FESTIVE FATHER: Sourav Ganguly shares a special Pre-Holi moment with daughter Sana. Surrounded by other girls from wife Dona’s dance school at their Behala home, Sourav first watched his daughter twirl to a Holi song before smearing her with aabir. Picture by Aranya Sen

Four festivals and an extended weekend — reasons enough for Calcutta to go on a holiday.

Half of Calcutta seems to be getting out this Holi-Easter-Navroz-Fateha Doaz Daham weekend. We will not go far, but go somewhere we must is the motto.

Ask Nitai Sengupta, the manager of Kundu Travels. “People are looking at places within a few hours of Calcutta or maximum a one-night journey away. We had a tough time booking tickets for trains leaving between Thursday noon and night.”

A quick getaway to a resort or a tourist spot not far from home is choice number one. “There has been a boost in bookings over the past week, pushing occupancy to 90 per cent,” says Tapan Nanda of VCI Hospitality Ltd, Ffort Radisson, in Raichak. “People want to get away, but for 24 to 48 hours.”

The demand for Vedic Village, off the Rajarhat road, has also picked up with prices matching five-star hotel rates in town. “We wanted to get away for two days to Vedic Village, but the cottages are so pricey that my husband and I have decided to drive down to Santiniketan instead,” says Ritika Sengupta, 28.

Ritika and her husband will put up with relatives in Santiniketan, but those driving into Tagore’s town on Friday hoping to find a place to park will find none.

For, a “Holi House-Full” board can be put up in Santiniketan, Mukutmanipur, Mandarmani, Digha, Shankarpur, Gopalpur and Puri.

Gautam Sengupta, the marketing manager of Paradise Car Services, vouches for wheels rolling out of town like never before. “We usually do not give away cars during Holi, but this time with four festive occasions lined up and large groups desperate to drive out to make the most of the three-day break, the demand made us change our mind,” says Sengupta.

Festive holidays and weekend getaways are finally catching on among families and friends in Calcutta. “For our previous generation, Holi was all about an extended family get-together that would go on through the day. Today nuclear families and young professionals would rather escape the hyperactivity of Holi and make the most of a restful holiday,” says Rajat K. Bose, a stock investment consultant leaving town on Thursday.

Escape is the operative word for many. Doel Kar, a 24-year-old software professional, will be spending Holi at Digha to get away from the festive excesses in town.

“Holi is no longer just about bhaang, aabir and adda. It is about harmful colours and unruly acts. I would rather spend the three-day holiday bonanza with friends doing exactly what we want,” smiles Doel.

Happy Holi-day!

Where did you spend Holi? Tell ttmetro@abpmail.com