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Kerala gears up for 63rd Nehru Boat Race
Alappuzha (Kerala), Aug 6
Kerala is getting
ready for the 63rd edition of the fiercely competitive Nehru Boat Race
on August 8, an event that serves as the curtainraiser of the tourism
season in the state.
The event takes place at Punnamada Lake and
the chief guests for this year's edition include Vice President Hamid
Ansari and Chinese Ambassador Le Yucheng.
The snake boat race is
main tourist attraction because the length of the vessels vary from 120
feet to 140 feet, with about 120 oarsmen going flat out to lift the
coveted trophy.
This time, 16 teams will participate in the snake
boat category, with the race being held in the afternoon session.
Around 60 boats will participate in the morning session of the event.
The
history of the event dates to 1952, when then prime minister Jawaharlal
Nehru visited the state and a small flotilla of decorated boats
accompanied him from Kottayam to Alappuzha on the famed backwaters.
An
impromptu race was conducted in Nehru's honour and, thrilled by the
performance of the oarsmen, Nehru jumped into a snake boat.
On
returning to Delhi, Nehru donated a silver trophy, a replica of a snake
boat placed on a wooden abacus with an inscription and his signature.
This trophy is awarded to the winner of the snake boat category.
Over
the years, the costs, both for the organisers and also for the
participants, have gone up considerably, said CPI-M legislator
C.K.Sadasivan, a former coach and
captain of the Kainankary Boat Club, which won a record 12 titles in the 1970s and 1980s.
"It
was me in 1994 who sang in the assembly the traditional song of the
rowers as they strike the water in unison with their oars. The house sat
in rapt attention and the then chief minister, A.K.Antony, sanctioned
Rs.300,000 ($4,700) for this event for the first time," Sadasivan told
IANS.
The state government has given Rs. 55 lakh for the current edition.
"This
is an expensive affair as every club or organisation which fields a
team for the snake boat race has to shell out a minimum of Rs.40 lakh.
This is to pay every oarsman a minimum of Rs.1,000 per day for around
four weeks of practice and for other expenses," Sadasivan said.
"Today,
most of the snake boats that are used by the various clubs and
organisations are taken on hire and a very hefty rent has to be paid to
its owner. Snake boats are built using anjali wood. They cost around
Rs.40 lakh and have a life of around 10 years if properly maintained,"
Sadasivan added.
The organisers are hoping for good ticket sales.
"We
expect the sale of tickets to fetch Rs.36 lakh. Besides, we are
expecting money from sponsors too," Tomy Pulikattil, one of the
organisers, told IANS.
There are around 30,000 tickets on offer, ranging from Rs.100 to Rs.2,000.
Pulikattil also said that for the first time, there has been a change in the schedule.
"This
change has been made because of the increase in the number of
participating boats. It gets very late if it is held in the afternoon
only. So this time, the morning session starts from 11 a.m. and the
afternoon session at 3 p.m. We expect to wind up around 5 p.m.,"
Pulikattil said.
(Sanu George can be contacted at [email protected])