By IANS,
Kolkata : Churches and temples saw huge crowds, people went for picnics and had family outings – Kolkatans spent the first day of 2010 in different ways.
People cutting across religious lines gathered at the beautifully decorated St. Paul’s Cathedral and St. John’s Church to offer special prayers and lit candles.
A large number of people moved away from the din of the city with family and friends to popular picnic spots, including the world’s largest mangrove covering Sunderbans.
There were huge crowds at the Alipore Zoo, as the youngsters had a whale of a time watching animals and the seasonal visiting birds from Siberia.
Devotees from all over the country thronged the famed Kali Temple at Dakshineshwar for Kalpataru Utsav, which is celebrated on this day every year.
It is believed that spiritual guru Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa had gone into a trance Jan 1, 1886, and granted enlightenment to his disciples.
“Every year despite my busy schedule I come to attend Kalpataru festival along with my family with a prayer for a prosperous and a happy new year ahead,” said Milan Chatterjee, who works with a multinational firm.