The Celsius has started dipping and winter revellers poured out on Sunday, flocking to parks and museums.
On Sunday, the minimum temperature was 17.3 degrees Celsius, the coldest day of the season so far.
Places like the Victoria Memorial, Alipore zoo and Nicco Park were crowded throughout Sunday as Calcuttans as well as people from the districts visited those places.
The zoo saw a footfall of 32,000 on Sunday. Even a month ago, the footfall would be less than half the number.
Around 11.30am, the gates of the park opposite Taj Bengal had a sea of black heads. Hawkers outside the premises did brisk business. The tiger enclosure was the busiest.
Inside, one had to wait for some time to have a glimpse of the tiger. There were sizeable crowds around the giraffe and kangaroo enclosures, too.
Large number of crowd at Alipur Zoo on Sunday. Picture by Gautam Bose
An enclosure for two white tigers was inaugurated on Sunday. The glass enclosure has a sprawling viewers’ gallery.
Dhrubajyoti Ghosh, a Baguiati resident, had come with his wife and four-year-old daughter. “This is my daughter’s first visit to the zoo. The weather was perfect for an outing. So, we decided to come today,” he said.
Pranabesh Saha and wife Anupama had come from Tarakeswar in Hooghly. “We took a train in the morning and reached Howrah. We plan to visit some more places,” said Anupama. The couple had come with their son and daughter
The Maidan was also the destination for many. The greens had a picnic vibe.
Many people, young and old, played badminton and cricket on the greens.
Hawkers selling everything from chocolates to balloons dotted the Maidan.
Large groups were seated on the green cover. People were having lunch from tiffin boxes and plates.
The entire area around the Victoria Memorial, Nandan, Rabindra Sadan and St Paul’s Cathedral had people streaming in all day.
Around 1.30pm, a snaking queue of around 100 people was spotted at the gate of the Victoria Memorial. Many more were on their way to the lawns of the marble monument. The crowd at the Victoria Memorial peaked around noon with many walking in post-lunch and staying on till 5pm, the closing time.
The demand for horse carriages on the road was also high.
The weather played its part. The morning had a hint of chill and the day was bright and sunny.
The Celsius was tipped to slide further, said a Met official.
“The northwesterly winds are flowing in,” the official said.
Traffic slowed on the Salt Lake bypass, which leads to Nicco Park from EM Bypass, as well as on the Major Arterial Road, near Eco Park, as hundreds of vehicles headed to the two fun hotspots.
More than 30,000 people visited Eco Park on Sunday, said an official
Large number of crowd at Ecopark, Newtown on Sunday. Picture by Gautam Bose
Large groups of families were seated on the expansive greens with many jostling for space under the shade of the trees.
Many people, young and old, played badminton and cricket and sizeable queues were spotted outside the booking counters of the speedboat, cruise boats as well as paddle boats and kayaks at the park.
The restaurants and fast food centres at the park, too, did brisk business.
We enjoyed the sunset in the backdrop of the park’s waterbody and then went for a speedboat ride. We will have dinner somewhere before heading home,” said Sulagna Chakraborty, a resident of Patuli, on the eastern fringes of the city.
One of the city’s oldest amusement centres, Nicco Park, had a footfall of around 1,500 on Sunday.
Families with children were spotted at the park enjoying rides like the Toy Train and Moon Raker.
The Mother’s Wax Museum opposite the park, too, had a decent footfall.