E.P Yesudas

Hyderabad: Another year-end, another celebration; Hyderabadi’s were once again seen enjoying the midnight celebrations to usher in the New Year -2017.

Thankfully the celebrations had mostly shifted to indoor venues with comparatively less number of people hitting the roads with their blaring horns and cheerful shouts of ‘Happy New Year!’

For one brief moment the queues had moved from the ATMs to the liquor stores, which were stocked to the brim and made brisk business.

Private events were once again the order of the day with revelers gathered in hotels and restaurants which had made adequate preparations to get select crowds. A sizable entry fee was charged in big hotels in Jubilee and Banjara Hills that ranged from a couple of thousands to over ten thousand rupees at some places.

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A developing feature in the city’s New Year celebrations for some time now has been the community celebrations in gated enclaves.

A developing feature in the city’s New Year celebrations for some time now has been the community celebrations in gated enclaves. Most of these parties could rival the hotels in terms of their sets that included the latest in lighting, DJ music and catwalk ramps. They even have the edge in organizing customised events according to age groups and common interests of the community.

Hyderabad police kept vigil to ensure an incident free celebration

The Hyderabad police had a large role to play not only in making the city safe but also in ensuring that the traffic flow was smooth and uneventful. Almost every junction on the main roads had cops stopping cars and thrusting breath analysers in drivers’ faces.

Several motorbikes of drunk drivers were confiscated and tow trucks moving up and down the roads filled with these two wheelers was fast becoming a familiar sight.

The NLAG church at Kompally holding a candle light vigil, prayerfully entering the New Year.

Churches were filled with the faithful attending the midnight thanksgiving services. While most of them had their congregations step into the new year in communal worship, a few of them wound up their services before midnight and allowed their flock the option to go out and participate in their private parties, if they wanted to.

A large chunk of citizens also preferred to stay indoors, in spite of the New Year falling on a weekend. They chose to stick to their televisions and entertained visiting friends and relatives. While some threw a barbeque that seemed to go well with the chilly winter, others planned a potluck with whatever food and beverage seemed apt for the occasion.