This
year will be remembered as long as this generation is around. This the year
when life was turned upside down. Partying in the new year is a time tested
template followed for generations? People gather in large numbers and party in
the New Year. Clubs and restaurants organise events that attract huge crowds
who dance all night. And spend a lot of money. This year however with the virus
and a new strain moving around will Goans lean on the side of caution and party
at home with close relatives or just give in to temptation and party in the
clubs and restaurants that dot the landscape. This year, the strip along the
beach has been playing host to thousands of domestic tourists who have come in
and partied their blues away.
Meblish
Fernandes a resident of Sao Jose De Real said the year was a unique one keeping
everyone in their homes making everyone think twice before going anywhere. He
said “At this point celebrating New Year with your family looks like the safest
option. I may have a small BBQ party with a bunch of close friends and maybe
spending a quiet time at a beach. This should suffice to start the rather
interesting New Year.”
Reeya
Yeshwante said she strongly felt the start of the New Year should be celebrated
at home with family and friends because it will be safer due to the pandemic
situation. She said “As we all know Goa is a tourist spot every year for
Christmas and New Year there will be more crowd and complete chaos around and
we can’t take a risk to move around with family. So I will be celebrating
this new year 2021 at home with my family and few friends with complete setup
on the terrace with dinner, drinks, and sweets”.
Dhiraj
Kashalkar said a few families preferred to plan together with their family
friends or with relatives at home or at open places like terrace/society
garden, etc. However, some youth would plan to visit pubs with their friends
but not a large percentage of them. He said “Most Goan youth will prefer to go
out for parties on the beach or for a night out. Usually, Goan youth like to go
to clubs and pubs to celebrate the new year with friends. But mostly older
people spend quality time with their family. A friend of mine told me that he
likes to spend Christmas and New Year with his family because he wanted to
start the year with special people. But in my opinion, it is always fun to
welcome the New Year with a few drinks, friends, and family on the beach.”
Sundeep
Rai advised extreme caution. He said “Looking at the number of people who came
from the UK and how govt was unable to trace them, partying at the pub is not a
safe option. I would prefer visiting some lesser-known beach in South Goa with
my friends, safety and having fun all together”.
Shloka
Nagvekar said Goa was undoubtedly the main hub of parties and celebrations
but 2020 turned out to be a year that nobody ever thought of. She said “New
Year in 2020 will be all dressed with makeup on but with the mask’s covering
everything the pandemic has spoilt our plans entirely. Many people will try and
avoid going to crowded places to be safe from the virus. However, there are
party freaks who would go out and have fun. We have to do our duty to be safe
and try and have control over the cases in our hands. Beaches in the north are
much more crowded than the beaches in the south, so people can try and go out
to the beaches. However, I feel staying home and having a safe day is something
everyone would love to have. So let’s try and have a stay home party and have a
great year ahead.”
However
Timothy Lobo a businessman based in Porvorim laughed and said he intended to
party hard with friends who had come down from Mumbai. He said “I intend to go
out and have a blast. I intend to throw caution to the wind and face the
new virus strain head-on.” He may have been the only one who may have
articulated it so clearly but one can certainly say there are many more who
think along similar lines
One
can only hope commonsense prevails and people party but do without exposing
themselves to harm.
