SAADA

Bibi Dhillonn Home Movies Reel #2

DESCRIPTION
North Edwards, California—early 1960’s
This first segment of the film features various scenes of Bhagat and Ravi playing outside the family’s apartment in North Edwards, California. Bhagat and Ravi were born only a year and a half apart and grew up very close according to their younger sister Bibi. The films open with Bhagat sitting in the rocking chair looking at a catalog. His mother Dorothy joins him and his sister Ravi and reads through the catalog with them. Bhagat dances around in the house and then Dorothy put makeup on the children including the traditional bindi (red dot in the center of the forehead). Bhagat and Ravi play in a small inflatable pool outside. Bhagat rides his tricycle, and then a small pedal-powered car outside on the pavement while Ravi walks around and plays with a Fred Flintstone toy that drums when pulled. Bhagat plays with a toy rifle on the pavement and Ravi plays on the grass with their mother in the background. The children sit in the doorframe sharing an ice cream cone and then share a coke on the grass. The children watch an older man watering the grass then play on a clothesline with another girl. Dorothy is in the kitchen with Bhagat and Ravi and then the children are taking a bath together.

Various locations in India—early 1960’s
This section of the film was shot at various locations on a long trip that the Dhillonns took to India. During part of this trip the Dhillonns lived on a houseboat on Dal Lake in Kashmir. While living in the houseboat they would get provisions from vendors in small boats that would come to them and sell them supplies. The opening scenes are in different locations such as Akbar’s tomb, the Taj Mahal, and streets in what appears to be Delhi. Then there is footage with Sharanjit’s family members sitting at a table surrounded by manicured gardens, with mountains in the background. The non-Indian woman wearing a sari is Dorothy. There is footage of Dal Lake in Kashmir and then footage of Dorothy, Bhagat and Ravi riding horses on what looks to be a guided tour. There is also nighttime footage of a boat ride.

ADDITIONAL METADATA
Date: 1963
Type: Moving Image

PROVENANCE
Collection: Sharanjit Singh Dhillonn Materials
Donor: Bibi Dhillonn
Digitizer: Jana Gowan
Item History: 2016-07-24 (created); 2017-02-21 (modified)

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