Roy Mathew
THIRUVANATHAPURAM: The Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi will arrive in Alappuzha on Saturday to witness the Nehru Trophy Boat Race.
It will be a walk down the memory line for Ms. Sonia when she lands at this town of Kuttanad where she visited with her husband Rajiv Gandhi in 1985. They were on a study tour to learn about India after late Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister.
The couple toured the backwaters of Kuttanad on a boat and had a meeting with ordinary people at the R-block and other places and witnessed the dewatering of the paddy fields. A special snake boat race was organised for them at Pulinkunnu in Kuttanad. Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi waved at the rowers as they greeted them.
The boat race on Saturday commemorates the visit of Jawaharlal Nehru to Kuttanad in 1952. Nehru was so thrilled by the boat race, presented in his honour during the visit, that he jumped on to one of the boats. Indira Gandhi and her children were with Nehru on that visit.
Later, Nehru sent a trophy with his engraved signature to the organisers, paving way for the institution of Nehru Trophy Boat Race.
Source: hindu.com