The chill and sunshine made Kolkatans step out in thousands on Sunday, thronging to the usual hotspots in and around the city.
The Victoria Memorial, Alipore zoo, Eco Park and the Maidan wore a festive look and people selling peanuts, ice-cream and chats did brisk business.
The Telegraph took a tour of these places
Eco Park and zoo
The 480-acre park in New Town and the mini zoo called Harinalaya near it was a major draw on the second Sunday of the year.
The landscaped greens of Eco Park was dotted with families and friends enjoying a picnic. Many among them went kayaking or on a speedboat ride, while others opted for a ride on the Toy Train or tandem bicycles. The parking lot was full in the evening.
Café Ajante, in the Eco Park compound, had a steady stream of visitors since morning. In the evening, there was a queue of people waiting to enter. Children also had a fun time at Harinalaya, where a couple of zebras and a giraffe are the latest addition.
Abhinab Saikia was at the zoo with his one-and-a-half-year-old son Mivaan and wife Gayatri. “We spent the greater part of the day here. This zoo has clear glass enclosures and we had fun,” said Abhinab. Victoria Memorial
Thousands of people were walking around or sitting and soaking in the sight on the premises of the marble monument in the evening.
Lake Gardens resident Indranil Chattopadhyay, with his camera mounted on a tripod, was busy clicking pictures. “I have probably clicked more than two dozen photographs of this place.... This monument looks new to me every time I come here,” said Chattopadhyay.
Maidan
Children enjoyed rides on ponies and families on phaetons on the Maidan greens. A large number of youngsters with cameras were taking pictures or recording videos.
There were at least five couples trailed by photographers clicking pre-wedding pictures.
Families were spotted enjoying a picnic lunch or playing badminton.
Mohammed Khurshid Alam, a Mominpore resident, came with his entire family for a picnic.
“We thought it would not be very crowded. But when we came here in the afternoon, we had a tough time finding a vacant spot,” Alam said.
Mohammed Firoz, who owns four phaetons, said all his carriages had done multiple trips around the Victoria Memorial. Each ride costs around Rs 500. “Business has picked up since before Christmas,” he said. “We are happy that it’s cold. We are praying that the weather stays like this till at least February,” Firoz said.
Fun rides on horse carriages in the Maidan area on Sunday evening
Alipore zoo
The cops posted outside the zoo had to use ropes to control the huge crowds throughout the day. A zoo official said over 40,000 tickets were sold on Sunday.
Among the top draws were the tiger enclosure and the one housing primates.