Legendary boat Nadubhagom chundan set for historic comeback

 

Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India along with daughter Indira,  had jumped into the boat in 1952 during the race resulting in the inception of the Nehru Trophy.

 

The first Chundan (snake boat) which entered the  Guinness book of records in 1996 as the largest canoe capable of carrying 118 crew,  Nedubhagom  had kept off the races after  2002.

 

But  the locals  have revi-ved it  by spending   around Rs 60 lakh.  With  a length of 159 feet — almost a feet shorter than the old — it was repaired under the supervision of Kozhimukku Sabu Narayanan, the grandson of legendary Kozhimukku Odassaril Narayanan Assary, and  will be rowed  by 103 oarsmen, including five  amaram (main rowers) and 10 singers.

 

“Carved in a single piece of anjili wood, the Chundan is smeared in sardine oil. It will be rowed by the  Punnamada boat club. The training camp is  set to start on Wednesday,”  says Joseph Elamkulam, the club secretary.

 

It was in August last  the boat club had handed over the boat to Nehru Trophy Boat Museum  as part of a mega tourism circuit project in Alappuzha.

 

V.V. Grigary, a commentator and Nadubhagom boat club member, said:  “The Nadubhagom Chundan was a dark horse in the  races until 2002. Later, it lost its sheen and  several oarsmen left the club. Once the club had more than 500 members led by Jose Pushpamangalam and N. Narayana Kurup, the great oarsmen, but now it has only fewer than 100 members,” he added.