To us who are forever moaning over the state of the city’s rivers but doing precious
little about it, and perhaps contributing to their degradation, the members of the
Madras Boat Club (MBC) are something of a wonder. And by that, I mean the rowing
members. They stoically get into their boats and row down the Adyar, unmindful of all
that flows in it. They are probably the only cause for some movement in the waters,
other than when Chembarambakkam is overflowing.
Madras Boat Club
The Madras Boat Club itself is a historic institution, having been around since 1867. It has been a
witness to the steady degradation and loss of water cover in the city, for when it
began, it held events in the Cooum (!), the Long Tank of Mylapore and the Ennore
Creek before settling down by the Adyar in the 1890s.
Madras Boat Club & Regatta.
There is excitement along the Adyar as the Madras Boat Club is set to host the ARAE-FEARA
Regatta this year. The honour for doing so falls in rotation on the various member
clubs of the Amateur Rowing Association of the East (ARAE), which at the time of its
establishment in 1933, comprised the rowing clubs at Bombay, Calcutta, Karachi,
Madras, Rangoon and Pune. The Madras Boat Club was the second oldest club in the Indian sub-
continent. Within a short while of the establishment of the ARAE, its Regatta was
planned, and we find that the Madras Boat Club was given the honour of hosting it for the first
time in 1934. Then the MBC, and for that matter all the others of its kind were Whites
Only and most of the organisers and participants were boxwallahs, executives in the
various British companies of that era.
Madras Boat Club & Indians.
But that was all to change with WWII and Indian Independence. Thus, when in 1954,
the MBC was host (it did so several times in the interim as well), membership was
mixed, and many Indians too were involved in the arrangements. That was also the
year when the Far Eastern Amateur Rowing Association of Asia (FEARA), came into
existence, with its own Regatta. Over the years, the two, organised respectively by
the ARAE and the FEARA, coalesced into one and is today known as the ARAE-
FEARA Regatta. And the MBC is all set to host it, between Jan 7 and 11, 2025.
Some Quaint Traditions.
As befitting an event in its 81 st edition, it has its own traditions. The Chief Guest is
welcomed under an arch of oars, the culmination of the event has everyone joining in
a final call of “Easy Oars,” and there is a tug of war across two boats. Gone however
is the practice of tossing the coxswain of the victorious team into the water, out of
consideration for their future well-being, such being the condition of Indian rivers.
An interesting feature of the Regatta is that it has events for practically all age
groups – Master and Super Master categories allow for veterans to compete and
demonstrate that their skills are very much alive. The trophy names are interesting.
The Hooghly and Adyar Trophies are the most prestigious, but we also have among
others the Willingdon Trophy for the Men’s Four. I doubt if there is any other former
Viceroy of India who made sure he was commemorated in so many ways. But then
he made a career out of the empire for he was Governor of Bombay and Madras,
Governor General of Canada and Viceroy of India!
With a Minister for Sports Development and a highly placed one at that, I hope the
administration takes notice of the Regatta and starts doing something about the river.
This article appeared in The Hindu dated January 1, 2025. CLICK HERE to read this.