Crowds with Santa caps paint city red: Hotspots taken over by Christmas revellers
Telegraph | 26 December 2024
Christmas revellers painted the city red on Wednesday, thronging parks, museums and eateries.
The weather was not ideal for outdoor activities. The sky was gloomy and some pockets received a drizzle or two. But the revellers, many of them with red Santa caps, did not seem to bother.
Park Street was closed to traffic around 5.20pm and all that was visible under the canopy of bells, stars and drop-down lights was a sea of heads.
It took Metro almost 20 minutes to reach the main gate of the Alipore zoo after the lights turned green for vehicles at the Police Training School traffic signal. Usually, it takes a couple of minutes to cover the distance.
The pedestrian walkway, meant for people headed towards the zoo, looked like the roads leading to popular Puja pandals on Saptami. There was a constant stream of people up and down the walkway.
Inside, the main attraction was the Royal Bengal Tiger enclosure. Chimps, elephants, giraffes and the new open-air aviary, where visitors have to walk through a glass tunnel, were among the more crowded areas.
Across the park, children climbed on their parents’ shoulders to catch a clear glimpse of the tiger while mobile phones went click, click. In the afternoon, visitors were seen struggling for space to have lunch
Nemai Bera and wife Roma came in a large family group from Chandernagore. “We will visit Victoria, Maidan, then grab some food at Esplanade before taking a bus to Howrah station to board a train home,” said Nemai, who has a stationery business.
Roma, an ASHA (accredited social health activist) worker, had to give the aviary a miss. “I feared a stampede,” she said.
The zoo reported around 70,000 visitors, an official said.
Vipul Chamaria, a stock trader, and wife Trina had come from the neighbouring state of Jharkhand. Around 2.50pm, they were waiting to enter the Victoria Memorial, as were hundreds of others.
“This is our first time in Calcutta. We want to make the most of the festive vibe,” said Trina, who sells cosmetics in a mall. The couple have planned to visit the zoo on Thursday.
Victoria saw around 35,000 visitors till 6.30pm. The light-and-sound show is still underway and the total count would go up, said an official.
Prem Dorji, wife Durga and their three-year-old son Tushan had come from Darjeeling. “Christmas is a great time to be in Darjeeling as well. But Calcutta has its own charm,” said Prem, walking towards the Maidan from the museum.
Indranil Basu, wife Ina and their four-year-old son Abir came to the Maidan from Lake Town. “We will spend some time on the Maidan greens before going to St Paul’s Cathedral. If our son is not too exhausted, we plan to have dinner outside,” said Ina, a kindergarten teacher.
Santa caps, twinkling headbands and reindeer horns were the choicest accessories for pedestrians. Some youngsters playing on the Maidan wore full Santa Clause costumes.
New Town has become a hotspot on festive days over the last few years. The combined attraction of Eco Park, Harinalaya Mini Zoo, the aircraft museum and Mother’s Wax Museum drew thousands to the township.
Since Monday morning, there had been a steady stream of traffic on the Major Arterial Road headed to the sprawling 480-acre park with a 110-acre water body at its centre. The crowd started to surge around midday and by 3pm, the parking spots in the park were almost full.
Sibani Das, who works in the marketing team of a plywood manufacturer, had come to Eco Park with her 12-year-old daughter Sayanti and six-year-old niece Ahana.
“We have been waiting for almost 40 minutes to get our tickets. The children want to see the Seven Wonders installations,” said Das.
The eateries on Park Street had a long waiting time for lunch and dinner.
Indrajit Sen, 64, who hails from Siliguri, was holidaying in Calcutta with his wife and daughter. The three waited for almost an hour before they could find a table at Peter Cat for lunch.
“We want to spend some time on Park Street before it becomes too crowded to walk,” said Sen.