NEWS: Vajpayee's presence keeps Gujarati new year revellers off Goa

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Vajpayee's presence keeps Gujarati New Year revellers off Goa

By Sukrat Desai, Indo-Asian News Service

Ahmedabad, Dec 31 (IANS) The tight security in balmy Goa, where Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is ringing in the New Year, has prompted many
Gujaratis to cancel their customary yearend celebrations in the tiny coastal
state.

Hundreds of affluent Gujaratis as well as their relatives and friends in
Mumbai go to Goa every year for joint New Year celebrations, but the heavy
security on account of the prime minister's presence there has forced many
to change their plans this time.

Destinations in Gujarat and the adjoining coastal territories of Daman and
Diu have emerged as the favourite alternatives.

For instance, Mumbai resident Anosh Joshi is exploring the wild in Gujarat
this year on the invitation of his friend Jayesh Shah.

"Though Goa is usually our destination for New Year celebrations, this time,
considering the tight security, we had a change of mind," Shah said.

Added Joshi: "Jayesh invited me to spend New Year's eve with flamingos in
the Little Rann of Kutch. Being an avid bird watcher, this idea appealed to
me so much that I decided to stay away from alcohol and wild partying and
preferred the serene company of birds."

Suketu Thakkar, another Mumbai resident, will be welcoming the New Year in
picturesque Diu, a federally administered territory off the Saurashtra
coast, along with his Gujarati friend.

"My friend Himanshu Vyas invited me to Gujarat. He was concerned about the
tight security measures on the prime minister's visit to Goa and told me
that it might play spoilsport," Thakkar told IANS.

Said Vyas: "I told Thakkar that Goa would be an expensive affair. As it is
it gets costlier on New Year's eve. I suggested Diu because it is cheaper as
far as accommodation, food and alcohol are concerned."

Thakkar jumped at the suggestion. "I was excited about Diu as I heard it was
like Goa, with sprawling beaches and cheap alcohol."

Some also headed for Daman, another tiny federally administered territory
bordering south Gujarat.

Mumbai resident Dinesh Lakhtaria will be in Daman on the invitation of his
business partner Sameer Nayak.

"Alcohol is cheap and the beaches are also on the lines of Goa in Daman. So
why waste money when there are chances of the prime minister's visit playing
spoilsport in Goa?" said Lakhtaria.

Vajpayee and his family are spending their yearend vacation on a pristine
beach in south Goa. Other top personalities like Deputy Prime Minister L.K.
Advani are also ringing in the New Year in Goa, sending the local security
apparatus into a tizzy.

Ahead of the yearend holidays, Israel had warned that its citizens
vacationing in Goa for the New Year might become the targets of a terrorist
attacks.

According to reports, the presence of VIPs and the threat perception has
meant constant patrolling of Goa's golden beaches by security personnel and
armed cops and frequent frisking of vacationers, somewhat dampening the
holiday mood.

--Indo-Asian News Service

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