TN ushers in 2026 with night of rivalry, early morning temple visits and rain
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu welcomed 2026 with vibrant celebrations at beaches and public spaces and prayers at temples amid tight security by police who deployed over 1.10 lakh personnel statewide to ensure safety.
The year started with rainfall, possibly the heaviest in a long while on the first day of the year, weather enthusiasts said.
Governor RN Ravi and Chief Minister M K Stalin extended New Year greetings to the people. The CM expressed confidence that the state would march towards great victories in 2026 with the courage from past struggles.
ALSO READ: Bengaluru rings in New Year with colour, music, people throng temples across state
The Greater Chennai Police mobilised 19,000 personnel and 1,500 home guards, conducting checks at 425 locations and deploying 30 special teams to curb bike racing in hotspots like Guindy, Adyar and Thoraipakkam.
Celebrations were permitted only till 1 am, with bans on sea bathing at beaches including Marina and Elliot's, firecrackers in public areas, and high-decibel music systems without permission.
According to officials, drone surveillance covered the East Coast Road from Panaiyur to Kovalam, while horse-mounted patrols and help desks were stationed at beaches to take strict action against drunk driving and stunts.
Thousands gathered at Marina Beach, Elliot's Beach, Besant Nagar and other venues for midnight countdowns, prayers and family events blending faith with festivities.
Popular spots hosted DJ nights, live bands and fireworks displays at resorts along ECR, with events like beach parties in select locations drawing crowds.
As is tradition, despite rain, fans made their way to their beloved stars, prompting police to post personnel in front of their houses to control the crowd. Crowd started surging in front of superstar Rajnikanth's house early morning itself.
Thousands of people also gathered at places of worship. Long queues for 'darshan' were spotted at almost all temples of Tamil Nadu, particularly the famous ones like the Kapaleeswarar temple and Vadapalani Murugan temple in Chennai, Meenakshi temple in Madurai, Arunachaleswara Temple in Tiruvannamalai, Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameshwaram, Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur and Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram.
Crowds surged along the shores of Tamil Nadu to witness the first sunrise of the year.
Unfortunately, at Kanyakumari, famous for its sunsets and sunrises, skies stayed cloudy disappointing countless people who made it there specially to witness the first sunrise. People were already disappointed that they were not able to witness the last sunset on New Year's Eve, due to the cloudy weather.
Abhinaya, who had come all the way from Tenkasi with her family, said she was at the sunrise point by 3 am itself.
"You can imagine how disappointed we are that we could not see the spectacular sunrise of Kanyakumari. But we still hold on to the hope that all will be fine in 2026," said the teenager.
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
