Amid a mixed bag of feelings and New Year resolutions, residents celebrated the New Year’s Eve in diverse ways. Most of the business community, however, prayed to the God to grant respite from the recession while many residents queued up at holy places to ring in the New Year and praying for the world peace.

While enthusiasts jostled into hotels and restaurants to attend the new year parties, some preferred to watch the world welcome the new year on their TV sets. Many clubs have cancelled the celebrations in the wake of Mumbai attacks though.

Many gurdwaras made special arrangements for path and held bhogs at the midnight to welcome the New Year while praying for peace and prosperity.

Many residents gave a miss to the New Year bash and decided to sit back at home and welcome 2009 with near and dear ones, others cancelled their plans of holding lavish parties to pay tribute the Mumbai victims.

“We should know that we belong to the same country and, therefore, it becomes binding on us to show our solidarity to those who lost their near and dear ones. We hope that the New Year will be free of terrorist attacks," said a youngster who decided to have a peaceful congregation with his friends at his house.

In a rare gesture, the children of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar played a perfect host to a party thrown for senior residents of the area.

The business community, however, said they had seen much to give the New Year celebrations a skip this time around as the economy was going through a bad phase. "The things have not been conducive for business over the past few months and we would like the New Year to give us back what we have lost. Though it cannot be predicted how and when we will regain the financial stability, we have high hopes that the things will fall into place in 2009," said Hormohinder Singh Pahwa, MD, Nova Cylces.

At Hotel Park Plaza organised a dance party for couples at the Darbar Hall and also held a separate party at the terrace where the elite marvelled at the lavish dinner with musical performances by national and international bands.

Hotel Fortune Klassik, the guests enjoyed performances by Belle dancers and dance troupes while the rock band enthralled the audience to the hilt. New year functions were also held at Kashish Club, Nirvana Club and Ansal Plaza to ring in the new year and famous marketplaces like Sarabha Nagar market.

Major clubs including Sutlej Club, Lodhi Club and Ludhiana Club, in the city, however, preferred to