Salt of the Sarkar

CREATIVE COLLABORATION IN CARDIFF

We’re thrilled to report back on a consultation meeting that took place at Firing Line Museum at Cardiff Castle.
The Salt of the Sarkar project shared their plans for 2019 and beyond with an enthusiastic group from South Wales. They represented a wide sweep of cultural organisations, venues, projects, communities, schools and those with a serious interest in the First World War, and came with an interest in discovering more about the relevance of the soldiers from Undivided India during the First World War in today’s divided world and how this might be shared in Wales.
External fundraising and sponsorship is now being sought to bring an Exhibition of Photographs to the Firing Line Museum in Spring 2019. The images were taken by pioneer press photographer Horace Grant of the Daily Mirror in 1914. They document the arrival of the Undivided Indian Army in Marseilles for service on the Western Front as told in chapter one of the novel Across the Black Waters by Mulk Raj Anand. The project will include accompanying events for schools and local communities in Cardiff and beyond, and then be available for touring.
The response to the event certainly exceeded our expectations with excellent feedback, questions and suggestions from those who attended. There was plenty of enthusiasm for reaching young people in schools, and two members of our audience are now keen to share images and family stories relating to the Indian Army as a result of attending the event.
Rachel Adams, Curator of the Firing Line Museum, stated that “The Firing Line Museum is delighted to be working in collaboration with the Salt of the Sarkar project and are excited to help uncover the stories of Indian Soldiers during the First World War. It was wonderful to host the community engagement event on 7th August and to be
surrounded by so many creative and enthusiastic individuals who want to help share these hidden histories. What resonates is that regardless of differences in political and religious beliefs, these experiences and memories are shared and history has a powerful tale to tell”.
To find out more about the project or to get involved, contact Dominic Rai at hello@saltsarkar.com