Kayakers from across the world will land in Kozhikode for the second edition of the Malabar River Festival, which will be held at Iruvanjipuzha and Chalippuzha, two of the best white waters in the South India, in July. V.D. Joseph, one of the organisers of the event, said that the event already had more than 70 foreign entries, the U.S., Italy, Bhutan, Australia, Czechoslovakia and China. “We are planning to make it a more colourful event with greater participation this time,” said Mr. Joseph.
As an added attraction, the organisers have decided to introduce rafting this year. “This, we expect, will generate a fresh interest in youth towards adventure water sports,” said Mr. Joseph, who maintained that interested youngsters, including from higher educational institutes such as the National Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Management, will be given training in rafting during the festival.
The festival is being organised under the joint aegis of the Kerala Kayaking Academy, the District Tourism Promotion Council and the Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society. Though there were a few sponsors for the event last year, the festival will be completely sponsored by the government this time.
“A final decision on this will be taken only during the organising committee meeting to be held in the city on May 30,” said Mr, Joseph.
According to him, experts have found the Iruvanjipuzha and the Chalipuzha as most suitable for kayaking events considering their suitable temperature and relatively thinner chances of accidents. An open category for expert paddlers, who will challenge themselves on hard white waters, men’s and women’s categories for beginners and new paddlers who want to test their skills, Giant Slalom (individual time trial with obstacles), boaster cross (four kayakers at a time racing downriver) and a team downriver race will be some of the events at the festival.
The main aim of the festival is to showcase Kerala’s diverse options for white water enthusiasts.
“What we are planning is to promote the State’s rainy season as a festival season for kayakers from across the globe,” said Mr. Joseph. DTPC secretary P.G. Rajeev said that a final picture about the festival, including the mode and the inaugural ceremony will be clear only after the meeting of the organising committee.
“We are happy that there are more number of enquiries about the festival this time,” said Mr. Rajeev.
