Kerala's snake boat race to held in London

Kerala's famous snake boat race will soon appear on the Thames river in London, thanks to the NGO Global Kerala Initiative or Keraleeyam.

The general  secretary of the organization N R  Harikumar told Arun Lakshman that this will be first ever snake boat race in London .

Why London for the snake boat race?

The Global Kerala Initiative is an organisation formed to promote Kerala and showcase the state throughout the globe.We have decided to conduct the snake boat race on the Thames river as the Olympics are being held there in 2012 and we want the snake boat race as an exhibition item in the Olympics .This will ensure that our state will get an international audience and a global appeal .

When will the boat race be held?

The race will take place on July 8 and the London port authority which is the custodian of the Thames river has already given permission for the race. British parliamentarian Keith Vaz has given us all the support for the programme and is coordinating with the British government for making this a grand event .

How many people will take part?

There will be 95 rowers, five oarsmen and 11 singers in the boat during the race. The rowers and the snake boat will come from Alappuzha, the home town of the boat race where the annual Nehru Trophy boat race takes place.

What is the attitude of the London Olympics Organising Committee?

The committee is very supportive of our programme and the chairman and former middle-distance world champion Sir Sebastian Coe had several discussions with me and other members of our team in London last year to chalk out the finer aspects of organising the race.

Do you have any support from the state government?

Both the state and central government are supporting our initiative and the state government has already sanctioned a Rs 1 crore for our programme .We expect the remaining funds from the central government. The Shipping Corporation of India have agreed to ship the boat to United Kingdom and Malayalam actor Suresh Gopi is the brand ambassador of the race .Suresh Gopi fans and welfare association is raising Rs 25 lakh for the programme. Prominent NRI's like Ravi Pillai and MLA Thomas Chandy are also supporting the programme.

How will this boat race help Kerala's image internationally?

The snake boat race is a curtain raiser on what is in store and we are planning to promote the state in a big way by showcasing its rich culture to a global audience.The state government is totally supportive in all our endeavours and has been largely sympathetic to our cause.

Image: A traditional Kerala snake boat.