NEHRU TROPHY BOAT RACE - AN INTERNATIONAL EVENT

Come August, and an air of expectancy sets in over Alleppey, the land of lagoons and lakes and water sports. The cries of the robust rowers practising their art on the placid Punnamada lake rent the air once more.,. Yes. it is time for the Nehru Trophy Boat Race which has by now won considerable repute within and without the country. It is indeed the brightest feather in the cap of this coastal district which is abundantly blessed by Nature. Looking back in time a sense of nostalgia overwhelms me- hectic preparations, the countless problems and last-minute hitches, the excitement and the team work all are certainly treasured experiences, the purple patches in the garden of memories.

Whal indeed strikes the on looker as most stupendous, is the enthusiasm and red-hot excitment that ignites all lovers of this sport. The participants, the organisers, the spectators, all are imbued with a sense of unity of purpose, which is a good compe- tition and a good race photo-finish if you please. The large and sometimes unwieldy General Committee which has the general responsibility for the conduct of the event, can proudly boast of several seasoned oarsmen and men who had spent a good part of their lives in the great out doors, who have but one aim-the conduct of a rare and spectacular race. It is an acknowledged fact that this sport has no equal for its sheer strength of team member and length of the boat. A team of a hundred-and -twenty men or more. burnished bodies glistening in the afternoon sun, relentlessly battling the waves to reach the goal FIRST. The thumping of the metal and wooden drums, the sharp rhythmic whistle, these have certainly detracted from the leisurely charm of tha age old songs' . Here is no poetry now. but here is action one purpose, one mind, one aim, the glorious Nehru Trophy.

It is disheartening that there has been over the years, a gradual erosion of the priority of this event over other water carnivals in the State. Here at Punnamada lake. nature and man have worked together creating an ideal background for the sport. Alleppey without its yearly Boat Rae would be a poorer Alleppey. Few other places have

so identified themselves with a sport. The culture and strength imparted by the sport is reflected and imprinted in the moods and mental make up of its people, quick to praise and even quicker to upbraid for lapses, but generous and warm.

Today the Nehru Trophy Boat Race is a competition fierce end uncompromising, leaving aside tha casual jollity of a traditional interest. Perhaps it is only ftting that this be so. now that our oarsmen have done themselves proud at Singapore with their dragon boats. Combining the spirit of adventure and the spirit of sport, the quest for excellence goes on. As a spectator I can only wish that the eys of the powers-that be would open to the great potential of this sport and raise it to the level it deserves. This can be achieved by providing sufficient funds, publicity end facilities on a internationa! scale and by improving the infrastructure in Alleppey town and its suburbs to cater to the thousands who throng every year to witness this spectacular sport. Given the necessary clout and determination

it will not he an idle dream to say that this event can be raised to an international level will competing teams from all over the world and why not.