Kerala boat race close to my family: Sonia Gandhi

Alappuzha (Kerala), Aug 8

Congress president Sonia Gandhi Saturday inaugurated the 57th edition of the Nehru Boat Race and said the event named after former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru is "close to my family".

"This means so much to me because this event is close to my family. In 1952, Nehru along with his daughter Indira Gandhi and her two children Rajiv and Sanjay were here," said Gandhi.

"I have heard a lot from my mother-in-law (Indira Gandhi) about this event. This event is part of your culture and it carries forward the tradition of your forefathers. This is one event where churches, mosques and temples all support this event," added Gandhi.

In 1952 Nehru visited the state and a pageantry of boats accompanied him from Kottayam to Alappuzha.

The race's origin was an impromptu race conducted in Nehru's honour.

Nehru, who was thrilled by the performance of the oarsmen, jumped into a snake boat.

On returning to Delhi, Nehru donated a silver trophy, a replica of a snake boat placed on a wooden abacus with an inscription and his signature. This is the trophy that the winner in the snake boat category is awarded.

This edition of the race has 16 snake boats and around 40 small boats participating in the various events.

The snake boat race is main tourist attraction because the length of a snake boat varies from 120 to 140 feet with about 120 oarsmen.

(IANS)