Another long weekend of bliss

NEW DELHI: Look around. If the sun-baked streets of Delhi appear a bit empty, don’t just blame the weather. As the temperature continues to soar, scores of families took advantage of an extended weekend to pack their bags and head out.
All this thanks to a long spell of holidays — for two weekends in a row. From Ramnavami last Friday to
Easter Sunday, there have been more holidays than working days in the
past one week.
‘‘Although we had to be in Delhi last weekend, this time around we’re ensuring that nothing holds us back, says Sandeep Suri, who works in a MNC in Gurgaon. Along with his wife and four-year-old son, Suri left for Rishikesh on Friday morning to raft down the Ganga.
‘‘Destinations close to Delhi are attracting the maximum enquiries’’, says Sunil of Milestones Adventures and Expeditions, a travel agency. There are heavy bookings for Shimla, Kasauli and Corbett National Park. ‘‘Business has been great, though there were more customers the last weekend,’’ smiled Sunil.
For many, it was not an impulsive decision. Take Prabodh and Aparna, who claim to be ‘‘over-worked and stressed out’’. ‘‘I had marked these days on my calender months in advance. First, we thought of Sri Lanka, but SARS scared us a bit. So, finally, we hit on Corbett,’’ says Prabodh, an programme officer on health projects.
And what of those who stayed put? Shahana Banerjee, an executive in
the hotel industry, has to continue working. ‘‘But it’s still not bad. A lot of my friends are Christians and I have several invitations for Easter evening,’’ she said.
Like Banerjee, there are many making good use of the extended weekend to put up their feet and relax. Said Ajay Bhargava, a lawyer: ‘‘Since my wife is also a lawyer and we have erratic schedules, we hardly spend time together. So we’ve decided to stay at home and unwind.’’
Shakarpur resident Arati Sethi has planned a fun-filled weekend ahead. The family had gone to Mussourie last weekend. So this time around, Sethi has invited her friends over for Sunday lunch.
‘‘I’ve bought my children hot-cross buns and have placed orders for Easter eggs. On Saturday, we plan to see a movie,’’ she said.