Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): For most people, New Year celebrations mean visiting hotels and pubs, drinking, dancing and having dinner. Some people, however, will welcome New Year in a different way. They have decided to usher in 2025 in jungles and night camps far from the cities.
They will leave homes in evening of December 31 and will return by January 1 afternoon.
A New Year Eve Jungle Camp has been organised in Ratapani-Delawadi area, about 50 km from Bhopal and a New Year Eve Night Camp at a village near Narsinghgarh, about 70 km from the city.
The campers will reach their destinations by 5 pm on Tuesday and will head home by 11 am on Wednesday. The activities in the camps include tent stay, games, light music, bonfires, morning trekking etc. It also includes rock climbing, commando net, archery, football and cricket.
Only vegetarian meals will be served at Narsinghgarh camp whereas the option of non-vegetarian food will be available at Ratapani camp. No liquor will be served in either of the camps.
New Year Eve Jungle Camp organiser Anand Bhargava said they were overbooked with people from Bhopal, Indore, Shivpuri, Raisen, Biaora, Hoshangabad, Itarsi.
The trend is growing because some people wish to celebrate New Year eve with their families and friends. “They get an opportunity to interact,” he said, adding, “the number of guests is limited. We accept no more than 60-70 bookings.” The camping charge at Rs 2,500 per person includes dinner, stay and breakfast, with no charge for children up to six years of age and one-half for 7-12 year old children.
“One reason for popularity of these camps is that they allow families with members of all age groups to enjoy together. The New Year events organised by hotels are not exactly meant for children and elderly,” said New Year Eve Night Camp organiser Abhishek Sharma.
