Kerala - Pathanamthitta   

Melukara wins boat race

Jubilant winners: NSS general secretary P.K. Narayana Panicker presenting the Mannam Trophy to winners of the Uthrittathi boat race held in the Pampa at Aranmula on Tuesday.

PATHANAMTHITTA: This year’s Aranmula Uthrittathi boat race was held with pomp and gaiety in the race-course of the Pampa river at Aranmula on Thursday.

In the A-batch race, the Melukara palliyodam (snake-boat) came first to win the Mannam Trophy, while the Kottathoor palliyodam won the trophy in the B-batch race.

The Edappavoor palliyodam in the B-batch bagged the R. Sankar Memorial Trophy instituted by the SNDP Yogam for best overall performance in the snake-boat pageantry held earlier.

T.K.A. Nair, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, lighted the ceremonial lamp.

The regatta began with Nair Service Society general secretary P.K. Narayana Panicker inaugurating the snake-boat pageantry.

Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran flagged off the boat race.

Travancore Devaswom Board president C.K. Guptan presented the second Ramapurathu Warrier Award, instituted by Palliyoda Seva Sanghom, organisers of the boat race, to poet Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan.

Kerala Tourism Development Corporation chairman Cherian Philip released the souvenir. Chengara Surendran, MP; K.C. Rajagopalan, K. Sivadasan Nair, P.C. Vishnunath, Raju Abraham, MLAs; district panchayat president S. Santhakumari; NSS treasurer P.N. Narendranathan Nair; and PSS president K.G. Sasidharan Pillai were among those who spoke on the occassion.

Agriculture Secretary K.B. Valsala Kumari; District Collector Ashok Kumar Singh; Inspector-General of Police Arun Kumar Sinha, Tourism Director Sanjay Kaul, Superintendent of Police Varghese George; and Swami Golokananda of Sree Ramakrishna Ashram were present.

Two persons were reported missing during the boat race.

An oarsman in the Thottappuzhassery palliyodam was reported missing when the snake-boat capsized in the midstream while the boat race was on, the police said

He was identified as Viji Thomas, 33, of Marmon. He is a member of the Thottappuzhaserry grama panchayat.Another youth, identified as Chithresh, 18, of Kalayil in Kadammanitta, was also missing, the police said.

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