The boat (an organisation) is only as strong as the people in it
The power to win is not in any one person
The power is when all of us come together
As one.One effort.One goal
– A R Rahman
If you know any bit about Kerala (one of the southern states of India) it is hard to have missed hearing about their backwaters and specifically the boat race. The boat race is called vallam kali (vallam – water, kali – sport / race) in Kerala. The Nehru Cup is supposedly the most coveted one. It was initiated by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (India’s first Prime Minister) in the year 1952, during a visit to Alappuzha and chancing a boat ride from Kottayam to Alappuzha. It was an impromptu decision to have a boat race during the visit that led to a legacy that sustains to this day.
There are twenty odd teams that participate in the races today held on the second saturday of August every year. The adrenalin rush of the races is a massive crowd puller with tickets along the 1.4 kms water track selling anywhere from Rs.100 to upwards of Rs.3000. A huge tourist attraction with several foreigners ensuring their itinerary of an India trip has this pit stop as a must
The Boat: Sthapatya Veda is the foundation for designing a boat. It is an ancient design treaty arrived at by chieftains in the early 14th century primarily to transport soldiers through the backwaters during conflicts. Surprisingly, the specified material used to build a boat has remained constant through centuries. The hull of the boat is made from the wood of anjili with length varying from 95 to 140 feet and each plank is 6 inches wide. The boat is designed to accommodate between 80 to 110 oarsmen. It takes months on end to design one boat and several trials are made to check if the boat remains steady in water without even a minutest of tilt.
Here is the interesting bit. It could be the best boat ever made with ample funds being made available but a new boat rarely wins in the first six years after its induction. It requires regular maintenance and upkeep with painting, polishing and use to tune it (each passing day / year) for a win. It happens in an organisation too right? Expectating miracles from new recruits without helping them understand the team they are part of, the projects and the culture leads to disillusionment.
The Team: The team of 150 (110 the active ones who steer the boat and 40 are kept on reserve) are chosen carefully by the coach (these are professional people with ample experience in handling teams). There is a rule to choose the team which is usually a mix of locals (75%) and the remaining (25%) are chosen from the police, navy, army and professionals experienced in kayaking or other boating expeditions.
The team is carefully divided into ‘Ottathuzhakar’ – the oarsmen who paddle to give the boat speed. ‘Amarakars’ -who help steer the boat and keep it on the chosen path. Then there are five to seven ‘Thalakars’ – these people set the rhythm that helps the oarsmen align themselves to the right speed. Among the oarsmen 25-30 are set closer to the bow of the boat and they give the booster-jet that propels the boat.
A lot depends on the composition of the team. Clearly defining roles and setting expectations right are just the basic rules.
The Training: It’s arduous and the expectations set are not for the faint hearted. The day starts as early as five am and the schedule runs late after sunset. There are six hours practise session (three each in the morning and early evening) each of these sessions are preceded by exercises to warm up the body, keep it nimble and flexible (shoulder training and push-ups are mandated and obviously so)
The key aspect of the training and sessions is how to row right. There is a pattern, and timing for all of them to strike the water with their oars. While the helmsmen steer the boat with their large oars (pangayam) and the cyclical rowing action has a particular rhythm too, the oarsmen have to row in unison for the boat to catch up speed. One may wonder how do 80 oarsmen know when to lift and drop the oars into the water to row? The timing is a task that the ‘Thalakars’ are entrusted with. Three of the five thalakars bang a bamboo stick into the hull with a particular timing, the other two choose a song or a chant to match the beat. Each notations of the beat mean a particular stance for the oarsmen.
To win a race the oarsmen need to row at least 80 times a minute and at the start of the training period they struggle even to get a 45. Rigorous monitoring and training gets them inching towards the goal.
Productivity and efficiency is never a given, it is built bit by bit over time and with continuous training, practice and setting a Rhythm.
The Fuel: The fuel is sumptuous food. It is much spoken about and nutrition value is constantly calculated to ensure they don’t fall short on any count. The food is served four times a day (breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner) in a community fashion. All of them are served on plantain leaves seated in rows irrespective of rank or creed.
The fuel is also the respect for all cultures and religions. Before the start of a race, prayers are offered in hindu, muslim and christian traditions to show secularity and respect for team members coming from all parts of the country and representing every religion.
Diversity and tolerance to ethnicity and religion is much spoken about in corporate circles but issues still persist. It matters for high performing teams. The fuel in an organisation is the respect a leader gives to his team members, valuing their contribution irrespective of who they are or where they come from.
The Coach: He is involved in selecting the team, formulating the strategy, setting expectations but above all keeping the team motivated at all times.
The coach gives a pep-talk to the team every day. There are some one-on-ones too should a team member fall short on any count. There are songs structured to build the tempo and the team sings with joy.
A happy and motivated team delivers and the leader or a company head is solely responsible to put this in -place.
The video given below sums up everything perfectly
https://youtu.be/kLoHi4oeyvA —First published the article in his Linked In account in December 2020
References:
https://fountainink.in/reportage/one-hundred-oarsmen
Wikipedia
Snippets from various search functions.
Suresh Ramakrishnan
