This short film from The March of Time’s classroom film series gives viewers a look at India during the World War II era. The film opens with footage of soldiers marching out of a building. Other opening shots of India include the Gateway of India, Jama Masjid (00:59) where Muslims pray, and people on the banks of the Ganges (01:20). A man sings while walking down a street. People bathe in the Ganges River. People carry a statue of a god down a street during a religious procession. Men place a corpse on a funeral pyre (02:36). People belonging to the “untouchables” caste sweep streets (03:15). There is footage of people at a market buying produce (03:46), people sitting on sidewalks, and a man eating at an outdoor café. The film then takes viewers to Mysore Palace (04:18), where the Maharaja walks out and stands overlooking the people gathered at palace. A maharaja rides an elephant in a procession (05:06). Political activists speak at a rally (05:20). Mahatma Gandhi walks with several people (06:04); Jawaharlal Nehru speaks to members of the All Indian National Party at a rally. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, spokesman of the All India Moslem League, sits at a table (07:08); Hindu Mahasabha party leader Vinayak Damodar Savarkar sits on a couch. People plant rice in a field and use oxen to till the mud (07:44). Women walk into a building at Lady Irwin College (08:38), and the film shows Indian women sitting in a classroom. People walk to work (09:17), and the film shows people working in factories, in a stable, and people waiting at a train station. The film then gives viewers a more in-depth look at Mysore (09:42), where British funds have been used to develop the area’s economy. There is a factory, men shop at a store, and people work in a paper production plant (10:15). A man keeps watch on a hydroelectric dam (10:40). Two men walk past a dam in Tando Masti Khan. There are shots of irrigation ditches throughout India. Children sit at tables and paint small handcrafts. The film concludes with shots of India’s crowded streets and parks, and footage of Gandhi walking with supporters.

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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