Annual boat racing festival held in Tripura

Agartala (Tripura) [India] Aug 28(ANI): Apart from being a major tourist attraction, Tripura's Melaghar is also known for its annual boat racing festival in the region.
Boat race is an event that is a part of the local fisherman community ethos and is also a sport that signifies team spirit, integration, and amity among people.
Organised by the Information Cultural Affairs and Tourism Department, along with the local fishermen community, the event on Monday was participated both by men and women, with scores of long snake boats and other smaller crafts.
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb flagged off the race in presence of state Tourism Minister Pranjit Singha Roy and other MLAs.
"After watching the people at the event here, I realised that if culture is combined with work, people become more enthusiastic, making the work less mechanical," said Deb.
Speaking to ANI, a participant from the winning team, Jaharlal Das said, "This is going on since our forefather's time and there is prize money. This year our team achieved victory like the previous year. There is no fight between us and this time the victory money is more. "
A visitor, Md Fakrul Islam said, "People from across the country come to watch the competition. I have also come to enjoy the event. It is a major tourist attraction."
The water carnival witnesses thousands of people spell-bound, cheering, laying bets, and encouraging the boatmen to row faster. (ANI)