Staff Reporter
Newly accorded sports status will be a major boost
ALAPPUZHA: The 55th Nehru Trophy Boat Race held here on Saturday may well mark a new future for the race, billed as one of the country’s biggest traditional water-sports events.
If the newly accorded sports status is set to change a lot in the conduct of the event with orderliness to be brought about in the shape and size of boats, apart from the number of oarsmen, Saturday’s race showed one more possible change. Each of the races, be it the preliminary heats or the finals, was closely contested, with winners edging past others by inches. In previous years, the regular sight was that the winner was hundreds of metres ahead of the nearest contestant.
The spirit of the event was visible in the number of spectators, which is likely to have gone over a lakh.
Either shore of the Punnamada Lake was crowded, with all the galleries full with viewers, including foreign tourists. Throw in the lakhs who witnessed the event live on television by Doordarshan and Amrita TV, and the snake-boat race, organisers say, is sure to have a much brighter future.
Saturday’s event, however, was not without with a few glitches. There were complaints about the quality of commentary heard in the Nehru Pavilion, which seated VVIPs, VIPs, the media and others.
Unlike the stimulating commentary by seasoned commentators in Malayalam, who were seated away in the crowd, spectators in the pavilion heard several mistakes.
The mood of the event could have been lost if municipal chairman P.P. Chittaranjan had not taken the microphone for the final race.
The police, the Fire and Rescue Service and divers of the National Disaster Response Force had a busy day keeping mischief- mongers on the shores.
One person was reported missing, while at least 15 persons were admitted with injuries to the Alappuzha General Hospital following scuffles and brawls on the shores during the races.
