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Thousands
witness Nehru Trophy boat race
by Juhan Samuel
Alleppey (Kerala): It was thrill, sport and magnificence all clubbed together for Keraliites when they watched over 60 large and small snake boats participating in the 54th Nehru Trophy Boat raced held here on Saturday. Held at the backwaters of Alleppey district in Punnumada lake, the world famous boat race of Kerala was a spectacular show for residents and thousands of tourists coming from various parts of the world. However, one of the major attractions of the event was a participation of an all women team including 10 foreign ladies from Dubai who took part with the local oarswomen, who won the trophy in the `Thekkan Odey' category for Thathampally Vanitha Boat Club.
`Payippadu
Chundan' of Kumarakom Boat Club today retained the Nehru trophy by becoming
champion in front of a huge audience. Fifteen Chundan Vallams (or, snake
boats) also participated in the boat race. Sree Ganesh Chundan of Jesus
Boat Club, Kollam won the second place while Champakkulam Chundan of Alleppey
Town Boat Club won the third prize. Besides lifting the prestigious trophy,
the first prizewinner in the snake boat section gets a cash prize of four
lakh rupees. State Minister for Home and Tourism Kodiyeri Balakrishnan
distributed prizes to the winners. State Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac
and Water Resources Minister N K Premachandran cheered the participants.
The tradition of organising boat race started here in honour of the late
Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1952 when he visited to Alappuzha.
This aquatic festival fosters a sense of unity and fraternity besides
motivating sportsman spirit among one and all. In 1952, Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru visited the erstwhile Travancore-Cochin. While on his way to Alleppey
from Kottayam, Nehru was given a roaring reception by the people of Alleppey,
escorted by the huge snake-boats. Having experienced the great excitement
of sailing in a snake- boat, Nehru donated a rolling trophy to be awarded
to the winner. The trophy is a replica of a snake-boat in silver, placed
on wooden abacus on which the following words of Panditji are inscribed
above his signature.
-Aug 13, 2006
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