Approximately 20 wooden boats, each measuring 100 feet in length and powered by roughly 100 rowers, will compete this weekend in the Nehru Trophy snake boat race at Punnamada Lake in Kerala, India. The event, known locally as "vallam kali," features slender vessels with raised sterns that race across a 1.4 km course. The competition continues despite recent severe weather, including floods that killed 28 people and displaced thousands across the state earlier this month.
The boats, known as Chundan Vallam, are community-owned assets belonging to village groups of fishermen and farmers. One prominent competitor, the United Boat Club (UBC) based in Kainakary, has won the Nehru Trophy 12 times since 1963. This year, UBC rowers have been hired to man "Veeyapuram," the boat that won both the Nehru Trophy and the Champions Boat League last season. The rowing teams maintain rigorous training schedules, often practicing twice daily even when local roads are submerged by monsoon rains.
Maintaining these traditional vessels requires significant community investment. The boat "Veeyapuram" was launched in 2019 after hundreds of villagers raised approximately 9 million Indian rupees ($94,300). The cost to fund a single racing season is nearly 7 million rupees ($73,000), a sum that ownership groups say is only partially recovered through prize money and sponsorships. While the Kerala government utilizes the races to promote regional tourism, boat owners reported receiving little direct financial assistance to offset these costs.
Participants and owners face concrete operational challenges due to the region's geography and climate. As Alappuzha contains some of the lowest-lying land in India, residents frequently deal with flooded homes and inaccessible roads during the monsoon. Rowers from local villages, as well as those brought in from distant states like Uttarakhand and Manipur, must navigate these environmental conditions to maintain the twice-daily practice sessions required to compete at a professional level.
The sport serves as a rare point of intersection for diverse religious groups in the region. The boats and their crews involve members of Hindu, Christian, and Islamic faiths, with rituals from all three religions integrated into the blessing of the vessels. This cultural practice sets a precedent for communal cooperation in a state that is culturally diverse. Looking ahead, the Nehru Trophy competition is scheduled for this Saturday, which will determine if "Veeyapuram" can maintain its championship status against rivals like the Karichal boat, which narrowly won the 2024 trophy.