#avidadebhagavan

13.38 1948 - Aravind Bose Footage – 16mm Colour 13.48 Sri Arunachala view. 14.09 Surrounding countryside 14.28 Sri Arunachala 14.34 Sri Arunachaleswara Temple from the Hill 14.39 Big St. in Tiruvannamalai and streets from the Hill. 14.46 Sri Arunachaleswara Temple. 14.53 Viswanatha Swami pointing out a temple gopuram and surrounding temple scenes from the Hill, to Aravind Bose’s daughter, Maya. 15.15 Girivalam road scene on the pradakshina road. 15.35 Pali Tirtham (Tank) 15.49 Pachaiamman Koil, plus its tank, with Viswanathan Swami guiding Maya Bose - 15.55. 16.54 1,000 pillared mantapam, Arunachaleswara Temple 16.55-17.48 Inside the Arunachaleswara Temple courtyards 17.48 Pavalakundru Kovil 18.20 A carried palanquin taking someone along the pradakshina route, with musicians accompanying following behind. 18.26 Deity being taken on a street procession. 18.43 A clean Palakottu tank, and the small Ganesh temple. 18.58 Dr.Paul Brunton’s house in view. 18.11 Swami leaving the Ganesh temple both before and after, a panorama of Palakottu. 19.30 White peacock. 19.44 The entrance to Virupaksha Cave 20.00 Bhagavan leaving the dining room 20.16 Bhagavan washing out his mouth, by the dining room entrance 20.21 Bhagavan walking away from the dining room with Rangaswami 20.28 Ms.Ethel Merston within the line of devotees following Bhagavan. 20.30 Bhagavan walking towards the cowshed with Sathyananda Swami behind him. 20.46 In front of the cowshed, the shooting being organised by A. Bose. 20.58 Patasala boys come out of the patasala and prostrate 21.27 With the cows in the cowshed 21.52 Lakshmi arrives. Lip-reading, Bhagavan says ‘Amma’ [Mother] to her. 22.15 Walking away from the cowshed, Viswanathan Swami on his right. Also in these sequences are Appu Sastri; Raju Sastri; K. Natesan; and T.N. Venkataraman. Also Ganesan as a boy. 22.29 Another shot of Bhagavan walking away from the cowshed with different group 23.02 Entering the side entrance of the dining room. 23.12 Bhagavan walks to a seat outside the old hall where he gives darshan, arranged by Nambiar, since the Old Hall scenes normally unfolding inside could not be filmed. Chinnaswami walks behind, directing the seating arrangements. 23.40 Bhagavan receives Prasad from attendant Satyananda Swami. 24.04 Bhagavan with Chinnaswami standing behind amongst the standing and seated. 24.05 Satyanandaswami handing out prasadam. 24.40 Ms. Ethel Merston and Ammani Ammal. 25.09 Bhagavan drinking from his Kamandalu. Sundaram standing behind Bhagavan. 25.14 Bhagavan watches the white peacock pecking at food. 25.24 Bhagavan leaving the dining room with attendant Sivanandaswami. Maharshi walks around the corner to the ashram kitchen entrance and then towards the Hill. 25.32 Attendants Subramaniaswami and Sivanandaswami walk on Bhagavan’s right. 25.47 Bhagavan seated in poor filming light, with attendant Satyananda Swami to his left. 25.56 Wide-angle pans of the Mountain, cloudscapes and dark sunset hues. the last scene on this part of reel.

26.23 1948 December - The Maharshi’s 69th Birthday Celebration – B/W fades to colour. Shot by K.K. Nambiar on 16mm colour film 26.29 Bhagavan on his way to supervise the bhiksha feeding at his 69th birthday. 26.44 Sri Ramana Inspects a line of Boy Scouts who were helping with the feeding with T.N Venkataraman, in front of the Vedapatasala. 27.03 Bhagavan turns right and walks in a narrow pathway between the Goshala south wall on his right, and rear of present resident men’s shower room with attendant Sivanandaswami. (See grille and lower end window) etc. 27.23 A dark shaded interior – too dark for the film camera. 27.34 Flower bedecked decorated shrine and early photo of Bhagavan. 27.53 Celebratory meal for the Boy Scouts and volunteers. 27.55 Walking towards the cowshed again with T.N. Venkataraman, plus two attendants - Sivanandaswami, Rangaswami, and others. 31.44 Bhagavan walking away from the cowshed. Satyananda Swami and Rangaswami in attendance. 28.07 Turning right Bhagavan on the same narrow pathway as at 27.03. 28.45 Sivanandaswami walking beside Bhagavan carrying both the umbrellas held in the Archive still today. 28.47 White peacock by western end of the full thatch only ‘Guest Room for Gentlemen’. 28.58 Bhagavan tenderly watching the white peacock being fed. 29.14 Group walking towards the Hill between the kitchen door and the store room 29.19 Guests arriving for the birthday Narayana Seva and bhiksha. 30.05 Ashram guests being fed in a very dark thatched hall. 30.47 Crowd scenes in the ashram after the food serving was over 31.52 Bhagavan emerging from a shed (temporary dining room?) 32.11 Southern flanks of Arunachala. 32.15 Bhagavan walking in front of Arunachala in the Ashram 32.24 Bhagavan walking in the Ashram. 32.33 Bhagavan walking away from the cowshed

