Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Philip The Royal Tour of India Pt. 1 (1961)  British Pathé - video Dailymotion

Feelings Drama

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00:30To the Queen and Prince Philip, the government and people of India stretched out the hand

00:49of welcome. President Prasad, Premier Nehru and Vice President Krishnan were at the airport

00:55to meet them. To arrive in India for the first time is an unforgettable experience for anyone

01:00in any age. How much more so for the Queen, for whom the magic of air travel, in a few

01:06hours, translated the January gloom of London into the tropical brilliance of New Delhi.

01:11Dr. Prasad sincerely spoke for the whole Republic of India in bidding the royal visitors a most

01:21warm welcome. The Vice President, as well as Mr. Nehru and his sister, added his greetings.

01:27To peoples not understanding the Commonwealth, it must have seemed a paradox that the Republic

01:40of India, no longer owing allegiance to the crowd, should yet so wholeheartedly welcome

01:45the sovereign. A paradox, too, that the Rajput, the noble highway from the airport into the

01:51city, should still be called Kingsway. Half a century had passed since a reigning monarch

01:57last visited India. The fifty years in which that great country, no less than the rest of

02:03the world, has been transformed. In the weeks to come, Her Majesty would see much of both

02:08old and new India. The Queen rode in Dr. Prasad's car with the picturesque presidential bodyguard

02:20in Estes.

02:21Prince Philip drove with Mr. Nehru. The Indian Premier remembers in what high esteem the Duke's

02:38uncle, Earl Mountbatten, held Mahatma Gandhi, at whose shrine, a very sacred place to all Indians,

02:46the Queen and her husband put on velvet sandals, the custom observed by all foreign visitors

02:51to the tomb of the prophet of independent India.

02:59Thirteen years, all but a few days, had passed since the Mahatma was cremated at this place.

03:05The Queen's tribute was in the form of a wreath of five hundred roses.

03:14Mrs. Pundit's simple and affecting tribute was that of a personal disciple of Mahatma Gandhi.

03:19The Queen planted a tree near those of President Eisenhower and Mr. Khrushchev.

03:33Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan, lay only a short flight from Delhi. Here, the Queen and Duke

03:40would be moving among scenes recalling the princely states. Nine young women bearing painted

03:45jars on their heads bade traditional welcome to Bunkrota village, a community development

03:50where the new India rubbed shoulders with the old. The offering of tiny lights on a copper

03:55tray by ladies of the Maharaja's family was another part of the ritual greeting.

03:59The bearded governor of Jaipur was in the party which accompanied the Queen.

04:14After that gracious reception, the Queen went to see the practical side of the Bunkrota project,

04:19inaugurating the water supply. While modernizing the country, India is in no hurry to abolish

04:28the old ways unnecessarily. The Queen saw corn being ground by the chalky grinding wheel.

04:35Who knows for how many centuries villagers have employed this method. Her Majesty and the Duke

04:40admired the handsomely attired bullocks, which were used to drag the Maharaja's chariots.

04:57Within the courtyard of the Maharaja of Jaipur's palace were six magnificent elephants, the most

05:02splendid of all, assigned to carry the Queen and her host. This was an India evoking memories

05:08of the historic Delhi Derma, held in honor of the King Emperor George V, the Queen's grandfather.

05:14Covered in gorgeous silks, the elephants and procession epitomized Indian splendor.

05:27It must have been an amusing experience. Certainly no royal visit to the subcontinent

05:32could have been complete without an elephant ride. There remained the beautiful Rajput welcome

05:37to the palace, at which the Queen and Duke received the Tylak mark, the lightly touched vermilion

05:43dab on the forehead. Somehow it symbolizes the courtesy and graciousness of Indians towards

05:48their guests. Already Her Majesty had seen many fascinating sides of Indian life.

05:54During the royal visit was held the Republican Day Parade, quite the most memorable anniversary

06:03of the young Republic of India. As the Queen and Duke rode with the President, the route was

06:08lined by nearly three million people. The splendidly uniformed lances of the President's bodyguard

06:13reminded veteran spectators of Vice-Regal Day. It was another example of the affection with which India

06:20adheres to ceremonial, inherited from the British.

06:23A proud day this for every Indian, and surely the proudest man of all was Dr. Prasad, the 76-year-old

06:30head of the Republic for which he labored and suffered during so much of his political life.

06:36And how superb was the parade of which he took the salute. Marching past were regiments whose names are

06:44gloriously written in British military history. Today they glory in continuing the valiant traditions

06:49of the old Indian Army.

06:51A proud day this for every Indian, and surely the proudest man of all was Dr. Prasad, the 76-year-old

06:56Indian Army.

07:26The girls of the St. John Ambulance Brigade were not to be outdone in smartness by the men.

07:51In striking contrast to the airborne arm and shortwave radio, modern and up to the minute,

07:58were the twelve magnificent elephants. Always a feature of the anniversary parade.

08:02And with the onlookers, always a very popular feature.

08:05The state of Madras contributed a float representing a juggernaut temple chariot.

08:24All along the route, the crowds were entranced by the dancers, especially by the youthful performance.

08:37So, this Viral Republic celebrated its 11th anniversary. India seems to be emerging as a very

08:40youthful performance.

08:44the most civilizing influence in Asia. A power for peace in a world of conflict.

08:51.

09:01So, this Viral Republic celebrated its 11th anniversary.

09:05India seems to be emerging as the most civilizing influence in Asia.

09:09A power for peace in a world of conflict.

09:24In contrast to the parade was the garden party in the grounds of the Presidential Palace,

09:28once the Viceroy's house. Lord Morrison, who was lecturing in India, was among the 7,000 guests.

09:34Here in the Mughal Gardens, representatives of many walks of life in India met the Royal Visitors.

09:40.

Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Philip The Royal Tour of India Pt. 1 (1961) British Pathé

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