Madras Mylapore - Tank and Religious Processions

The thronging streets of Chennai in festive mood are captured by this lively amateur film

In festive season, the streets of Madras (now Chennai), capital of Tamil Nadu, thronging with people and vividly impressive religious floats, are caught on camera by this vibrant 16mm amateur film. The illuminations of the 'floating festival' at the close prove a challenge too far for the camera, but the images at least give us a sense of the spectacle.

Frustratingly, the name of the gifted amateur filmmaker who shot this film appears to be lost to us. The film wsa one of a considerable collection of amateur films donated to the BFI National Archive in the 1970s by the Centre of South Asian Studies at the University of Cambridge.