A shopkeeper from South-24 Parganas, in his late 30s, could not find a place to sit for lunch at the Alipore zoo.
A septuagenarian stood outside a Park Street restaurant with his grandchildren, waiting to go in for lunch.
New Year revelry blurred differences at the city’s favourite destinations. Metro went around the city and spoke to many. A glimpse of what we saw and heard
Alipore zoo
The park saw around 85,000 visitors on Monday, a tad lower than last year’s 90,027.
But for the average visitor, it hardly mattered. Everywhere you went, you would have to jostle for space.
Tapas Manna, who owns a stationery shop in Joynagar, in South 24-Parganas, came to the zoo with his wife Molly and six-year-old son, Apurba.
Manna’s shop is usually shut on Thursday. He tries to keep all his “family business” on that day. “But January 1 is an exception. We have been coming to Kolkata on New Year’s Day for many years now. The ritual started before my son was born,” said Manna.
On Monday afternoon, the family was looking for a place to sit for a quick lunch. But he struggled to find any.
Not surprisingly, the new enclosure for white tigers was among the most crowded spots. The aviaries with colourful birds also drew many people.
Eco Park
The footfall at Eco Park stood at a whopping 1,30,000, way above last New Year’s 75,975.
For many, like Dum Dum resident Atish Bhadra, visiting the park on New Year’s Day has become a family ritual.
Around 3pm, Bhadra was at Eco Park with his wife Priyanka and two-year-old son Adhrit. The family sat on the park greens and were having a picnic lunch.
“We come to Eco Park on and off but make it a point to be here on New Year’s Day. Although it gets crowded, there’s always space for everyone at Eco Park because of its size,” said Priyanka Bhadra.
Atish, who runs a garment manufacturing unit and a computer coaching centre in Dum Dum, said he planned to take a toy train ride and take a full tour of the park before leaving.
The park's central walkway, which winds its way across, was chock-a-block with people and many posed for selfies at the Japanese Garden and the Rose Garden.
The police and Hidco officials were making frequent announcements asking people not to venture too close to the 110-acre water body in the middle.
Park Street
Nirmal Chatterjee, a septuagenarian, had come to Park Street from Barasat. He was accompanied by his sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren.
Chatterjee was waiting outside Mocambo around 2pm, along with many others.
Diners wait for their turn to enter Mocambo on Park Street on Monday afternoon.
“I usually don’t step out of home much. My grandchildren coaxed me to join them for New Year’s lunch. I am here after so many years. This atmosphere is infectious. It can lift the spirits of an old man,” said Chatterjee.
Tapanjyoti Bhattacharya, a retired civil engineer and a resident of Delhi for more than four decades, was in Kolkata on New Year’s Day after five years. “Park Street has not changed,” said Bhattacharya, who came with his wife and daughter. He was waiting outside Peter Cat.
Anand Puri, owner of Trincas, summed up the mood.
“So many people, from different places, come to Park Street. The road is anyway a great melting space. That feeling gets amplified on occasions like these. You have people from all ages and communities coming out. There is something for everyone.”
Maidan
Maidan, as usual, was bustling with people.
Despite slices cordoned by the Metro construction boards, the acres of greens looked like one large mela on Monday.
Revellers enjoy pony rides on the Maidan on Monday.
A family from Chandernagore was one of the many thousands who had turned up.
Balaram Basak, who owns a shop that sells aluminum sheets and pipes, was there with wife Piu and daughter Aradhya, a kindergarten student.
They had started from their house on a motorcycle and rode to Kolkata. The Maidan was their first stop.
“My daughter loved seeing the horses and ponies on the Maidan. Here we had ice creams before heading out to the Prinsep Ghat for a stroll in the evening. Overall, it was a great experience and we had a lot of fun as a family,” he said.
