Rare amateur footage of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka

Sir John Laing, heir to the Laing construction firm, was a deeply religious man. Several amateur films were taken documenting his missionary trips to South Asia. This film covers missions in parts of what is now the Indian state of Tamil Nadu (including Udagamandalam, or Ootacamund, and Coimbatore/Kovai) and what is now Sri Lanka and is a valuable visual record of people and places visited by Sir John (several times seen in the film).

Amateur film recording John W. Laing's missionary trip in southern India and
Sri Lanka.



Ootacamund and District - panning views of town and buildings; Indian wooden
houses in village; women begging money from John Laing and two other men,
after money is given one man pushes the women's hands away. A quarry with men
working the stone and mostly women carrying the rocks away in baskets on their
heads. Europeans outside a large building; an Indian nursery on a lawn.



Coimbatore - Street scenes and the Lighthouse Cinema; children gathered
together, then singing in a hut before exiting, with John Laing visible.



Madras - Dock scenes with large steamer "Baron Falr[ .] Ardrossan" being
unloaded; Europeans on a terraced garden; the "Cathedral Parish Hall San
Thorne"; large group of predominantly Asian children lined up on steps for a
group photo; shots of floral gardens



Ceylon - large military display; large building marked "Cargills (Ceylon)
Limited"; street scenes; deaf children being taught to speak in a school
courtyard and a blind girl reading Braille; John Laing and another man
swimming in an indoor pool; floral gardens; writing postcards; a working
elephant with its handlers; children and then women exiting a church[?]; Air
India plane at the airport, John Laing getting onboard.