A Debutant Snake Boat Crew Won Kerala's Nehru Trophy by Twelve Hundredths of a Second on Punnamada Lake
Aroma Chundan of Kollam's Aroma Boat Club won the 72nd Nehru Trophy Boat Race in 4:23.328, just 0.12 seconds clear of Nadubhagam Chundan.
Snake boat racing is a traditional form of team rowing in Kerala, southern India. The boats, known as chundan vallam, are up to 100 feet long and carry more than 100 rowers each. The Nehru Trophy Boat Race on Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha traces its roots to 1952, when Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited and donated a silver trophy.
The 72nd edition was held on 22 August, with 71 boats competing across several categories, including 22 snake boats. Crews qualify for the snake boat final through their times in the heats over a 1,380-metre course.
Aroma Chundan, rowed by the Kollam Paravur-based Aroma Boat Club on its debut in the race, won the final in 4min 23.328sec. Nadubhagam Chundan of Punnamada Boat Club was second in 4:23.448, 0.12 seconds behind. Veeyapuram Chundan of UBC Kainakary was third in 4:23.778 and Melpadam Chundan of Pallathuruthy Boat Club fourth in 4:24.015. Aroma had earlier won this season's Champakulam Moolam boat race.
The winning crew had a strong link to Kasaragod district, with 50 rowers from the district, mainly from Mayicha, Kariyangode and Achamthuruthy. Three rowers from Achamthuruthy's Palichon Boat Club were recruited after being spotted at a Champions Boat League race on the Kariyangode river, and trained with the crew in Kollam for 40 days.
The club had promised to take the trophy to Achamthuruthy island if it won. It was to be displayed there for two days during the Malabar leg of the Champions Boat League.