Vernede Collection 2: Naini Tal, India, 1930

Film showing colonial life at Naini Tal, Uttarakhand. Scenes include travelling by train and car, playing tennis, picnicking, walking and riding in the mountains, views of Naini Tal and the bazaar, a garden party, a military parade with the Governor arriving by car, yachting on a lake, and playing polo. This film was taken by Lady Kendall, wife of Sir Charles Kendall, High Court Judge in Indian Civil Service. (00.00 to 00.25) Footage from inside a train as it pulls into Kathgodam station at Naini Tal. Indian men wait on the platform and run alongside the train. (00.26 to 00.42) Four British women play doubles tennis. (00.43 to 01.37) Footage of a journey being undertaken by a group of British people and Indian servants. There is footage of them walking, having picnics and riding horses while Indian men carry their luggage. The group continue their journey in various 1930s cars. (01.38 to 02.15) Footage from a religious ceremony, with a statue of a many faced God. Large numbers of people gather in the street, chatting and smoking. A number of women and girls sit on a wall watching the crowd. (02.16 to 03.56) A British woman rides a horse accompanied by an older British man on foot and a number of Indian men carry luggage. This is interspersed with footage of the landscape and wider shots of the street. (03.57 to 05.39) Footage of a formal event in a garden. Indian and British men and women are in attendance and are formally dressed. There are many men in uniform. The sequence then transitions to a large field where soldiers march and a British flag is visible in the foreground. (05.39 to 06.59) Small white-sailed boats on a lake in front a large forested mountain. Landscape shots, and shots of shopkeepers and pedestrians. This is followed by footage of a polo game. There is then a quick cut sequence of pedestrians, street life, donkeys, cars and shots of puppies with a British man.