A Kerala-like scene is being seen in Varanasi these days. The race of colorful boats is attracting a lot of people. Wednesday was the second day of the four-day boat race festival of the tourism department. It has been organized in Kashi for the first time on the lines of Kerala. 12 teams have been included in the boat race. These teams are busy practicing long before the start of the race. This is also attracting a lot of people.
Due to the collision of the hulls, the sounds of ‘splash-splash’ started coming from the water of the Ganges. The boats quickly moved towards Rajghat. Some people even started running with the participants on the ghats, encouraging them. During this, words like ‘Jiya Raja, Chaple Raha…’, the favorite of Banaras, were heard.
The participants fought with all their might to be the first to reach Rajghat with the flow of water. A large number of people gathered at the Ghats to see this sight. Some were cheering the sailors while some were busy taking photographs and making videos. On the other hand, many people kept on increasing the enthusiasm of the participants.
On an average, the three kilometer distance from Dashashwamedh to Rajghat was covered in 14 minutes. In this, the first, second and third place team will be given a prize of one lakh, 50 thousand and 25 thousand rupees respectively. On the first day, the team ‘Nauka Sawar’ in the shortest time has won the race. The team of ‘Gaumukh Daitya’ and ‘Jal Yoddha’ came third.
Cultural programs were also organized in the boat race festival. Apart from the attraction of Kashi’s Saurabh Mishra’s Kathak, the artists of the Group of Awadh, who came from Ayodhya, also attracted a lot. People enjoyed the traditional dance of Awadh. The artistes of the group Amit, Surya Kumar, Abhinay Pandey, Sangam Lata and Amar Singh stunned everyone with their dance moves.
‘Danda Ek Rang Chalaiha…’
‘Danda Ek Rang Chalaiha… Inam ka ek lakh rupees ghare leke ke ho hai’… ‘Ganga maiya hum logon ke sange hain’… ‘I went very straight, I didn’t want to stop my hands…’- Before the start of the competition at Dashashwamedh Ghat, some elders were encouraging the participants by giving similar tips.