Short film shot by an Indian cameraman showing damage to the border village of Tamu, and a Buddhist festival.

Shots of a many-tiered pagoda with damage. Desecrated Buddha figures. Wreckage of buildings entirely destroyed apart from concrete blocks or upright poles. A parade of monks arrives. They sit down and local people bow towards them. A procession of local people bringing offerings. View of a large crowd. A table is set in front of a row of seated elder monks. A number of men carry a wooden structure, bedecked with many small pieces of paper (with prayers?) towards camera. A brief and probably inadvertent shot as the cameraman moves position. A large crowd moves forwards; one man is seen rhythmically tapping a piece of wood and in front of the crowd a man dances. The gathering, with the wooden (prayer?) structure in foreground and the seated monks behind. Seated crowd all bowing towards the monks. Men preparing food in large conical pans. Man stirs a large pan with a length of wood. More cookery. Another shot of the procession emerging into open ground; in the lead is a triangular piece of metal (for percussion?) suspended from a bamboo pole carried by two men, and the prayer (?) structure can be seen following behind. More shots of the procession. Women with offerings. Shot of the group beating the wood, another man plays small cymbals. Shaky shot apparently taken as the cameraman returns through the crowd to his jeep.

Notes

Tamu, a town on the road between Imphal (in Manipur, India) and Kalemyo, Burma was occupied in August 1944 as Allied forces pursued the Japanese after the latter's failed invasion of India.

The festival is not specified on the dopesheet but the time of year, early November, would be consistent with the Theravada Buddhist festival of Kathina.

Series note: The MWY series of films is believed to be part of a ‘pool’ of film received by the Government of India from various sources, including South East Asia Command, the Indian Inter-Service Public Relations Directorate, the Ministry of Information, and from Allied governments. This footage would have been considered for editing and release through the Indian Newsreel Parade; see INR series.