ALAPPUZHA: With 11 more days to go for the 59th edition of the Nehru Trophy Boat Race on the Punnamada backwaters and the practice sessions beginning, the spirit of Kuttanad has soared. For the next few days, the boat race will dominate the thoughts and action of the people here. And as a precursor to the gala, the clubs have started gearing up for the event. On Monday, United Boat Club (UBC) Kainakari, 17-time winners of the coveted race, began their practice session. This time, the UBC will lead Muttel Chundan (earlier, it was Pattara Chundan). Muttel Chundan has 51 soldiers of the Indian Army as its oarsmen. Most of them, hailing from Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, belong to the Madras Engineering Group (MEG). They are also the members of Krishna Rowing Group of the MEG. “Winning the Nehru Trophy Boat Race means much to us. We are not going to let anybody grab the trophy from us”, says an upbeat UBC rowers. It is during the practice sessions that the best oarsmen are selected under the supervision of the senior-most oarsmen. The UBC team is being sponsored by Soma Prasad Muttel, a businessman. Rowing a race boat demands a great deal of talent, training and team work. Rowing according to the rhythm of the song that forms the background is not an easy task. Those who steer the vessel should have a thorough knowledge of water current, observation power of high order and must be well-versed in the different aspects of boat racing.
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