Kerala - Alappuzha   

New snake boat launched

CELEBRATION TIME: Karuvatta Srivinayakan chundan being launched at Karuvatta in Alappuzha on Wednesday.

ALAPPUZHA: The neetirakkal (launching) ceremony of Karuvatta Srivinayakan chundan (snake boat) was held at Kopparakadavu, Karuvatta near Haripad, here on Wednesday.

The ceremony, known as neetirakkal or neeraniyal began with an inspirational vallapattu rendition by Kizhakidathu Raghavan Nair and party and moved into top gear as former Assembly Speaker V.M. Sudheeran cut the ribbon. Over 50 oarsmen pushed the glowing snake boat into the Upper Kuttanad waters amidst applause from the hundreds of villagers gathered.

The snake boat will debut in the Nehru Trophy on August 9. With former team captain of the United Boat Club, Kainakary, C.K. Sadashivan, MLA, and B. Babu Prasad, MLA, too joining the celebrations, the fervour went a notch higher. Veteran snake boat maker Kozhimukku Uma Maheswaran, who belongs to one of the traditional snake boat designing families in the region, looked on with pride as his latest creation touched water for the first time.

With Srivinayakan, the village of Karuvatta now has two snake boats, the legendary ‘Karuvatta’ chundan being the first. The eve of the neetirakkal ceremony saw prayers being offered for the chundan at the local church, temple and mosque while on Wednesday, five other boat clubs from Haripad, which own reputed chundans, including the Karichal, Cheruthana, Anari, Ayaparambu Valiya Diwanji and Payippad, arranged receptions for Srivinayakan as its oarsmen rowed it alongside the shores for villagers to have a look at the glistening water baby.

Owned formally by the Karuvatta Boat Club (KBC), the chundan, which can accommodate 92 oarsmen, will be rowed by the Punnamada Boat Club in the Nehru Trophy, KBC chairman R. Haridas said, adding that trials for the race would begin this week itself.

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