Alappuzha is slowly slipping into a carnival mood as it gears up for the 69th edition of the Nehru Trophy Boat Race (NTBR) on Punnamada Lake on August 12. With just over a week to go for the annual regatta, boat clubs vying for the coveted trophy have intensified training. Boat race buffs in large numbers are thronging the banks of waterbodies in the region to witness snakeboats, each with around 100 oarsmen, darting over the water as the clubs prepare for the big day.
As many as 72 boats including 19 chundan vallams (snakeboats) will participate under nine categories in this year’s race. The track and heats for the boat race were finalised on Tuesday. There are five heats lined up in the snakeboat competition. The top four boats, based on timings recorded in heats, will qualify for the final.
‘Niracharthu’, a competition for students in colouring and painting, in connection with the boat race will be held on August 5 at St. Josephs Higher Secondary School auditorium at Alappuzha. The colouring contest for lower primary school students and painting competition for upper primary and high school students will be held. The boat race commentary competition for high school and higher secondary students will be held at District Panchayat mini hall on Thursday at 2 p.m. For details of both competitions contact- 0477 2251349.
Members of EichhoTech, a student startup attached to the Sanatana Dharma (SD) College, Alappuzha have prepared eco-friendly invitation letters using water hyacinth, an invasive aquatic weed, for the event. Subcollector Sooraj Shaji, who is also the secretary of the Nehru Trophy Boat Race Society, said that replicas of snakeboats made from dried stems of water hyacinth would be presented to guests on the race day. The startup has previously made water hyacinth-based products including artworks on handmade paper, fridge magnets, coasters, mats, lamp shade sculptures, bookmarks, eco-friendly rakhis, and greeting cards.
Snakeboat Heats 1: Veeyapuram (track 1), Vellamkulangara (track 2), Cheruthana (track 3), and Sree Mahadevan (track 4). Heats 2: Devas (track 1), Nadubhagom (track 2), St. George (track 3), and Champakulam (track 4). Heats 3: Karuvatta Sree Vinayakan (track 1), Payippadan (track 2), Mahadevikad Kattil Thekkethil (track 3), and Ayaparambha Pandi (track 4). Heats 4: St. Pius X (track 1), Anari (track 2), Thalavadi (track 3), and Jawahar Thayankari (track 4). Heats 5: Karichal (track 1), Alappadan Puthenchundan (track 2), and Niranam Chundan (track 4).
