Tucked away in the middle of the noisy polluted ‘city of joy’, Calcutta, is Tollygunge Home - a haven of peace and quiet for 35 elderly Christian Anglo-Indian residents. During the British colonial rule, British men were encouraged to marry Indian women in order that their children would help further Britain’s imperial interest in India. Children of these marriages became known as Anglo-Indians (or in earlier years, Eurasians) and lived a fairly wealthy lifestyle during the British colonial years of the late 19th century. However as time went on, racism and discrimination began to seep in and Anglo-Indians then found themselves in limbo - neither Indian nor British. After India won independence in 1947, two-thirds of the Anglo-Indian community emigrated to other parts of the British Commonwealth such as Britain, Canada and Australia. Those left behind became dislocated from their families and their living conditions declined quite dramatically. Tollygunge Home is financed by the East India Charitable Fund and managed by a committee of volunteers for these Anglo-Indian residents and this documentary explores their thoughts, memories and lifestyle through interviews. Shows them preparing for Christmas day celebrations in the traditional British way and highlights the personal interactions which take place, not only the anger, jealousies and loneliness but also the friendships, the bonding and love which holds them together as a community. Narrated by Rachel Blake.
Content notification
Our collection comprises over 40,000 moving image works, acquired and catalogued between the 1940s and early 2000s. As a result, some items may reflect outdated, offensive and possibly harmful views and opinions. ACMI is working to identify and redress such usages.
Learn more about our collection and our collection policy here. If you come across harmful content on our website that you would like to report, let us know.
How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
316356
Language
English
Subject categories
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Calcutta (India)
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Christmas
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → India - Social life and customs
Documentary → Documentary films - Australia
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Christmas
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Cross-cultural studies
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Homeless persons
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Imperialism
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → India - Social conditions
Education, Instruction, Teaching & Schools → Cross-cultural studies
Family, Gender Identity, Relationships & Sexuality → Aging
Family, Gender Identity, Relationships & Sexuality → Alienation (Social psychology)
Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Aged - Institutional care
Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Aging
Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Alienation (Social psychology)
History → India - History - Autonomy and independence movements
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)