Upland Kozhikode abuzz with pre-events of Malabar River Festival
The hilly hamlet of Kodenchery often wakes up to watch kayakers, both amateur and professional kayakers, rowing downstream the Chalippuzha, practising for the International Kayaking Competition to be held as part of the festival from July 24 to 27. River rafting is also being held in full swing here. While international kayakers are expected to arrive within a few days, several national-level kayakers, including national champion Amit Thapa, have already arrived at Kodenchery for practice sessions and training budding kayakers.
The Malabar River Festival begins at Meenthullippara in Chakkittapara panchayat on July 24 where freestyle demonstrations will be held. However, the inauguration will be held at Pulikkayam at Kodencheri on July 25, where extreme slalom competitions in all categories are to be held. The downriver race and super finals will be held at Pulloorampara on July 27.
The pre-events spread across several upland villages in the district have succeeded in creating enthusiasm in the high range. There are events such as ankling, rain walk, farm tour, painting, mud football, off-road fun drive, badminton tournament, tug-of-war, tourism seminar, cycling and bullock race in Kodiyathur, Thiruvambady, Kodencheri, Koodaranhi, Puthuppadi and Perumanna grama panchayats besides Mukkam Municipality that receive good patronage from the local community.
The Malabar River Festival is jointly organised by the Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society (KATPS) and the Kozhikode District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) with the technical support of the Indian Kayaking & Canoeing Association (IKCA).
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