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Boat races for the tourist
NOTHING BRINGS the backwaters of our land alive than boat races. Hailed as `magnificent fiestas', these boat races have long been one of the selling points for the tourism industry.
The sight of a 50-150 feet long snake boat with more than a hundred oarsmen itself is a sight, tempting enough for foreign travellers to brave vicious mosquitoes and stinking waterbodies.
As a part of the aggressive promotion plan that it has embarked on, the Department of Tourism has come out with a calendar for boat races in the State between July 2002 and September 2004.
It is a risk to print these calendars for this long a period as it is not unusual for schedules to undergo changes overnight. In this case, this particular hand-out faces the first correction with regard to the Nehru Trophy Boat Race.
As on schedule, the race was to ignite `watersides of Alappuzha' with excitement in the last week of August. However, this year's race was postponed following the recent boat tragedy at Muhamma.
Even otherwise, all the major boat races are connected with the Onam celebrations, which is essentially planned according to the Malayalam Era and its months.
Apart from that, this pamphlet is impressive in its quality and looks. It gives a rather detailed account of four of `the oldest and most important events' - the Champakulam Moolam boat race, the Nehru Trophy boat race, the Uthrattadi Vallamkali and the Payippad Jalotsavam.
This includes the legends about the beginning of these festivals. There is also an almost complete list of lesser important boat races held in Alappuzha, Kottayam and Kollam districts. The department also makes a promise to make special arrangements for guests interested in any of these events, if it is contacted well in advance.
By Anand Haridas
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