Travelogue films showing indigenous life in the interwar period, filmed by the British traveller, linguist, spy and author Reginald Teague Jones OBE, who changed his name to Sinclair after his alleged involvement in the massacre of Bolshevik commissars from Baku in the Caucasus in September 1918.

Jaipur: old city walls and gate. Various shots around city walls; camels, ox carts, people carrying large and heavy loads. Gates to the city. Various scenes within Jaipur: temples, large groups of people, markets, bullock cart carrying woman in purdah, men sitting on temple steps, water sellers. Varied street scenes, and scenes around the city. Numerous oxen in the street throughout. Few visible traces of modern life. Women grinding grain on hand mill. Market scenes, further street scenes. Camel carrying huge load. Women making thread. Elephant entering city (through old Mughal gate?). Langur monkeys. Sadhu, arms raised to heavens. Close up footage of Langur monkeys. Shot list: ‘road to Udeipur’ [sic]. Various beasts of burden on road: donkeys, oxen. Udaipur gate. Women carrying water pots. Sword makers, using hand-worked sharpening wheels to hone blades (shot list: ‘This picture is unique and would probably be impossible to take today’). Silver smiths. Temple scenes: elephant being washed. Ghats, and ‘famous triple water gate’ (?). Scenes of traffic crossing bridge. Ghats. Various houses and palaces, belonging to Rajput nobility, filmed from a boat. Views across the city from the palace roof. Various spectacular palaces. Large herd of wild boar. Further shots of palaces, viewed from across the lake.

Notes

Catalogue entry by Dr Francis Gooding, AHRC Colonial Film Database 2010.