nine students, who travelled from Chennai, said: “We have always been hearing about Brigade Road and its New Year celebration. This time we made it a point to be here.”

Various pubs and cafes across the City had organised special events for the big night. As the official deadline for bars and restaurants was extended from 11 pm to 1 am, it encouraged party goers to stretch their celebrations.

Theme-based parties were in vogue at many places. Hard Rock Cafe on M G Road hosted a Las Vegas-themed New Year bash while it was Arabian Nights-based celebrations at a star hotel on Sankey Road.

Many also prefered to celebrate at home instead of going out. “If we can cook our own food and play good music, celebrating with people we know and love, there is nothing to beat that,” said Parthasarathy, a software engineer.

Women who were out for celebrations did take extra precautions. Nina Augustine, a photographer, said she went out in a group to take part in the New Year celebrations.

Vehicular movement was stopped on M G Road and Brigade Road at 10 pm. Traffic jams were witnessed at Richmond Road, Residency Road, Vittal Mallya Road and surrounding areas.