Vishnu Venu Achary was convinced that he would become a successful aircraft engineer when he enrolled in an institute to pursue Aircraft Maintenance Engineering in 2010. After completing the course, he joined Air India Express in 2015 as a trainee.
But, not long after Vishnu decided to quit his job and embarked upon a different challenge: carrying forward the family tradition and become a palliyodam/ Chundan Vallom (snakeboat) craftsman.
Three years after ditching the engineering profession for acquiring snakeboat-building technology, Vishnu, 26, son of virtuoso craftsman of snakeboats Changamkary Venu Achary, says it is all about following one’s passion.
“I am the fifth generation in my family into the construction of snakeboats. When the thought of becoming a craftsman came to my mind, I did not allow the reality of quitting a more lucrative career to get in my way. I just want to follow my dream and here I am learning from my father and other veteran craftsmen,” says Vishnu, who hails from Changamkary, near Edathua, in Kuttanad.
His plunge into snakeboat construction is remarkable because only a few master craftsmen belonging to two families are left in the field. Since becoming a snakeboat builder, he has been a part of the construction of three palliyodams, which have pride of place in and around Aranmula.
“There are no written books or rules regarding the construction of snakeboats. The craft has been passed on from one generation to another. So, for me it was important to acquire knowledge at a young age in order to propel oneself in the field,” says Vishu, who is now part of a team repairing a palliyodam belonging to the Vanmazhi Palliyoda Karayogam. The snakeboat had capsized in the Pampa after it rammed a bridge pier a few months ago.
