Kerala - Alappuzha   

Champakulam to herald boat race season

Staff Reporter

Nine snake boats, 30 small boats to take part; separate race for women

ALAPPUZHA: The tranquillity of the backwaters in Alappuzha is all set to be disturbed, albeit for an exciting cause as the date for the Champakulam Moolam Boat Race, which marks the beginning of the boat race season in the State, draws near.

The Champakulam race, the history of which is older than the State itself, will begin at 1 p.m. on June 30 in the Pamba River at Champakulam, around 25km from here. According to Kuttanad tahsildar and general convener of this year’s organising committee, A. Mohammed Najeeb, nine snake boats, including popular ones such as Payippad, Champakulam, Cheruthana and St. George would be participating in the event.

Around 30 small boats will take part in various categories, including one for women, he said, adding that a special 100-seated pavilion was being readied exclusively for foreign tourists. This would be apart from the arrangements being made for lakhs of spectators expected to witness the event.

The festivities will begin on June 29, with a cultural procession and public meeting. A seminar that would discuss the potential of tourism in relation to boat races and also the crisis that the sport was facing would be held on the same day.

The dignitaries expected to attend the inaugural of the event included Home and Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Devaswom Minister G. Sudhakaran and Sports Minister M. Vijayakumar among others, Mr. Najeeb said, adding that Amrita TV would telecast the event live.

With the Champakulam Boat Race signalling the start of a string of boat races held over a period of nearly 45 days, the District Tourism Promotion Council is also looking at ways to popularise the event to attract more tourists.

A meeting to discuss various steps to be taken to promote tourism in relation to the boat race season will be held on June 23, DTPC officials said.

Meanwhile, the District Administration is also gearing up to make arrangements for the Nehru Trophy Boat Race, which will be held in August. A meeting is being convened on June 23 to discuss the arrangements to be made for the event, District Collector V.K. Balakrishnan said.

The other popular boat races that will follow the Champakulam boat race in Alappuzha include the Payipadd Boat Race, the Rajiv Gandhi Trophy Boat Race at Pulinkunnu and the Karuvatta, Mannar and Neerattupuram boat races, to name a few.

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