The Nehru Trophy Boat Race, held in a
town* district called Alappuzha ( the -uzha to rhyme with barracuda ) in Kerala, is an early example of things being named after deceased members of the Nehru clan. It conveniently happens on the second Saturday of every August so you can stretch it to Independence Day and get a nice long weekend trip out of it. Although, if you are indeed able to make a long weekend out of Independence Day you are better off going somewhere else. It's an event with history and an integral part of their culture, the locals love it, the author has lived most of his life in landlocked cities, and despite all these things in its favour it didn't impress.
To begin with, it's the naval, pre-Industrial Revolution equivalent of Drag Racing, which is an odd choice of name for a sport which only involves going straight. It's exciting the first time but it soon proceeds on a misdirected journey of self-realisation to become, indeed, a drag. For those interested in the results or the event in general, the entire commentary is in Malayalam and is tough to follow for someone whose exposure to the language is limited to
Appangal Embadum plus five more words, three of which are inappropriate even for sports commentary. The exorbitant ticket prices for the front row seats don't seem justified until shortly after the opening ceremony gets over. That is when the area gets invaded by drunk locals, albeit the jolly types, followed by my demoting it to a ripoff because I'm not fond of hanging out with lots of drunk strangers never mind how jolly they are. A much better return on investment can be had by not buying tickets at all and just winging it with the locals to a convenient, if not as good, viewing point near the shore, in the water, or possibly even the ticketed pavilion itself. Even snacks, the universal assuaging device from airlines to large family gatherings, aren't easily available.
Alappuzha
We drove from Bangalore and reached late on the night before the races which meant we effectively had a morning and a few hours in the evening to savour the town. In a nut shell, and it's a shame that coconuts aren't nuts otherwise it would have made for a nice segue, there is a beach, the restaurant on the beach has some great appams, and every restaurant seems to have plenty of sea food and beef. There are no noteworthy sights but there are some noteworthy smells here and there.
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| Even in God's own country, children are jerks. |
