Nehru Trophy: Rowers set Punnamada afire

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The rivers and lakes of Alappuzha came alive on Saturday with the roar of hundreds of thousands of spectators of the Nehru Trophy Boat Race (NTBR), which draws boating enthusiasts from across the world to witness and take part in the 61year-old iconic race.
Vishnu V . Nair Karichal, a student and supporter of Karichal Chundan says the boat race has a thrill of its own. “Whenever the boat race season starts, we start preparations for the Nehru Trophy . I don't know much about the history of the Nehru Trophy , but I can say one thing-that the fun of this race can't be compared to any other.“
Limson Thomas, a graphic designer and hardcore boat race lover, is happy the boat race is recognised all over the world. The attractive features of the race, he says, are “the disciplined chanting of Vanchipaattu, the roar of the oarsmen and the surprising speed of the snake boats.“
Vinod Iris, an experienced spectator of the boat race has a grouse with the organisers. They are giving more importance to individuals clubs rather than public clubs, he says. “Such an attitude will discourage clubs from sending new teams to contest in future years,“ he said.
The boat race is conducted by the Nehru Trophy Boat Race Society (NTBRS) and the district administration. The organising committee is an ad hoc one. Every year, a new committee is constituted headed by the then district collector. Various sub-committees, all headed by government officials, look after different departments, such as the finance committee which this year is headed by RDO, the publicity committee which is headed by the district information officer, the food committee headed by the tahsildar of Ambalappuzha and so on. All of them might be experts in their own domain, but there is a feeling that an event of this magnitude requires full time commitment, and, more importantly, should be run by professionals.
There are also hints of corruption in the way the affairs of the society are managed. A general body meeting of the Nehru Trophy Boat Race Society, which conducts the boat race, ended on June 7 without passing the accounts of last year's boat race.
MLA Mr C.K. Sadasivan alleged that there was widespread corruption in the committees. “These bureaucrats are opposing hiking of bonus to rowers who have put their whole heart into the event and it is because of them that the spectators and tourists are attracted to the Boat Race. An internal audit committee had found a misappropriation of `75 lakh in last year's accounts,” he alleged, adding that the expenditure presented by the secretary was not backed by vouchers.