The snake boat races in the state seem to have come of age, if the money being poured into the Nehru Trophy Boat Race in Alappuzha this year is any indication.
At least a dozen boat clubs are spending between Rs 20 and Rs 30 lakh for the final showdown at Punnamada lake on August 11. In the last decade, the Nehru Trophy results have been unpredictable with the trophy being shared between six clubs, thus pushing up the stakes this year.
Gone are the days when the race was merely an arena for exhibiting the strength of the local village oarsmen, who lived in penury. “The youth in Kuttanad now need lessons in rowing. Earlier, most of them were unemployed and hence, getting hands for rowing came free. But now they have to be well- compensated for spending a month to undergo the rigorous training regime. They need to be paid as most of them earn not less than
Rs 15,000 a month as wages,” says Byju Mampuzhakkary, president of the Confederation of Kerala Boat Clubs (CKBC).
CKBC consists of 13 clubs from Alappuzha, Kottayam, Kollam and Ernakulam. The aggregate cost towards renting out a snake boat, camp expenditure, food and fee for the oarsmen and hiring the accompanying motor boat adds up to Rs 1 lakh per day.
“We expect to incur a minimum expense of Rs 21 lakh as expense for this year’s participation in Nehru Trophy. This includes the expenses for the oarsmen, food and travel,” says Vinu Alex, treasurer of Kumarakom Town Boat Club, one of the five teams from Kottayam participating in this year’s Nehru Trophy.
The rowers are paid between Rs Rs 1000 a day and most teams spend three-four weeks for the training sessions. So it is not a surprise that some rowers get a ‘decent’ Rs 60,000 per season which consists of about 60 days. Unofficial sources say a prominent club participating in this year’s event is spending more than Rs 1 crore, marking a shift in the cultural ethos of the area.
The rowers see it as a good omen. “Our expenses are increasing as professionalism is ushered in. Nowadays more teams are coming with professional training and it is having a positive impact on Nehru Trophy. The sponsorship amount of Nehru Trophy too has risen considerably,” says Biju who laments the attitude of the race authorities who according to him still give only a meagre amount as grant for participation in the marquee event.
The winners last year received a lumpsum Rs 8.87 lakh, including Rs lakh as prize money for winners, Rs 1.87 as grant and Rs 5 lakh from the sponsors. Now following the protest from the boat owners, the event organisers have agreed to raise the grant for this year’s participation by 25 per cent.
“The amount is less compared to the Rs 25 lakh we spend. Even as we try to keep this tradition alive, it is critical that the prize money be at least doubled to save the teams from bankruptcy.” adds Biju.
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