Chennaiites bid a 'spirited' adieu to 2010; welcome the new year with colourful celebrations

CHENNAI: The 2G spectrum scam and spiralling prices of onions took the backseat for a day as Chennaiites bid a spirited adieu to 2010. Revellers got out of their homes rather early in the evening and traffic on city's roads started building up as the celebrations to welcome 2011 gathered momentum.
The party animals mostly headed towards East Coast Road, where most of the beach resorts and farmhouses are located.Those cash-strapped or celebrating at home queued up at Tasmac outlets to make purchases for the New Year toast. There was unprecedented rush at most of the Tasmac outlets in the city and people were seen pushing throw the crowd as the closure time of 10 pm neared.
Firecrackers started lighted up the skies as the night wore on, the pyrotechnics reaching its peak when the clock struck 12. People hugged and shook hands. After midnight, the celebrations, which had been till then mostly confined to homes, pubs and clubs, poured out to the streets. Roads were choked with bumper to bumper traffic and people honked continuously to welcome the new year.
As spirited souls took over the roads, those spiritually inclined stood in prayer before temples which offered special midnight poojas. The midnight mass in churches attracted huge crowds. Hawkers selling colourful balloons and toys added colour to the mood near these places of worship. Youngsters on two-wheelers and cars parked their vehicles by the side of the roads and wished other motorists.
Thanks to the presence of police personnel and their more liberal attitude this New Year's eve, the celebrations went on without any eventualities. Due to the relaxation of time limit, all bars and restaurants remained opened well past 3 am. Police, thankfully, did not play the spoilsport but managed to control the huge crowd on roads and on beaches like Marina and Elliot's. When the first rays of sun rose over the Bay of Bengal, many still on the roads, shouting out, "Happy New Year!"