ALAPPUZHA: In 1952, then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru along with his daughter Indira Gandhi had jumped onto the deck of Nadubhagom Chundan, excited by it's victory in the first-ever Nehru Trophy Boat Race. Sixty-five years after, as the district gears up for 65th Nehru Trophy Boat Race (NTBR) in August, this history maker lies in abandoned state near Nadubhagom panchayath office. The shed underneath in which it is kept has been damaged after trees collapsed on it during the monsoon fury. The Nadubhagom Chundan, which found place in the Guinness book as longest boat, ended up in this dismal fate after the Nadubhagom village built a new boat a few years ago.
In August 2014, the district administration had initiated project to preserve it. A group of artists chalked out the idea of having museum with the 'Chundan' as its centre piece and the installation works were handed over to a Chennai based architect. Kerala Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation (KITCO) were declared as implementing agency. Sadly the project went nowhere.
Vinod Karichal, a boat race buff says the Nadubahgom Chundan had long lost its ability to compete with other modern snake boats. It had been rebuilt many times since 1952, but the villagers had never changed the central plank of the boat which on which the first prime minister of independent India had stood upon. However, he points out that it's not too late to save the legacy of a great snake boat. “If authorities open eyes, it can still be conserved as a cultural monument. The department of culture has to take initiative to declare a package to protect this monument. Otherwise, this history maker will soon become a memory,” he says.
Joseph Elamkulam, a boat race commentator recalls that the Nudubhagom Chundan was special attraction and a dark horse in NTBR until 2002. After that it lost its sheen despite being rebuilt on several occasions. It had never won the title except the debut Prime Ministers trophy in 1952. Once the club had more than 500 members led by Jose Pushpamangalam and N NarayanaKurup, the great oarsmen in the boat races, but now it has only below hundred as members. With the Chundan turned ineligible, the spirit of oarsmen fragmented and they were hired by other clubs with handsome offers. “If government will realize the importance of Nadubagom in the history of boat races, it would be testimony to the boat races that the state can proud of," he pointed out.
