Bengaluru gives 2016 a jolly good welcome

There was hope, celebration and nip in the air as Bengalureans rang in 2016, partying late into Thursday night. The cheerful mood pervaded MG Road, Brigade Road and Church Street as revellers hit the streets by evening. There was a sizeable police presence in CBD area but security seemed to be the last concern on the minds of those who came to bid 2015 goodbye.It was in sharp contrast to 2014 when the December 28 bomb blast had set off near panic.
On late Thursday evening, anti sabotage vehicles carrying bomb squads, sniffer dogs and explosive experts were at hand on MG Road. But oblivious to all these were families, couples and girls among the revellers. Brigade Road was teeming with youngsters donning the Halloween paraphernalia and colourfully lit ox-horn head hoops and taking selfies. They did not mind a slew of restrictions as they snaked up in front of the four metal door detectors to enter Brigade Road.
The watering holes of Brigade Road and Church Street saw partygoers queue up. Gun and camera-wielding policemen kept a careful eye on revellers from atop watch towers.
The party mood was infectious and spread across the city .Traffic police shut down flyovers for all vehicles. Partying hotspots at Indiranagar and Kora mangala registered huge footfalls. Music kept blaring from several residences where house parties were in full flow. Nimisha Pandey , BBM student from Lingarajapuram, said: “I've come from Chandigarh to study here and there is no better place than Bengaluru to usher in the New Year. But traffic and parking are a big problem and we couldn't park our vehicles anywhere in and around MG Road.“
S a g a r Krishnamurthy , a doctor f r o m J ay anagar, had come with h i s f a m i ly.“Police security is tight but we are happy to celebrate here,“ he said.
There were revellers who had chosen to travel out of the city to welcome 2016. Like Niranjan Babu, manager with a private car service unit in Yeshwantpur, who travelled to Mangaluru to join his schoolmates. “Each new year, we arrange for an alumni meet and gather at one place,“ he said.
Mudra N, an engineering student, said: “My friends told me how MG Road would be decorated for new year. We hired a cab and spent time in a pub.“ With Metro and Big 10 services working till 2am, returning home wasn't a problem for revellers.