Under normal circumstances, about two dozen snakeboat (chundan vallam) teams, each comprising 100 plus oarsmen, would hit the tranquil waters of Vembanad Lake for intense training sessions during this time of the year.
The practice sessions, a frenzied affair with hundreds of villagers and race boat buffs turning up on the banks of backwaters to cheer their teams, usually set the tone for the Nehru Trophy Boat Race (NTBR), celebrated as 'Kuttanad's Olympics on water', on the second Saturday of August every year. However, for the second year in a row, the sight of snakeboats cleaving through backwaters as they prepare for the ultimate race at Punnamada is missing.
With COVID-19 cases remaining high, the 68th edition of the boat race is all set to be postponed. District Collector A. Alexander, who is also chairman of the Nehru Trophy Boat Race Society (NTBRS), says the situation is not conducive for conducting the race.
While the 2020 edition of the race was cancelled, the 2018 and 2019 editions were held on November 10 and August 31 respectively after postponements in view of heavy rain and floods. In 2019, the Nehru trophy was held as the first race of the maiden Champions Boat League (CBL). Like the NTBR, the fate of the second edition of the CBL remains uncertain. “There is a chance of the NTBR happening later this year, especially if the Tourism Department decides to conduct the CBL. At the same time, it will not be a surprise if the 2021 edition of the race is cancelled altogether, given the COVID-19 situation,” says an official of the NTBRS.
On conducting the CBL, Krishna Teja, Director, Kerala Tourism, says it all depends on the pandemic. “If the situation comes under control, we will think about the CBL,” Mr. Teja says.
Meanwhile, boat clubs have demanded authorities to consider organising the NTBR at a later date once the pandemic situation improves and after all rowers and those associated with the event are vaccinated. "In a normal year, we would have already started camps and commenced rigorous trials. But not now. The pandemic has put brakes on everything,” says Manoj Pathuthengunkal, leading captain, Pallathuruthy Boat Club.
Nehru's visit
The history of the boat race is associated with the visit of India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to Alappuzha in 1952. An exhibition race was conducted in his honour. After watching the race, an excited Nehru hopped on Nadubhagam Chundan, which finished first. The snakeboat carried him to the Alappuzha boat jetty. On his return to New Delhi, Nehru donated a silver trophy, a replica of a snakeboat with the inscription "To the winners of the boat race which is a unique feature of community life in Travancore Cochin." The trophy was initially named Prime Minister’s trophy but later came to be known as Nehru trophy.
