Friday, August 30, 2013

Nehru Trophy Snake Boat Race – Competition of Pride and Glory


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.


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



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