32.44 1949 - Patala Lingam Muhurtham Ceremony – May 4th Shot by K.K. Nambiar on 16mm colour film 32.52 Inside the Arunachaleswara Temple for the inauguration of the renovated Patala Lingam. Scenes looking north beside the Patala Lingam etc. This opening ceremony and the new gopuram built by funds raised by Mrs Taleyarkan and presided over by the Governor general, C. Rajagopalachari 33.29 Mrs Talyarkhan and Alamelu Ammal, Bhagavan’s sister, leading a group to the Patala Lingam entrance. (This section shot by Aravind Bose.) ‘It appears that this segment was shot prior to the main, busier, proceedings.’ (Research Booklet – Archival Films – 2nd Ed.) 33.58 Sri Framji visible wearing a Fez hat amongst the other male devotees filing up the steps into the Patala Lingam in Sri Arunachala temple.

34.06 1949 – May to November – Shot by K.K. Nambiar 34.15 Bhagavan walking away from the goshala with devotees and Sivanandaswami on his left. 34.34 Bhagavan moving towards the goshala with attendant Venkataratnamswami on his left. (This could be Sivanandaswami attendant too) 35.10 Bhagavan in bright sunlight moving towards the kitchens. 35.45 A moving close-up shot of Bhagavan looking steadily into the camera lens and slowly smiling. 35.53 Further close-up shots, and the camera pulling back. 36.04 XXX 36.33 Entering the Dining Hall with two attendants in view. 36.37 The back gate and Arunachala views from the ashram. 36.46 Original devotee housing, built by devotees. Views of Arunachala follow. 36.59 Ashram views in 1949. 37.08 - 37.40 Bhagavan walking towards the Goshala. Sivanandaswami is the attendant. 37.36 Bhagavan at the dining room side entrance. A large devotee group is taking shelter under the Old Hall palm awnings, watching Bhagavan’s arrival. 38.09-38.55 T. P. Ramachandra Iyer walking behind Bhagavan in a large group with T.N. Venkataraman, devotees and family members. Possibly Mrs Eleanor Noye on the extreme right. 38.55 T. P. Ramachandra Iyer walking behind Bhagavan again, emerging from a gate. Bhagavan continues on towards the Goshala and emerges from a bathroom to stroke a young cow affectionately. Two attendants and another devotee also accompany. 39.51 Bhagavan; T.P. Ramachandra Iyer, Sivananda and Niranjananda plus others. 40.05 S.S. Cohen crosses the camera view. 40.22 Eleanor Noye again in view. 40.27 S. S. Cohen in the retinue, following Bhagavan (balding & clothed in a white kurta) 40.37 Veda Patasala boys being pulled along by younger calves towards the Goshala. Followed more sedately by an oxen pair. 41.02 S.S. Cohen at the rear of the group. 41.06 Gopuram over the Mother’s temple. 41.24 Arunachala, framed by a Bodhi tree fringe, in the ashram. 41.50 B/W walking towards kitchen entrance with unidentified devotees. 42.00 Bhagavan shot from above, Sivanandaswami attending, others unknown, peacock or hen feeding; film fades to black and white. 42.11 Outside of the new hall with Niranjanandaswami to his right and Sivanandaswami to the left. 42.13 Bhagavan walking in the ashram with other devotees and attendant. 42.15 Leaving the dining hall with T. P. Ramachandra Iyer behind and to his right. Sivanandaswami to his left. 42.26 Bhagavan walking along the north bund wall with T. P. Ramachandra Iyer and Sivanandaswami - thence to the Goshala. Mrs Eleanor Noye in this group. 43.03 Bhagavan rounding a corner with T P Ramachandra and Sivanandaswami. 43.16 Bhagavan walking down the steps of the bathroom or office by the Gosala. Ashram scenes and Bhagavan walking therein. 44.02 Descending the bathroom steps. Camera is pointed towards the Old Hall in the background. 44.09 Someone taking a still shot of Bhagavan. 44.25 Bhagavan reading a paper in the New Hall, seated on the new stone sofa, a palm fan in the background. A longer piece of footage ensues with Bhagavan gazing silently upon the devotees. 45.15-50.15 Bhagavan gazing stedily and unblinking at the devotes and occasionally into the camera, in the New Hall. 50.16 Omandur Ramaswami Reddiar – the First Chief Minister of the Madras Presidency plus another behind carrying a brass kooja, along with TNV, walks in from the car. Opposite the ashram entrance tombs and shrines may be seen, along with animal-drawn carts inside the present-day entrance and car park. 50.28 Close up shot of O.R. Reddiar. 50.29 Bhagavan walking with difficulty in front of the new hall. Attendant Venkataratnam is one of the attendants with Bhagavan to his left. 50.31 Another attendant, Subramaniaswami, walks across in front of the camera. To Bhagavan’s right by the pillar is Doraiswamy Iyer – a famous lawyer and devotee. 50.50 Mani and Ganeshan to the left?, and attendant Venkataratnam to Bhagavan’s right; Sundaramar to his left. 51.00 Venkataratnam, Satyanandaswami, and an unknown devotee – others arrive to give their pranams as Bhagavan remains standing motionless. K.K. Nambiar’s sister, Madhavi Amma, gives namaskarams to Bhagavan throughout this segment. 51.22 The group joined by Omandur Ramaswami Reddiar for this filming sequence. 51.28 The same group is joined by Yogi Ramaiah; attendant Venkataratnam is on Bhagavan’s right. 51.58 Bhagavan walking by the bund wall and rounding a corner,with Venkataratnam on his right and Satyanandaswami to his left. 52.18 Leaving the bathroom by the Goshala, with attendants, 52.41 The three grand-nephews in the shot… 52.52 Bhagavan walks around a corner with two attendants, a young family, and T.N. Venkataraman, and Bhagavan’s sister Alamelu. 53.09 The film cuts to the same or similar group exiting an outdoor bamboo gate with the three grand-nephews and others. 53.39 The film crew capture another angle of the same group rounding a corner between the Goshala and the kitchen, continuing on with ashram scenes behind. 54.05 Yogi Ramaiah in the background standing watching intensely. 54.11 (Further footage taken by K. K. Nambiar in B/W) continues with T.N. Venkataraman and mostly the later attendants on the same route towards the Goshala from the kitchen area. 54.36 The start of two short scenes inside the New Hall, with low light; Bhagavan’s arm bandaged as in the previous New Hall footage. 54.52 In colour – Bhagavan walking with T.P. Ramachandra Iyer and Satyanandaswami. 55.15 In front of the New Hall, walking in the same area. 55.35 Mr S.S. Cohen joins the group. 55.39 The same group is joined by the unknown Westerner in sadhu’s clothes and a mala; no-one has yet identified him, though he must have been well-known enough at the time to join the group. 55.56 Bhagavan leaves a low stone building in the shade of a tree, followed by attendants Satyanandaswami and T.P. Ramachandra Iyer. Sundaramar joins from Ramana’s right. 56.21 The same westerner joins the walking group between the kitchen and the Mother’s shrine. 56.34 Sitting on the sofa in the new hall, Bhagavan’s diseased left arm is again covered with a cloth. Low light. 56.53 A hazy shot of Arunachala 57.01 Shot from the roof, the colourful painted vimanas over the Mother’s shrine and New Hall, details of the same. 57.40 Cow Lakshmi carved shrine with the verse on her liberation composed by Sri Ramana Maharshi.

