They are from every village across the region — from Changanassery to Vaikom and even beyond. Ahead of dawn, they walk along the narrow, waterside alleys to the riverbanks and stay put. The more ardent fans, however, sail on board country boats and position themselves on the water.
Just as the sun sets in, they are rewarded with the exhilarating scenes of oarsmen racing past amidst thunderous roars. The viewers too join the chorus till the session concludes about two-and-a-half hours later.
With just about a week to go for the Nehru Trophy Boat Race, all roads in the backwater landscape of Kottayam now lead to Kumarakom – a practice venue for seven boat clubs, ahead of the flagship event. This means the village has become a fan hub, packed with diehard admirers awaiting the boat race as well as visitors stopping by for a brief look at the practice sessions.
“A lot of people are dropping by to see the practice sessions, especially in the evenings. The training on the ‘chundan’ will continue till Thursday, following which it will undergo some conditioning and decoration ahead of its first race on September 4,” said Jameskutty Jacob, president of the Kerala Boat Club Association.
Friendly race today
Besides the seven chundans, 16 smaller boats called ‘kalivallams’ too are conducting practice in waterbodies across the region. Taking note of the enthusiasm among people, the Kerala Boat Club Association is also organising a friendly race for the Kumarakom-based teams on the Mutherimada river here on Sunday.
The return of the boat race season after the COVID-19-induced hiatus, meanwhile, has also sent the oars manufacturing units in the region into a tizzy. “We have been working in different shifts exclusively for the boat race season since May but have been unable to meet the demand. Orders keep piling up while we have already delivered oars to just over 40 clubs this time,” said Kochumon, an employee with the Vembanad Oars, Chingavanom.
Price of an oar
Building of oars for boat races, according to him, is a laborious work that also involves rigorous quality testing. Made of Choondappana (Caryota urens) wood brought from Idukki and Kannur districts, the price per oar is fixed at ₹1,500.
