One of the TravelTalks series of films made by James A. Fitzpatrick, THE GATEWAY TO INDIA showcases the city of Bombay, India.
At mark 0:36 is the city of Bombay, a gateway to India. At mark 0:45 is the gate cell. Bombay is the second largest city in India and one of the chief sea port of the area. It has a mixed population of over a million people practically of every race in the world. At mark 1:14, is the modern metropolis. At mark 1:15 is the Tile Mahara hotel, the most pretentious one in India. At mark 1:36, is a scene showing a transition between the modern civilization and the ancient. Here, we see the modern and the ancient form of vehicle. Men are seen riding on horse wagons. At mark 2:18, is the famous race spot in Bombay. Here, is gathered representative from every nationality to partake. At mark 2:45 are the Parsee women. They are descendants of exiled prisoners. The entire populations now count to fifty thousand. At mark 3:14, you find Parsee merchants, traders, herd, Japanese, Chinese, British all part of the cosmopolitan crowds of Bombay.
Just a short distance from Bombay at mark 3:40, is a village. All the people who live here are engaged in the fish industry. Here, many of them are vegetarians and would not eat fish of any kind due to religion. At mark 4:233, two boys are seen weaving. At mark 4:32 are two young women from the clan both putting on a sari. It is a one piece garment. Looking close to these young ladies at mark 4:45, a red dot is both seen on each forehead which signifies that they are married or are legible for marriage. At mark 4:58, is a flower pot containing a Tosi plant showing an emblem of virtue which is worshipped exclusively by all Indian girls. This is backed up with a story at mark 5:05. At mark 5:22, a woman is seen drying the fishes caught. The fish is first soaked in salt water, then tied and sundried. At mark 5:42, these women are tying small shrimps until it is sorted and dried. It is then used to prepare their famous curry.
At mark 5:54, is a scene of royal elephants on parade. This is a social event. The headpieces worn by these elephants are made of solid gold and magnificent jewels. At mark 6:49 is a far view of Bombay. This is Bombay a gateway to India. At mark 7:22 is the Bombay river port.
Mumbai (also known as Bombay, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India and the ninth most populous agglomeration in the world, with an estimated city population of 18.4 million. Along with the neighbouring regions of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, it is one of the most populous urban regions in the world and the second most populous metropolitan area in India, with a population of 20.7 million as of 2011. Mumbai lies on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2009, Mumbai was named an alpha world city. It is also the wealthiest city in India,[14] and has the highest GDP of any city in South, West, or Central Asia.[15] Mumbai has the highest number of billionaires and millionaires among all cities in India.
The seven islands that came to constitute Mumbai were home to communities of fishing colonies. For centuries, the islands were under the control of successive indigenous empires before being ceded to the Portuguese and subsequently to the British East India Company when in 1661 King Charles II married the Portuguese Catherine of Braganza, and as part of her dowry Charles received the ports of Tangier and seven islands of Bombay.[18] During the mid-18th century, Bombay was reshaped by the Hornby Vellard project, which undertook reclamation of the area between the seven islands from the sea] Along with construction of major roads and railways, the reclamation project, completed in 1845, transformed Bombay into a major seaport on the Arabian Sea. Bombay in the 19th century was characterised by economic and educational development. During the early 20th century it became a strong base for the Indian independence movement. Upon India’s independence in 1947 the city was incorporated into Bombay State. In 1960, following the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, a new state of Maharashtra was created with Bombay as the capital.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