57.46 1950 - Mahasamadhi - Indian Government Newsreel – April 15th. 57.53 An incomplete narration is dubbed over the busy Ashram entrance where devotees are arriving and departing. The completed New Hall Matrubhuteswar Temple stands in the background. 57.56 A seated group of male devotees looking on pensively. Some crowd control is in place. Swami Rajeswarananda is seated in a chair; Omandur Ramasami Reddiar is seated on the ground along with D.S. Sastri. 58.04 Ms. Benn and other devotees look upon the proceedings with stony faces. 58.07 Major Chadwick – Sadhu Arunachala and another lady, possibly Soona Dorabji both with tearful eyes. 58.09 Mrs Lucia Osborne with a paper in her hands looks sadly downwards. 58.12 Brahmins conduct the Mahasamadhi pooja, Bhagavan’s body is barely visible on the right, bedecked in flowers. 58.19 Devotees move in front of the south doorway of the New Hall, having a final darshan of their/our beloved master inside. 58.22 A close up view of the same. 58.29 Thick clouds of incense waft of a close up shot of Mr and Mrs H.C. Khanna, Swami Ramanagiri; 58.30 Crying women devotees express their overwhelming sadness with tears. Some of these same devoted and crying women were picked out by photographer CartierBresson, who was shooting stills at the same time. 58.37 Bhagavan’s body on the palanquin being carried west along the south verandah of the Mother’s Shrine, garlanded and with a whisk and umbrella, flowers are thrown towards the great sage’s body. A thick crowd has formed. (Henri Cartier-Bresson – photographing at the same spots noted in his typed notes how thick and intense the crowd was. This prevented further footage being shot on this momentous day.)

58.48 Films Restoration note, followed by Film Credits. (Note that a larger resolution 2K editable version is held with V. Karthik in Chennai, T.N.)