Members of the women’s kayaking club at Maravanthuruth during a training session in the Arivalthodu canal.
| Photo Credit: VISHNU PRATHAP
N.G. Indira, a 63-year-old communicative English trainer from Kulashekharamangalam in Maravanthuruth, has addeda new morning routine this summer. While many seek refuge indoors from the heat, she heads straight to Arivalthodu, the canal that winds through her village.
At one of the ghats opening onto the scenic waterway, Ms. Indira joins a few other women from the village, including a Class X student, for a paddling session. By evening, after finishing the day’s chores, the women return once again, their oars slicing through the water for another round along the canal, which links two tributaries of Muvattupuzha River.
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These women, all residents of Maravanthuruth panchayat, have scripted a first for Kerala tourism by forming the State’s first all-woman kayaking club under Responsible Tourism Mission Kerala. Named Harithatheeram, the club is set to bring fresh energy to Maravanthuruth, an emerging village destination, with its members ready to steer visitors arriving here through the village waterways aboard their boats.
With sessions running from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and special visitor packages available, the initiative promotes tourism while emphasising environmental stewardship by maintaining the waterway’s cleanliness.
| Photo Credit:
VISHNU PRATHAP
“We have completed the preliminary paddling training, and a couple of us will soon attend a 10-day advanced training programme at Alappuzha next month. A fleet of new paddle boats will also arrive shortly for visitors,” said Ms. Indira, president of the club.
Kayaking is currently conducted along a one kilometre stretch of the canal and will be available from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. “Apart from kayaking, rides in country boats will also be offered along the canal,” she added.
The experience has been packaged to suit every traveller. A one and a half hour morning ride costs ₹300 and includes breakfast. The three hour afternoon session is priced at ₹500, with lunch featuring fish delicacies. The one and a half hour evening ride, complete with tea and snacks, costs ₹250. Children aged between 10 and 14 years are charged ₹50, while those between 14 and 18 years pay ₹100.
Commenting on the initiative, K. Rupesh Kumar, Chief Executive Officer of RT Mission Kerala, said Arivalthodu canal forms the heart of the Water Street project envisioned for the village destination.
“The paddling club will go a long way in keeping this waterbody clean. It has been restored and cleared of garbage several times over the past few years. Each stretch of the canal will be maintained by the families living along its banks,” he said.
Mr. Kumar also spoke of plans to restore the damaged portions of the Art Street that runs through the village, signalling that Maravanthuruth’s transformation is only gathering pace.
Published – April 28, 2026 07:18 pm IST
