The Nehru Trophy Boat Race called after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru is conducted on the Punnamda Lake, abreast Alappuzha, on the second Saturday of August every year. On the day of this ferociously fought baiter race, the scintillating lake foreground is adapted into a sea of people with an estimated two lakh people, including tourists from away for watching it. For the people of every village in Kuttanad, an achievement at this race for their village boat is something to be celebrated for months to come.
There is a fizz in the
air, and on the water. Around the palm-fringed Punnamada Lake in Alleppey,
southern Kerala, dozens of houseboats are arranged with assemblage sitting on
the roofs, aggravating to get the optimum view. A speedboat with an umpire banner
flapping from its bow whizzes past. This is the start of the Nehru Trophy Boat
Race.
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The tradition started afterwards a visit to the breadth in 1952 by Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s then prime minister. Locals captivated an ad-lib boat race in honor of his visit and he donated a silver trophy for the winners, ever since, the competition has been accepted by his name.
There are numerous other boat races in Kerala throughout the year, but the Nehru Trophy is broadly admired as the most popular. It attracts dozens of teams from beyond the states who practice for months in beforehand forth the network of backwaters that articulation locations of South India’s western coast. Winning the trophy brings reputation not just for the team but as well for their village and district. Villagers pool in money for the amount of the boat and all other race costs and accession sponsorship from local companies.
The centre of attraction of the event is the challenge among the snake boats (locally accepted as Chundan Vallam, actually meaning ‘beaked boat’). Named for their long and attenuated appearance “they can be amid 36 to 42 meters in breadth” snake boats are pulled through the water by one hundred oarsmen. Four key helmsmen beacon the barge and each baiter even has an onboard accumulation of musicians to accumulate booze from flagging. They act as amphibian cheerleaders, singing appropriate baiter songs and as well set the accent of the achievement with their drumbeats. The snake-boat race begins a few of hours after lunch, just when all the biryani (rice and meat dish) and booze makes the spectators mood and fall them to sleep.
Soon the backwaters are filled with boats and the reds, yellows, purples, whites and blue of the different team uniforms. Only 16 snake boats attempt for the Nehru Trophy, but other categories of crews bang off the event with exhibition circuit and accessory races. The big favorites are the ladies teams, which accept their own contest. They are mainly baby women cutting sparkling white saris with dejected or red blouses and strands of beginning jasmine flowers in their hair.
When the macho like oarsmen of the snake-boat teams yield to the water allusive for the capital prize, the crowd’s absorption is fatigued back to the lake. Throats are blatant by then, but anybody screams and acclaim in abutment nevertheless. The hundred men on each boat row as one, arms affective up and down to an austere abiding tempo, their movements causing water to bang adjoin the abandon of the narrow baiter as they dig their oars abysmal into the lake.
Only local assemblage knows the teams by name and can analyze each snake boat. The rest assume blessed to adore the pleasantry and acclaim audibly when, after 1,400 meters of paddling, one team crosses the success or finishing line.
List of the Winner of Nehru Trophy Boat Race
1952
|
Nadubhagam Boat club
|
natubhagam chundan
|
1954
|
Kavalam team
|
Kavalam Chundan
|
1955
|
Nedumudi NSS Karayogam
|
Paarthasarathi Chundan
|
1956
|
Kavalam team
|
Kavaalam chundan
|
1957
|
Ponga Boat club
|
Neoplian Chundan
|
1958
|
Kavalam Boat Club
|
Kavalam Chundan
|
1959
|
Ponga Boat club
|
Neoplian Chundan
|
1960
|
Kavalam boat club
|
Kavalam Chundan
|
1961
|
Ponga Boat club
|
Neoplian Chundan
|
1962
|
Kavalam boat club
|
Kavaalam chundan
|
1963
|
U.B.C Kainakari
|
Kainakari chundan
|
1964
|
U.B.C Kainakari
|
St. George Chundan
|
1965
|
U.B.C Kainakari
|
Parthasarathi Chundan
|
1966
|
Pulinkunnu boat club
|
Pulinkunnu chundan
|
1967
|
Pulinkunnu boat club
|
Pulinkunnu chundan
|
1968
|
U.B.C Kainakari
|
Parthasarathi Chundan
|
1969
|
Pulinkunnu boat club
|
Pulinkunnu chundan
|
1970
|
U.B.C Kainakari
|
Kallooparamban chundan
|
1971
|
Pulinkunnu boat club
|
Pulinkunnu chundan
|
1972
|
Kumarakam boat club
|
Kallooparamban chundan
|
1973
|
Kumarakam boat club
|
Kallooparamban & Karichal
|
1974
|
Friends boat club
|
Karichal Chundan
|
1975
|
Friends boat club
|
Karichal Chundan
|
1976
|
UBC Kainakari
|
Karichal Chundan
|
1977
|
Thayankari boat club
|
Jawahar chundan
|
1978
|
Thaynkari boat club
|
jawahar thayankari
|
1979
|
UBC Kainakari
|
Aayaparambu Valiya Diwanji
|
1980
|
Pullingati boat club
|
Karichal chundan
|
1981
|
No Winners
|
.
|
1982
|
Kumarakam boat club
|
Karichal chundan
|
1983
|
Kumarakam boat club
|
Karichal chundan
|
1984
|
Kumarakam boat club
|
Karichal chundan
|
1985
|
Friends boat club
|
jawahar thayankari
|
1986
|
Village boat club, Kainakari
|
Karichal chundan
|
1987
|
Village boat club, Kainakari
|
Karichal chundan
|
1988
|
Pallathurathi boat club
|
Vellamkulangara Chundan
|
1989
|
UBC Kainakari
|
champakulam chundan
|
1990
|
UBC Kainakari
|
champakulam chundan
|
1991
|
UBC Kainakari
|
champakulam chundan
|
1992
|
Sreelakshmana boat club
|
Kallupramban chundan
|
1993
|
UBC Kainakari
|
Kallupramban chundan
|
1994
|
Jet Airways
|
champakulam chundan
|
1995
|
Alappuzha boat club
|
champakulam chundan
|
1996
|
Alappuzha boat club
|
champakulam chundan
|
1997
|
Navajeevan club
|
Alappadan chundan
|
1998
|
Pallathuruthi boat club
|
champakulam chundan
|
1999
|
Kumarakam town boat club
|
Alappadan chundan
|
2000
|
Alappuzha boat club
|
Karichal chundan
|
2001
|
Friends boat club
|
Karichal chundan
|
2002
|
Kumarakam boat club
|
Vellamkulangara chundan
|
2003
|
Navajeevan boat club
|
Karichal chundan
|
2004
|
Kumarakam Town boat club
|
Cheruthana chundan
|
2005
|
Kumarakam Town boat club
|
Payippad chundan,
|
2006
|
Kumarakam town boat club
|
Payippad chundan
|
2007
|
Kumarakam town boat club
|
Payippad chundan
|
2008
|
Kollam Jesus boat club
|
Karichal chundan
|
2009
|
Kollam Jesus boat club
|
champakulam chundan
|
2010
|
Kumarakam Town boat club
|
Jawahar Thayankari
|
2011
|
Winners not decided
|
|
2012
|
Freedom Boat Club, Kainakary
|
Sri Ganesh
|
2013
|
Harripad Star Boat Club
|
Sri Ganesh
|
