Boat clubs in Kerala shift into high gear as Kuttanad readies for famed Nehru Trophy Boat Race
Boat clubs in Kerala are preparing for the annual Nehru Trophy Boat Race, a major cultural and sporting event in the region. The government has increased prize money, intensifying competition among local clubs.
Why it matters
Highlights the economic and cultural significance of traditional regional sports and the community investment required to sustain them.
The thunderous cadence of synchronised oars has once again begun to ripple across the backwaters of Kuttanad in Kerala.
With the annual snake boat racing season (2026) gathering momentum, the familiar sight of chundan vallams slicing through the waterways has returned to central Travancore. As many as nine leading boat clubs have already set up preparation camps across Kuttanad, while trial sessions for smaller boats such as veppu and iruttukuthy are expected to begin by the second week of August before teams shift to their race boats.
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