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Film info

Allahabad - a house at Civil Lines

1968
Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India

Creator / Collector
Bonar, Andrew Graham

Description
Allahabad is one of the largest and most populous districts in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Also it is referred as East London.

In the film, we are in a house of traditional architecture, with ornate decorative elements, in the area that is the central business district of Allahabad, Civil Lines. The large and colorful garden of the house with trees and flowers makes a great impression as being a unique display of the richness of the local flora.

Then, the filmmaker creates a comic sketch, in which he impersonates the maid of the house, who is supposed to treat him harshly and even threatens him with a golf club and a pole.

A few more views of the beautiful garden flowers.
Afterwards, we see two mongooses who are small mammals, entering the garden, while in the branch of a tall tree a woodpecker creates a hole by hitting it with its beak and finally the lens locates a group of bats who wait for darkness to look for food.

We see, next, a view where the filmmaker is being given a haircut by a local barber who after that offers him a peculiar head massage.

Coordinates
25.455283338483273,81.83259638297197

Film Information

Holder
Bonar, Andrew Graham

Quality
2K

Sound
Yes

Color
Yes

Duration (seconds)
213

Format
Super 8mm

Creator's description


Oh, what a relief to get away from all the noise and bustle of the City, fascinating though it is. We have come to a typical residential house in the Civil Lines, built some 40 or 50 years ago in a large compound. During the short winter season the garden is a mass of flowers –it is the best season of the year from every point of view.

This is the mistress of the house, and she has a visitor today. They seem to be on good terms.
But now she’s getting angry for some reason –what has he said to upset her?
Oh Lord! –the poor fellow is getting the worst of it. Indian women are tougher than they look –he’ll remember that next time!

Among the visitors to our garden is this mongoose family. The mongoose is the natural enemy of the snake, and it is said to be immune to snake’s poison. With human beings it is a friendly creature, but it can become destructive if allowed to become a household pet…
Another frequent visitor to the garden is the woodpecker, whose vigorous pecking can be heard quite a long distance away.
One curious sight is that of bats sleeping upside down suspended from the branches of a tree.

And now the White Sahib is being given a haircut by his barber.
Bonar, Andrew Graham