Traditional snake boat races in Kerala to get IPL makeover
What's the story
Kerala's famed snake boat races, which have mesmerized visitors for ages, would take a new avatar, on the lines of Indian Premier League (IPL) from this year.
Kerala Tourism Department has announced the new format, Champion's Boat League (CBL) in which the competition would be held be on a league format in 13 races across 13 venues in the Kerala backwaters.
Here's more.
Aim
Objective of CBL is to promote Kerala's traditional festivals
The CBL would bring all major boat races in the state from the Nehru Trophy in Alappuzha to President's Boat Trophy, Kollam, under one umbrella and would be held from August 11 to November 1, according to Tourism Minister, Kadakkampally Surendran.
The objective is to conserve and promote Kerala's traditional festivals and showcase the state's backwaters to the world, he said.
Awards
Cash prizes for the first positions in each venue
The nine snake-boats which emerge with the best timings in Nehru Trophy would be participating in the succeeding 12-races of the maiden CBL.
Teams which get the first three positions in each venue would be entitled to cash prizes of Rs. 5L, Rs. 3L and Rs. 1L respectively.
Besides, each of the teams that qualify for CBL would get a bonus of Rs. 4L/venue.
Champion's award
CBL champion would get a prize money of Rs. 25L
The CBL champion would get a prize money of Rs. 25L, while the runner-up would get Rs. 15L and the second runner-up would get Rs. 10L.
The league would commence with Nehru Boat Trophy on Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha on August 11.
Tourism Department is hoping that over 5,000 people would visit each of the 13 races during the three-month period.