Kerala – The God's Own Country, is blessed with a number of magnificent rivers and backwaters, where numerous boat races are held such as Nehru Trophy boat race, Champakulam Moolam boat race, Kumarakom boat race, Aaranmula boat race etc. In the series of these boat extravaganza ''Indira Gandhi boat race'' is the most awaited fiesta of Cochin. It is a water sports cum festival, which is celebrated every year in the last week of December in the alluring backwaters of Cochin.
The main purpose of Indira Gandhi boat race is not just to organize a traditional water sport, but also to promote the Kerala Tourism this way. A good number of tourists not only from local places but also from abroad come to see this exciting water carnival. The name of the event is after the name of Smt Indira Gandhi, the late Prime Minister of India, also the trophy of the race was instituted in her memory.
The boats used in Indira Gandhi boat race, are known as Vallam Kali. Vallam Kali is a Malayalam term, which means 'boat game'. The boats are the charm of the event that attract everyone's attention. These are the long boats of around 100 to 138 feet in length with a raised hood at one end. These boats look like a snake, hence also called as snake boats. More than 100 people can be accommodated in a single boat. Usually a boat contains 100 to 125 oarsmen, 20 to 25 singers (who sing traditional boat songs) and 4 helmsmen. Before weeks ago the participants start preparations for this wonderful water fiesta. the boats are smeared with sardine oil for the smoothen movement in water.
There are certain strict rules made for this race, which are observed by around 150 oarsmen, each of them represent his village. While the villagers do take care of all the activities of the festival day and they are also given the responsibility of feeding the participants.
When the final day of the boat race arrives, a very cherishing atmosphere is created all around. Thousands of people at a time cheer their favorite teams and the whole environment is stunned with the commanding view of numerous snake boats in the river.
The boat race along with heart touching song and drum music leave everyone with an everlasting impact.
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Posted by
Sameera Dutta
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Labels:
kerala boat races
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