“Akka… Happy New Year.” An unknown brotherâs wish at Besant Nagar was my first greetings for 2019. The enthusiastic sharing of greetings among strangers set the mood at one of the hotspots of the city as the New Year dawned in Chennai.
So, we chose to just relax and live the mood of New Year instead of squeezing ourselves inside a bar or a party or a DJ night. “Where do we go tonight?” Elliots, of course – My friend squealed as soon as I asked about the nightâs plans.
ROARING BIKES
So, we went there by 11.30 pm. There were a large number of bike stunts near the beach road. The roar of motorbikes alerted us that New Year was nearing. The eat-outs were filled with people and it was good business for the beach vendors.
CAB DRIVERS & DELIVERY BOYS
As the clock struck 12 midnight, there was a huge roar of people sharing greetings. Everywhere you turned, all you heard was âHappy New Yearâ. Many boys gangs were seen dancing enthusiastically amidst the crowd. They particularly thanked and shared a warm hug with cab drivers and food delivery boys who were working busily at the time. Some even made the delivery boys dance with them.
LEAVE NOW
However, just within an hour, the police asked the public to leave. As people approached the beach after knowing that people are not allowed near the spot after 1 am, they started turning their vehicles to leave. There was a bit of confusion among the people and this created a bit of chaotic vehicular movement in the area. But the mood was celebratory and nobody seemed to mind it. Youngsters kept the mood alive by dancing to popular folk numbers every 30 to 50 metre.
SAFETY STANDS
This 2019 was a double-joy moment for people, as TASMAC shops were allowed to operate till 1 am. We must accept that most of the youngsters were drunk, yet the environment seemed quite safer for women and girls. There was a decent amount of women enthusiasts who joined the celebrations at Elliotâs.
EATERIES ALL FULL
If the eateries were open, they did good business. As more people turned up with their families, compared to last year, all the night eat-outs were almost full.
POLICE GAVE THEIR BEST
Like every year, the policemen were geared up to check if people were following proper road rules and did not drive rashly. Some cops were seen warning the rash drivers, and some were actively waving their hands to clear the traffic. The arrangements that were made by the city police were appreciable. Barricades were neatly lined up to check rash drivers. The police were also not too harsh with the public. In fact, they gave a warm smile and greeted the people who wished them.