Tuesday puts a damper on New Year Eve partying of Lucknowites

Akash.Wadhwa@timesgroup.com
The New Year Eve celebrations are going to be a bit thanda for a few Lucknowites this time. Well, it is not because of the chilly weather but because it is a Tuesday! And owing to their belief a few people do not eat non-vegetarian food and refrain from having hard drinks on the day. While they say it’s putting a damper on their partying, they also say that they will make up for it when the clock strikes 12 at midnight.And respecting their belief, most restaurants and hotels in the city have slashed the rates of the entry tickets and passes, the cost of which normally includes hard drinks and non-vegetarian snacks.
Jatin Ahuja, owner Royal Sky lounge cum restaurant in Hazratganj, has slashed the ticket rates of the New Year Eve party planned at his lounge. “Our manager was getting a number of calls from people who were buying passes saying that they will not be drinking on the New Year’s Eve as it is going to be a Tuesday and if we could exclude the charges of the drinks and snacks from the tickets. So, since drinks were complimentary and the charges were included in the passes, we have slashed the rates to almost 50 per cent. In fact, since many people do not eat non-veg on a Tuesday, we have increased the number of vegetarian dishes in the menu.”
Aarti Vaid, owner of Cappuccino Blast,a place frequented by youngsters, too is following suit at her restaurant. “People tend to head out on New Year’s Eve and party hard with drinks and non-veg food. But since this year December 31 is falling on a Tuesday, we have introduced entry passes of a lesser rate which do not include non-vegetarian food and hard drinks for those who will not have either on that day,” says Aarti.
While some will enjoy hard drinks and non-veg food, a few will have to abstain from it (BCCL/ Aditya Yadav)
Meanwhile Mohak Raitani, Managing Director of Molecule Air Bar, is still in two minds whether to cut down on the rates or not. “We only have passes as of now which include hard drinks. A lot of people have called us and are inquiring about passes of a lesser rate which don’t include hard drinks and non-veg food since it is a Tuesday.However, we are not able to come up with a plan yet where we can differentiate between alcoholics and non-alcoholics in the party. So, we are still in two minds about it,” he says.
However, having a different view on this is Ria Oli, Marketing and Communication Executive, hotel Fairfield by Marriott, Lucknow. “We have passes in both alcohol and non-alcohol category – the latter being cheaper. But I am still not sure whether people will actually not have hard drinks and non-veg because of December 31 being a Tuesday. It’s the last day of the year and most people may not want to refrain from them. We had a Christmas bash on a Tuesday and most guests at our place enjoyed hard drinks and non-veg food then,” says Ria.
While some will enjoy hard drinks and non-veg food, a few will have to abstain from it (BCCL/ Aditya Yadav)
But a few hardcore believers say that they will not touch hard drinks and non-veg that day – till the clock strikes 12 midnight! For this reason, Gaurav Chaturvedi, a businessman in the city, is keeping his New Year celebrations a low key affair this year. “Earlier I had planned to spend the night with my wife and a few close friends partying at a prominent hotel, now we will be having a house party since the New Year’s Eve is falling on a Tuesday. Most people in our group are fond of hard drinks. But a majority of us will not be able to have them or eat non-veg since it is a Tuesday. There’s no point spending thousands at the entry fee for a party when you will not be able to eat or drink as per you choice. So ghar pe gaane laga ke we will be enjoying,” he says.
Ravi Kesarwani, a jeweller in the city, who happens to be a hardcore non-vegetarian, also has similar plans. “It made me so sad this time that New Year is on a Tuesday since I love having non-vegetarian food and I also strictly follow the ‘not having non-veg on Tuesday rule’. I was even discussing the same with my wife telling her how dull 31st night will be considering the foodie that I am. My wife is a vegetarian and so will I be on New Year’s Eve this year. But I will binge after midnight, for sure!” says he.
However, homemaker Sweety Chawla is thinking of not having hard drinks and non-veg on a Tuesday for a change. “2019 is coming to an end and that doesn’t happen every day. I have plans of going to a club with my family and celebrating New Year’s Eve with them along with my friends. Although I don’t mind having hard drinks, we might not be able to have non-vegetarian food. But it’s okay, as long as you’re with your loved ones and anyway, once a while its okay to abstain from non-vegetarian food.”
— With inputs from Yashi Agarwal and Farhan Ahmad Siddiqui