Oar to Joy?

Once again, the ‘black snakes’ bobbed in every corner… Like hundreds of batsmen shooting boundaries to every nook and corner of a cricket play ground. Only, the raucous spirit of the place was such that could shame an IPL clash.

The venue was the Punnamada backwaters in Alappuzha, Kerala, where the famous Nehru Trophy Boat Race (NTBR) was playing out on August 13, 2011. It was the 59th anniversary of the NTBR which started in 1952.

This year in a photo finish, Devas, the snake boat of Kollam Jesus Boat Club, won the Nehru Trophy having covered the 1.25 km distance in four minutes and 37.36 seconds. The runner up, Karichal, lost the Trophy by a second, and Muttel Kainakari finished third in four minutes and 37.91 seconds. While Union Minister for Health, Ghulam Nabi Azad, flagged off the boat race, Malayalam film star Mammootty was invited as the chief guest and Union Minister of State for Energy, K. C. Venugopal, distributed the prize to the winners.

The rowing teams consisted of, apart from the regulars, students and NCC cadets. Four boats with female rowers was an added novelty. The cultural interludes on floating stages showcased traditional Kerala arts forms like Kathakali, Garudan thullal, Theyyam, Pulikkali, Velakali, Mayilattam, Sinkari Melam etc. drew loud cheers from the onlookers, many of them foreigners.

The history of NTBR is associated with the visit of late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to Alappuzha. During his Kerala visit he travelled from Kottayam to Alappuzha by boat, through Kuttanad. Spread over 1160 square km and bursting with rivers, backwaters and paddy fields, Kuttanad claims boats and motor boats for public transport. On Panditji’s visit, a pageantry of boats accompanied him on the trip. While watching the performance of oarsmen and boats, especially the snake boats (Chundan Vallam), he is known to have jumped on to one of the boats! And after reaching Delhi, Nehru sent a silver trophy, a replica of the snake boat with an inscription and his signature, with these words on it: “To the winners of the boat race which is a unique feature of community life in Travancore Cochin ”. Ever since the boat races have become an annual feature.

The competition takes place on Punnamada Lake, close to Alappuzha town. The snake boats take only less than five minutes to traverse the 1.25 km stretch and most races end in a photo finish. The snake boats are about 40 to 50 meters long and around 130 rowers are needed to propel a snake boat. The prow – shaped like what gives the snake boat its name – heights lie upto 15 feet above the water level. Other popular varieties of racing boats besides the Chundan are Churulan (curled at both ends), Odi (Iruttukuthi) and Parunthuvalan (Veppu) and each differs from the other in shape. But the snake boats are the main attraction.

                                                     

Back in the times of local sovereignty, the Kuttanad area rulers from Chempakasseri (Ambalappuzha), Kayamkulam ,Thekkumkoor (Changanacherry) and Vadakkumkoor (Kottayam) in the old Travancore area, confronted frequently upon these backwaters and the speed of boat used to decide the fate of the battles. This forced them to change the design of boats and the boat architect of the Chempakasserry ruler, Koduppunna Venkitanarayanan Asari, finally designed the present form of Chundan which is speedier, and had good capacity to carry arms and ammunitions. After the days of the duels, snake boats turned into instruments to test the physical power of contenders on various occasions as also used for temple festival celebrations.

This year, 19 boats took part in the competition, though around 50 Chundans row only as part of the ritual at Aranmula temple festival. In Kuttanad, it has always been a matter of prestige to get selected as a rower. The chance to kiss the Nehru Trophy was highly coveted and much money and time was lavished on the pursuit. In the 1980s, however, the event and its sponsorship took on commercial proportions a la the IPL.

Of the 19 boat clubs participating this year, eight clubs could be referred to as the major players. Sources at various boat clubs reveal that they spent more than Rs 50 lakhs each for the training; one club from Kainakari is rumoured to have thrown Rs 1.5 crore! Associates of Jesus Boat Club, that fielded the winning Devas snake boat, spent Rs 55 lakhs.

The expenditure is channelled towards training of the rowers, rent for snake boats etc. For the training camps, which last for one to two months prior to the race, the rowers are treated to luxurious facilities by their boat clubs who have business barons, NRIs and corporate houses for sponsors. Of course, before the sponsorship culture started, it used to be the villagers who met the expenses. Commentator Shaji Cheramar Kunnumma at the race explains, “Sponsors get publicity. This event is watched in 163 countries, with more than 10 national and international TV channels reporting it, in addition to the hordes of foreign tourists who come to take in the experience. What better opportunity to showcase themselves?” Not to mention the hidden benefits which includes tax write-offs up to Rs one crore as well as access to VVIPs and other powers-that-be through their association with this event.
The 59-year old NTBR may indeed have deviated from its traditions but it has brightened the financial fortunes of the rowers just as did the IPL for cricketers. Some however demur at the new trends spoiling the true spirit of the boat race, which once epitomised culture, lifestyle, and unity. John Joseph, an old fan confides to TSI. “Earlier it was a healthy competition between villages, and snake boats. Today it is redefined as a commercial competition between clubs and sponsors. The rowers may benefit from this but the true spirit is lost forever…”