The monsoon has taken over all of the Indian sub-continent. While the monsoon loses its strength while it advances towards the northern part of the country, it is the south India which goes through the worst. Parts like Kerala and Tamil Nadu encounter waterlogged streets for days during the monsoon season. Here is a video from the Kerala that shows the best use of the waterlogged streets.
What is happening here?
The people in Kerala have taken out their long boats which are usually seen during the Vallam Kali or Snake Boat race during the annual harvest festival of Onam. The boats can be 100-120 feet long and as many as 40 people are boarded on the boat at one time. The video shows the boat speeding through a waterlogged street in Kerala.
The rowers are accompanied with drummers and other instrument players who keep the rowers in synchronisation. The boats can cover a 1.4 km distance in just 5 minutes with the rowers doing up to 120 strokes per minute. It is a sight to watch during the game, but the boat rowing on the street is a whole different level of fun. With full participation, the boats can be seen going past the camera.
Most of the people in the southern part of India keep themselves prepared for the monsoons. Many people keep their inflatable boats ready whenever the streets are waterlogged and use such boats and inflatables to commute during the monsoon season. Regular vehicles are almost useless on the waterlogged streets as water enters the engine compartment and stops the vehicle completely. Most of the people keep their vehicle inside the home during such situations to save it from any damage. The empty waterlogged streets give the people a perfect opportunity to enjoy the season.
Not the first time!
While this is the first time that a longboat has been seen on the streets doing such stunts, people from various parts of the country use inflated tubes of the tyres to big bamboo baskets as means of commute during such situations. There are quite a few videos on the Internet that show the grim status of the roads during the monsoon and the inconvenience people and daily commuters face.
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