Down the rapids: Malabar River Festival and International Kayaking Championship begins in Kerala

Held on Chali and Iravazhinji rivers in Kozhikode district, South India’s only white-water kayaking event is taking place after a two-year pandemic break

The opening Canoe Slalom event on Chalippuzha (Chali river) saw the participation of renowned Indian kayakers such as Amit Thappa, Nidhi Bharadwaj, Hitesh Kewat and Kuldip Singh. Rupesh Shrestha and Keshab Gharti from Nepal also tested the rapids of Chalippuzha today. Lucky Verma(15) from Indore is the youngest participant this year. Meanwhile, 60-year-old Ian Vincent, an Australian kayaking trainer living in Meghalaya, is the oldest participant.

All events are held on Chalippuzha and Iravazhinjippuzha, the two tributaries of Chaliyar river that flows through Kozhikode. Flowing down from the Western Ghats on the east of Kozhikode district, the two rivers wind down rapidly through the pristine and lush terrains of the hilly villages in Kodenchery and Thiruvambady panchayats, making them the perfect venue for white-water kayaking events. It was a point echoed by Bharadwaj, a professional canoe polo athlete representing India in international competitions. “This is one of the bestest rivers here and I am enjoying it a lot”, she said.

In this year’s festival, competitions will be held in events such as Kayak Slalom, Boater Cross, and Down River race, and the overall champions in male and female categories get the titles of Rapid Raja and Rapid Rani respectively. The winners of each competition will receive a cash prize of ₹ 1,00,000. The past seven editions of the festival have been huge successes in terms of public participation. This year, the organisers have made arrangements for river rafting for the public as well, to give them a taste of the rapids. The festival will conclude on Sunday, August 14.