Adrenaline rush summed up the mood on Day-I of New Year. From midnight texts to early morning calls, wishes were exchanged all day. Those who felt gadgets weren’t the right thing on New Year to get close to their near ones, met personally and shared the joy of a new year. People poured in large numbers at the hotspots to usher in happiness. The city on Thursday was witness to a new beginning where there was hope and fellow-felling. Piyush Kumar Tripathi of The Telegraph travels city’s east-west, north-south to gauge the mood and catch the action

Weather meter

Warm start: The first day was comparatively warmer than 2013 and 2012. The minimum temperature on Thursday stood at 12.5°Celsius. Thus, devotees did not shiver, while going to Mahavir Mandir, in the early morning. Last year, the minimum temperature on January 1 was 11.3°Celsius and 9.9°Celsius on the same day in 2012.

Sun playing hide and seek: Clouds emerging from a well-marked low-pressure area in Bay of Bengal near Tamil Nadu coast repeatedly tried to cover the Sun. However, the Sun God was resilient enough to break the cloud cover every now and then, and keep the New Year celebrations bright.

Hot among hotspots

Place: Rajdhani Vatika (Eco-Park)
Mood: Eating out in sort of picnic style
Food: Home-made food and as many as 50 stalls of ice cream, chaat, popcorn and pav-bhaji among others were lined up outside the park 
Style statement: Jackets and pullovers 
Crowd colour: Red for girls and black for boys
Fun factor: Youngsters had maximum fun inside the underpass tunnel connecting the two flanks of the park as they kept howling and cheering in excitement. Groups of young girls could be seen getting clicking selfies and playing antakshari 

Footfall: 1 lakh

Into the wild

Place: Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park (Patna zoo)
Mood: Wildlife fun
Food: Home-made and south-Indian cuisines at the cafeteria
Style statement: Sweaters and long coats
Crowd colour: Blue for boys and black for the ladies
Fun factor: Toy train and tiger cubs
Footfall: More than 33,000

Riverside story

Place: Sabbalpur Diara
Mood: Sandbar fun
Food: Litti, samosa and other snacks 
Style statement: Many young couples were seen taking strolls on the sand with footwear in hands
Crowd colour: Brown for boys and red for girls
Fun factor: Boat ride in Ganga. Couples were seen looking for hideouts away from the crowd
Footfall: Around 20,000 

Commerce meets fun

Place: Maurya Lok
Mood: Mumbai Chaupati-like masti
Food: Chinese and ice creams
Style statement: Girls in tunics and overcoats. Boys were seen in checked shirts paired with straight-fitted jeans
Crowd color: Black
Fun factor: The food and balloon stalls inside the premise 
Footfall:Over 50,000

Shop till you drop

Place: Patna Central 
Mood: Shopping
Food: Snacks counter in front of main entrance
Style statement: The girls in shorts teamed up with stockings and ankle-length boots. Hats were a hit 
among boys
Crowd colour: White
Fun factor: Couples moving around hand-in-hand
Footfall: 30,000

Entertainment

Place: Regent Fun Cinemas
Mood: Total filmy
Food: KFC chicken
Style statement: Jackets and chinos for boys and long overcoats for girls
Crowd colour: Brown for boys and black for girls
Fun factor: Long chat over coffee at CCD
Footfall: 5,000

Tongue tickle 

Place: Bollywood Treats, Maurya 
Mood: Bollywood with filmy posters and interiors
Food: Chinese and beverage
Style statement: Girls in sky-high heels, coats and sling bags
Crowd colour: Red
Fun factor: Kids playing video games and group of boys playing snooker with foot-tapping Bollywood music
Footfall: 1,500

OMG

Place: Mahavir Mandir
Mood: Devotional
Food: Naivedyam laddoo
Crowd colour: Saffron
Fun factor: Kids ringing the bells over and over again
Footfall: Two lakh