Flying kisses, hoots, shouts, pats on the back, and fans accosting them at every turn for selfies. Each kayaker who took part in the Malabar World Kayak Championship (International White Water Kayaking Championship) was in for a hero’s welcome at Pulloorampara here on Sunday where the sixth edition of the Malabar River Festival came to an action-packed end.
The real heroes of the event, however, were the spectators who had gathered on the banks of the Iruvazhinji river from the starting point near Arippara to the Elanthakkadavu bridge near Pulloorampara, where the concluding ceremony was held, braving heavy rain and slippery rocks just to get a piece of the action. “This event has been happening here for the last six years, and I have never seen such a crowd before,” said Haneefa, who literally made hay while the sun shone, selling balloons at the venue.
The huge crowd, reflective of the growing popularity of the event, was, on the other hand, a headache for the organisers. “Whatever be the situation in the river, we can handle it. But not this crowd,” said Chandra Ale, regional director of Rescue 3 South Asia, who is in charge of the safety of viewers. “These rivers are prone to flash floods. Our kayakers know how to handle such situations, but not the local people,” he said.
Incidentally, both the starting and finishing points of the final race on Sunday were on dangerous stretches of the river. The starting point was a rocky cavern, which could not accommodate all kayakers, let alone hundreds of people who started pouring in much before the race started. They found their vantage points on top of slippery rocks and behind boulders, often disrupting the free movement of the participants. The finishing point was a rocky bank that could be accessed only by descending a steep and slippery slope from the adjacent road.
“The authorities should make arrangements to manage the crowd. We appreciate the support of the local people. But this could be dangerous,” said Jacopo Nordera of Madras Fun Tools, the coordinator of the event.
