With just a week left for the Nehru Trophy Boat Race (NTBR) in Alappuzha, the shorelines of Kumarakom, a backwater village in Kottayam, are reverberating with the pulsating uproars of mighty oarsmen propelling in unison.
As many as five boat clubs which are taking part in the flagship event this time are holding their practice sessions at the Mutherimada river here. The practice sessions, which stimulate actual race conditions, are witnessing a bevy of boat race enthusiasts thronging roads leading to the riverbanks here.
The boat clubs from the region that are in the fray this time are the Kumarakom Town Boat Club (Champakkulam Chundan), Kumarakom Boat Club (Payipad Chundan), Vembanad Boat Club (Cheruthana Chundan), NCDC Boat Club (Niranam Chundan) in Kaippuzhamutt and Samudra Boat Club (Anari Chundan).
