Aroma Boat Club wins 72nd Nehru Trophy Boat Race on debut

The 72nd Nehru Trophy Boat Race took place at Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha, Kerala. In a historic debut, the Aroma Boat Club secured the championship with its snake boat, ‘Aroma Chundan’, clocking a winning time of 4:23.328.

The final was closely contested, with ‘Nadubhagom Chundan’ of the Punnamada boat club taking second place and ‘Veeyapuram Chundan’ of UBC Kainakiry finishing third. The event featured a total of 71 boats, including 22 iconic chundanvallams (snake boats), each manned by over 100 rowers.

The race was inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan, alongside Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and other prominent officials. The annual tradition, which dates back to 1952, remains one of Kerala’s most significant cultural and sporting spectacles.