New Year: Delhi, Mumbai, other cities welcome 2023 after two years of Covid hiatus

New Delhi: After two years of Covid-19 hiatus, India welcomes 2023 with love, happiness, and cheer. With dazzling fireworks and electrifying music, cities across India welcomed the year 2023 with much pomp and show. From Delhi to Mumbai and Chennai to Kolkata, the mood on the December 31st night was like a merry-go-round. In Delhi, people in large numbers gathered at India Gate to celebrate New Year. Special parties were organized at pubs and clubs in different parts of the national capital. Excitement was on the rocks in Mumbai, the `city of dreams` where people were swaying to the exhilarating musical extravaganza at the pubs. 

A huge crowd flocked to Marine Drive in Mumbai to celebrate New Year. Goa turned into a utopia of merriment with beaches dazzled with colourful lighting. DJ parties were organized at hotels and resorts. Almost all major casinos, restaurants, and bars organised music programmes and other special events to celebrate the new year. 

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Kochi welcomed New Year with the mega Cochin Carnival at Fort Kochi. People celebrated the arrival of the New Year with dazzling lights, music, and dance in Uttarakhand`s Mussoorie. Similarly, a huge crowd emerged at Mall Road in Himachal Pradesh`s Manali to welcome the New Year. 

In Odisha's Puri, renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik created an 8-feet high and 15-feet long sand sculpture of Lord Jagannatha at Puri beach to welcome the New Year. Pattnaik created the deities of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra using 10 tons of sand. He decorated the sculpture with flowers and wrote the message "Jai Jagannath". 

Further, police personnel across country made sure it was a safe New Year for everyone as it deployed officials at various spots to ensure safety of commuters. 

(With inputs from ANI)