India. A land of diversity, and different cultures, and unique lifestyles. A place where everyone is different, and knows the world differently.
And yet, we are not divided.
Diverse, but unified. Contrasting cultures, in harmony. Unique, but toget...
◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◆◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◆◥◤◢◣◥◤◢ | THE NEHRU TROPHY TRI RACE | By hanxuaner
The "Nehru trophy boat tri race" is a popular "Vallam Kali", held in the Punnamada Lake near Alappuzha, Kerala. The word 'Vallam Kali' or 'Valiamkaliy' literally means Boat Play/Game but can be translated to "boat race" in English.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
(Image is taken from royalty free collection)
The categories of boats that participate in various events of the race are: 1. Churulan Vallam 2. Iruttukuthy Vallam 3. Odi Vallam 5. Veppu Vallam(Vaipu Vallam) 6. Vadakkanody Vallam 7. Kochu Vallam But the most popular among them is the 'Chundan Vallam' or the 'Snake boats'. So the race is also known as "Nehru trophy snake boat race" in English.
The race was first played in 1952. And from then on its going on till now. Every year this race is held on the second Saturday of August in the back waters of Alappuzha. It occurs during the time of Onam, the annual Harvest Festival of Kerala which will be celebrated on 31st August this year.
The race requires 64 to 128 paddlers in both sides to be performed. So the race is a huge one. A major part of Kerala tourism depends on this race. During this time the tranquil water of the lake tranforms into a sea of humanity with over 2 lakh of people estimated including tourists from abroad to enjoy the race for months. And thus it helds a important position in the Kerala tourism.
In 2019, the Nehru Trophy boat race was also made a part of CBL- Champions Boat League, an IPL inspired Sporting League being played by 9 teams across 12 races. The first race of CBL was held on 31st August. It was the 67th race of Nehru Snake Boat race.
Th race is a showcase or representation of the relationship between water and the communities. Every year for the people of all the village of kuttanad, winning a trophy for their boat is a matter of celebration for the upcoming months.
