Onam feast: Aranmula boat race

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As the cab we were in veered around curves, one after another, on the road from Vellore to Kottayam, I was worried. My concerns had nothing to do with the buses whizzing past with no obvious concern for other vehicles on the road. I was worried if I would reach Aranmula, which hosts Kerala's oldest boat race, on time. I had never seen a boat race, except on television. Now, I was being offered a place on a boat, thanks to my uncle Babu and his friend Ashokan. We did reach the Parthasarathi temple on time. For once, there were more devotees on the banks of the Pampa than inside the temple. For once, there were not many takers for the traditional valla sadya or feast which comes free. Malayalam television channels had made arrangements to cover the event live. All around there was a buzz. The public....