KOCHI: From the banks of Dal Lake they came all the way to Kerala to set the backwaters on fire. Though they were not acquainted with snake boats, these rowers are not strangers when it comes to boat races. Mohammed Rafiq Dar and 14 others who are part of ‘Mighty Oars’ of Nadubhagom Chundan Boat Club (NCBC) took part in the fifth race in the Champions Boat League (CBL) held on Saturday at Marine Drive in Kochi. It is the fourth year since 2017 that the rowers from Kashmir are participating in a snake boat race in Kerala.
“We are all sportspersons,” said NCBC vice-captain Aijaz Ahmed. According to him, while more than half of the rowers have been members of teams that had taken part in the Dragon Boat race at the national level, there are others who have won medals in kayaking. “We are not strangers to boats and rowing. We have been taking part in various national-level competitions and it was at the venue of one such competition that a few coaches from Kerala approached us,” he said.
“They told us how well we rowed and complimented us for our strength and stamina before offering us an opportunity to row for various boat clubs in Kerala. They told us about the Nehru Trophy Boat Race and also the snake boats. We didn’t have any idea about what a snake boat was,” said Aijaz. According to Antony Antony of NCBC, these players live around Dal Lake.
“So, we went over to Kashmir, met them and saw them doing trials before making them the offer,” he said. Antony said, “What makes them stand out is their stamina. Maybe it is because they live at higher altitudes. However, our decision to include these players in the team has paid off.” According to Dar, it was tough at first. “The way we sit and row is different in the snake boats from that of the dragon boats or a kayak. While we sit straight in a dragon boat, the rowers have to sit angled towards the side in a snake boat,” he said.
Aijaz said, “We had intense practice in June in Kashmir before coming down. A lot of factors affect our performance. The climatic conditions in Kashmir are different from Kerala. But we have adjusted to it.” He said, there were 18 rowers from Kashmir in the team that participated in the Nehru Trophy Boat race. “But three fell ill. So there are only 15 of us for the ongoing CBL races,” said Aijaz.
“For us in the early days, the language used to be a problem. But that is not an issue now. Besides we are getting very good treatment from the club owners. We don’t have to to do with South Indian food. The team managers have got us a cook who prepares Kashmiri food for us,” said Mohammed. According to him, many boat clubs approach them at the start of the season.
“All the 18 who row for NCBC, underwent tough trials before getting selected to the team. We value good performance, hence the trials,” said Aijaz who is looking forward to winning the race at Marine Drive and taking part in more such races in the future.