C Shivakumar
Chennai:
Marina Beach reverberated with ecstacy as people danced
and shouted in joy when the clock struck 12 to celebrate the birth of 2013 while
bidding adieu to an eventful 2012 amidst the watchful eyes of the policemen,
who ensured celebrations were peaceful.
There were no drunken brawls, no ever-teasing as
thousands of men, women and children gathered near the Gandhi statue near the
DGP office.
The celebrations which looked muffled earlier in the day
on the eve of New Year gathered steam after 11pm as people started flocking to
the beach. Police cordoned off busy Kamraj Salai around 10 pm as crowd started
gathering in and around the beach. “We have left Santhome church stretch open from
the DGP office for the public,” said a policeman as the bikers passed by
shouting and hooting.
The security around the area was tight with about 100
traffic policemen posted in the area. Senior police officials also gathered
around the area passing instructions to their juniors. The bikes and cars were not
allowed inside the beach vicinity and vehicle owners were asked to park it away
from the beach road as crowd milled. Interestingly, police allowed the shops in
the beach to remain open till midnight as families nibbled at Bhajjis and idlis
hungrily.
However, this year people did not gather in such large
number as they used to. Business was also not usual with many of the stalls
lacking customers. A bajji shopkeeper blamed strict policing and New Year
parking restrictions for the business to dwindle.
Padma and her husband Velu, who sell beads, blamed the
malls. “Marina beach is where Chennaites gather to celebrate New Year traditionally
but now the place is slowly losing the
charm due to many malls coming up. Now families prefer to spend time in malls
and hotels rather enjoy the fresh air in the beach,” they lamented.
Henri, who had come all the way from Madhavaram with his
wife to celebrate the New Year for the sixth time, feels this year the
celebrations lacked the ambience. “It is more subdued than last year. This
could be the result of strict police presence,” he echoed.
The beach interestingly had couple of international
visitors who had come to pursue their internship in India. Chloe, Alicia and
Jean Baptiste, who are French internees in a pen firm, wanted to check out how
New Year is celebrated in Chennai. “In France, champagne would flow, here it is
more muffled,” said Alicia, a resident of Rouenn in France.
These youngsters were eagerly hoping for some fireworks
in the beach and to their surprise there weren’t any.
While Chennai celebrated, the night patrolling by policemen
was best as they worked silently the entire night monitoring the beach, busy
streets and road to ensure that no untoward incidents happen in the city.
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