No more lonely hearts in Bangalore this New Year's Eve

In the film Sex And The City, as the world celebrates New Year’s Eve, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) turns in early, to be woken up by her friend Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) who then says, “It is New Year’s Eve. I never thought I would be alone and eating ordered in Chinese food.” Or something to that effect, which makes Carrie throw a coat over her night suit and travel all the way in the biting New York winter, straight into her friend’s apartment, where they watch television together, laugh, cry, hug and celebrate happily ever after. We are not suggesting the same, incase you are single this New Year’s Eve. But what we are offering are some easy ways that could offer you company as we get ready to usher in yet another year.

Get official
At times, while we are holed up behind those cubicles at work, we often don’t notice potential people who could be friends or just party partners. An office is almost like a second home, so you will find familiar faces and comfort in the singledom of others like you.

So, get up and look around. We are sure you will find some solo souls peeping at you from behind the computer, wondering if there are any takers for a New Year’s Eve date. As Nidhi Bansal, who works in a top-notch law firm points out, “My work place is formal and I didn’t ‘know’ a lot of people, except the cursory smiles and hellos exchanged during office hours.” That was until she shared a table during lunch hours with a colleague, who she had never spoken to before. “As we got talking we realised that we both were by ourselves and dreading the D-day. So we decided to spend the eve together at a city hotel celebration,” she offers. But did it get awkward post the partying, we wondered. “Not at all,” Nidhi says emphatically, explaining that the lines need to be drawn right from the beginning. “We remain great friends. It is better to go out with acquaintances, than spending the evening all alone,” she adds.

Host a party at home
If you don’t want to rub shoulders with unknown strangers in packed dos at hotels, or sit in a corner at someone else’s party feeling confused, then get the music going in your own territory.

What’s more amazing is that since you are single, you can call all your favourite people and don’t have to fight over a guest list with your partner or spouse. And did we mention that you can drink all you want and just dive back into your own bed? That’s what banker Shalini Subbaiah, decided to do, when the details of attending a New Year’s Eve party got too complicated for her. 

“There was a tussle amongst my friend circle on where to go. Most places were expensive and transport became a problem for me personally,” she offers. So Shalini decided to host the party at her home, with a pot luck dinner and some fun board games. “We had such a great time and my friends stayed back at my home. It saved the hassle of driving back late night and we started the New Year fighting over who’s going to make breakfast,” she laughs.

Get social
This one is not for the movers and shakers, but for the ones who like quiet endings and hopeful beginnings.

A host of NGOs in the city offer year-end opportunities to spend time with underprivileged kids, at senior citizen homes and even animal shelters. All one needs to do is ask around, go online and type good search keywords, browse social networking sites or call one of the yellow pages and ask them for NGO numbers near your area and follow up about their New Year events.

“I spent my New Years at an animal rescue shelter last year. I didn’t dance the previous night away, but nothing came close to the amazing experience I had,” shares Sharoni Roy, a multimedia professional.  Sharoni had resolved not to blow big bucks on partying and instead donate her time and money for a cause. “It was such a positive start to my year,” she offers, adding that this year she plans to repeat the feat. In fact, special occasions call for special action, claim many Bangalore’s celebrities such as actors.

While some spend birthdays at an orphanage, some celebrated Christmas with special children. “I think there is a strange feeling of gratification when you can do something good on a day when the whole world is celebrating. I have spent every New Year’s Eve with senior citizens in an old age home after I turned 25 years old and have never felt the pain of being alone or single,” says Devasish Raha.