Thursday, February 3, 2011

Welcome 2011

I was bashed out by the crowd rushing towards the cynosure while I was trying to compile a beautiful panorama with help of the camera parallel to my roaming eyes. My eyes and mouth were wide open, almost equating themselves to same dimensions, keeping them agape and hypnotized by colossal and articulated structures. There was congeries of people from across the sphere as if everyone gathered to peep and witness the moment for that they have waited so long. I, along with my friends, was one of them. 

I looked upon my watch and it just clicked 10:00 PM. We expected to complete rest of the distance in half hour and reach London eye, where everything was waiting for the momentous time. After two hours, for us it would be 00:00 1/1/11 at banks of Thames near London eye – what better would we have expected than this to say good bye 2010 and welcome 2011? We were eagerly waiting for the moment when clock-hands meet their countenance to hug each other and announce the arrival of New Year. 


We were a group of eight Infosions, who decided to go to London after many sessions of brainstorming and all sort of calculations. Having completed 3 hours of journey from Macclesfield to Embankment, London, from there to London eye we had to walk along with crowd. We were the participants of quarter million people, who were moving along with us. Though roads were of significant width, it was so densely populated that we had no option but to line and creep slowly. Everyone was happy enough to cheer and cry loud in celebration. Roads were filled with empty liquor bottles and cans. There were people from all over the world, of approximately every ethnicity, just came to London-eye for 10 min show. 

Finally, we reached to our destination, but got divided into two factions due to so much commotion. I was left with 4 friends and rest 3 got lost somewhere else. We were in front of London eye by 10:30 PM. After that, it was a waiting period for one hour and half. Thanks to DJ, organized by BBC, and cheerful crowd, it was not as boring as anyone could have supposed to be. With every click of the Bigben-clock, crowd were becoming denser and denser and louder and louder. We also were presented a toast in the form of some Hindi songs that truly delighted us. Certainly, it was symbolism of complete euphoria, and we were witnessing it.

It was about to be 00:00 of first day of 2011. Everyone started cheering in synchronization. My hands went automatically into my pocket and fetched the camera. I put it on recording mode. Countdown started from 10 and everyone started counting in harmony - 10 9 8 ........ with every digit pitch was getting amplified. With the bang on zero, fireworks started at the full blow. London eye was illuminating under the light of fireworks. Fireworks continued for 10 minutes in the midst of music, which included Queen's We Will Rock You, The Beatles’ Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, and Blur's Song 2.

It was dead silence after fireworks. It was time to go back and sleep or remember the moments we just witnessed. Everyone started rushing back towards his destination. I still remember whatever I saw on first night of this year. Undoubtedly, it was one of the best celebrations I ever had, which I lived it for a moment and will remember forever.