• Vallam Kali is a traditional boat race in Kerala, India.
• It is a form of canoe racing, and uses paddled war canoes. It is mainly conducted during the season of the harvest festival Onam in spring
• The race of chundan vallam (‘snake boat’) is the major event. Hence Vallam Kali is also known as the snake boat race
• The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is a popular vallam kali event held in the Punnamada Lake near Alappuzha, Kerala, India.
• Vanchipattu (‘boatsong’) is the form of poetry in Malayalam language commonly used during vallam kali and related festivals.

Additional Details

• Vembanad (Vembanad Kayal or Vembanad Kol or Punnamada Kayal) is the longest lake in India,and the largest lake in the state of Kerala
• The Vembanad wetland system covers an area of over 2033.02 km² and is also one of the largest wetland systems in India

Why in News

• Locals join hands to preserve a legendary snake boat that won the first Nehru trophy.

Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/fans-join-hands-to-preserve-a-slice-of-history/article32742902.ece