Boating towards livelihood
The economy of boats in the backwaters of Kuttanad and its transformation from a cultural aspect to a livelihood option.
“Picture yourself in a boat on a river with tangerine trees and marmalade skies”, a song by Beatles beautifully fits a boat ride on the backwaters of Kuttanad. These boats have efficiently made the inaccessible backwaters more tourist friendly.
Cruising through the famous scenic backwaters of Kuttanad is something that is on the bucket list of everyone who visits Kerala. These boats have changed over time from being a cultural aspect of the area to a major business option. It employs a number of people and has brought a change in lifestyle. It has now become a necessity for people living on the islands.
Since some of the islands are not accessible by land, boats are the only way to commute. This prompted the Kerala state water transportation department (SWTD) to start inland water transportation services at a minimal cost.
Similarly, there are also services of the state-run boat ambulance and floating homoeopathic dispensary for residents. The homoeopathic dispensary goes to one out of the six areas each day to treat patients, while the ambulance is always available. Schools have also started transport services for its students.
Transport services by SNDP Higher Secondary School
Like cars are to an urban settlement, boats are to the people living in the islands of Kuttanad. Although the range is restricted in terms of the size, capacity and production material.
The basic rowing boats form the core of the region’s transport. The fiberglass boats have now replaced the traditional wooden boats. Not only are they easier to maintain, but also take 3-5 days to make and last longer without any special maintenance. A boat maker can make more than 150 such boats in a year.
A traditional wooden boat, on the other hand, is said to last 50 years but requires maintenance every 3 years. These boats take around 3 months to make with 6 to 8 workers, and they can complete only 2-3 big boats in a year. Though these are more stable, easier to navigate and can accommodate more number of people, they cost around Rs 5 lakh. Repairing these boats also takes 3-4 weeks. Therefore, they have been limited to houseboats, Shikaras and other commercial boats.
A boat maker working on a wooden boat that can accommodate up to 70 people.
The small wooden boats have been more or less completely replaced by fiberglass boats, costing anywhere around Rs 15,000-Rs 30,000, depending on the size, said Bejoy Sebastian (41), who has been making fiberglass boats for 10 years. He also attaches motor, if asked, and charges Rs 22,000 extra. The demand for these boats are so high, that he recovered the losses incurred during the floods worth Rs 2 lakh within a month.
Beside commute, culture plays a very important part in the significance of boats in the state. Kuttanad snake boats races is a very important part of its tradition. The Nehru Trophy boat race, which started in 1952 to welcome Jawaharlal Nehru to the state, has been celebrated every year with the same enthusiasm.
More than a tradition, it has become a passion for people. A prayer ceremony is conducted before the competition. They celebrate, conduct aarti and break a coconut for good luck. Businessmen have also found a way to make money out of the biggest boat races in Kerala.
Vallam kali, the 30-35 meter long snake boat, is the pride of the people here. These boats are made to look like an agitated snake and can accommodate up to 64-128 people.Each area has one snakeboat, and is sponsored by various clubs.
People, with regular jobs, leave their jobs behind and train hard to take part in these races. These rowers are paid on daily basis. The clubs also hire trained captain and coaches to train the team. Over the years, there have also been women's snake boat teams.
The rowers are trained for a month, with a special focus on breathing exercises, body strength and diets. The prize money varies from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, split between the rowers and the coach. Some boat clubs end up investing more money than the actual price, since winning these boat races is not about the price money, but about the prestige.
(Image Source: Tramp Traveller)
Deepu Dineshan (20) and Mridul Vinraj (21), diesel mechanics by profession, have been taken part in three races till now due to “their interest in the sports and not the money”.
(Image Source: Neethu, print stream, Asian College of Journalism)
The boat race also has a communally harmonizing factor to it. Since it is not restricted to a certain caste or religion, anyone can participate. A prayer ceremony is conducted before the competition. They celebrate, conduct aarti and break a coconut for good luck.
These snakeboats are also given out for rents. The rent varies somewhere between Rs 15,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh, depending on the season. Around Onam, the rent is the highest, since it is the season of snake boat races.
The rowers also create a mock snake boat race for “films and foreigners” to earn an extra during off-season. They charge somewhere around Rs 1.5 lakh per day, out of which Rs 15,000-Rs 20,000 goes as the rent of the boats.
(Image Source: Tramp Traveller)
These competitions have also become a way to generate funds for various causes. Some teams, including Changankary team of 2017, have participated in the boat race to be able to donate money to a charity. The team won the race and donated the winning amount of Rs 5 Lakh to the St Joseph’s church for the construction of St. Joseph’s Devamata high school.
"There was no school, we needed one. So, we decided to help ourselves. Our amount wasn't much, compared to the required Rs 3 crore, but we were happy to contribute," said Bejoy Sebastian, who was the part of the team.
The economics revolving around boats have transformed into another dimension. The people involved have efficiently used their skills to generate funds, investment and make a living.
