Every year, on the last Saturday of August, the quiet waters of Punnamada Lake in Kerala suddenly feel alive. The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is about to begin, and there’s nothing quite like it. You can hear the drumbeats before you see the boats. Then, all at once, they appear – long, gliding chundan vallams with oars flashing like silver in the sun. Hundreds of rowers leaning forward together, every stroke pulling the water in rhythm, every chant pushing the boats ahead.
It’s more than a race. It’s the kind of event that brings entire communities together. On the banks, families gather, children sit on shoulders, and strangers cheer side by side. The sound carries across the lake – laughter, songs, and that unmistakable pulse of oars cutting water. It feels less like a competition and more like a shared heartbeat.
This is the feeling artist Bharath V has captured in his boat race print – Racing Waters: Vallam Kali. At first glance, it’s a scene on paper, but if you sit with it for a moment, you can almost hear the splash of water and the rhythm of the chants. The boats curve, the oars lift, and somehow the motion is still there even though it’s stilled.
What we love about this artwork is how it holds both strength and joy at once. It’s about endurance and tradition, but also about the beauty of people coming together for something larger than themselves. For anyone who has stood on the shore at Alappuzha, it’s a memory made tangible. And for those who haven’t, it’s a gentle window into Kerala’s most spirited festival.
At Tinplum, we see Bharath V’s boat race print as more than a piece of decor. It’s a reminder of rhythm and togetherness, of water and song. A piece that can sit in your home quietly but always carry a little of that energy within it – like a story you can return to again and again.
The print is available on fine art paper or canvas, and you can choose from three sizes to fit your space. Whether hung as a centerpiece or tucked into a quiet corner, it carries with it a little of Kerala’s rhythm and warmth.
We invite you to explore Bharath V’s boat race print in more detail here. Perhaps it will find a place in your home, bringing the pulse of water and song a little closer.