PUSHPALATA VIDYA MANDIR

CLASS XII – ENGLISH – FLAMINGO 6. POETS AND PANCAKES - NOTES

Answer briefly:
1. How does the writer describe the make-up room of the Gemini Studios?
The make-up room of the Gemini Studios had incandescent lights. It also had
lights at all angles around large mirrors. Those subjected to make-up had to face
bright light and a lot of heat there. It was on the upper floor of the building that
was believed to have been Robert Clive’s stables.

2. What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make-up?
The writer means that those subjected to make-up, face the misery caused by
the incandescent lights that poured out intense heat. The make-up room of the
Gemini Studios had bright bulbs in the room full of large mirrors that reflected
the glowing lights. Make-up was done under such blazing heat.

3. What work did the ‘office boy’ do in the Gemini Studios? Why did he join the
studios? Why was he disappointed?
The office boy applied make-up to the crowds, mixing his paint in a giant vessel
and slapping it on the crowd players. He had joined the studios in the hope of
becoming a star actor or a top screen writer, director or lyrics writer. He was a
bit of a poet. He was disappointed as he was placed low even in the hierarchy of
make-up men.

4. Who was Subbu’s principal?

S.S. Vasan, the founder of Gemini Studios, was the boss and Subbu’s Principal in
the studios. Subbu had a great loyalty to him. This made him identify himself
with his principal completely. He turned his entire creativity to his principal’s
advantage.

5. Bring out the humour in the job of the make-up men.

The make-up men came from all corners of the country and could transform any
decent-looking person into a repulsive crimson coloured fiend and made people
look uglier than they were in real life. They used truckloads of pancakes and
locally manufactured potions and lotions to transform the looks of the actors.

6. How was the make-up room a fine example of national integration?

Transcending all the barriers of regions, religions and castes, people from all over
India came to Gemini Studios for jobs. The make-up department was headed by
a Bengali, succeeded by a Maharashtrian, assisted by a Dharwar Kannadiga, an
Andhra, a Madrasi, Christian and an Anglo Burmese and the usual local Tamils.
Hence, the writer finds in the make-up department a perfect example of national
integration.

7. Subbu is described as a many-sided genius. List four of his special abilities.

Subbu was a many-sided genius. He was born a Brahmin. It is a virtue in itself
as it exposed him to more affluent situations and people. Second, he had the
ability to look cheerful at all times. Third, he always had work for somebody.
Fourth, he had great loyalty to his principal, S.S. Vasan, the Boss.

8. Why was the legal adviser referred to as the opposite by others?

The lawyer was the only one at the studios who wore pants, tie and sometimes
a coat, unlike others who wore khadi dhoti and shirt. His job was to give support
and advise on problems, but in fact he created problems. He brought the career
of a brilliant actress to an end by terrorising her. He was rightly called an illegal
adviser.

9. What made the lawyer stand out from the others at Gemini Studios?
The lawyer wore pants, a tie and sometimes a coat, while all wore khadi dhoti
and white khadi shirt. He looked alone and helpless. He was a man of cold logic
in a crowd of dreamers. He was a neutral man among Gandhiites and Khadiites.

10. Did the people at Gemini Studios have any particular political affiliations?
The people at Gemini Studios wore Khadi and worshipped Gandhi, but beyond that
they had no particular political interests or understanding. They only had
opinions on communism, which they loathed and looked down on communists.
They considered communists as heartless atheists who are devoid of emotions.
They went about letting loose anarchy in the society.

11. Why did the author appear to do nothing in the studio?

The author’s job in the studio was to cut newspaper clippings of all the relevant
news items and articles that appeared in different newspapers and maintain a
record of the same. This tearing of newspaper gave an impression that he was
free and simply whiling away his time. People used to barge into his cubicle and
lectured to him.

12. Why was the office boy frustrated? Who did he show his anger on and how?
The office boy had joined the studio years back. He aspired to be a top film star,
or top screen writer, lyricist or director. He felt frustrated on not being able to
realise his dreams and had been given a job much below his calibre and dignity.
He blamed Kothamangalam Subbu, the No. 2 in the studios, whom he held
responsible for his dishonour, his woes, ignominy and neglect. He often gave vent
to his frustrations in the narrator’s cubicle. The narrator yearned for relief from
the never-ending babble of the office boy.

13. Why was the Moral Re-Armament Army welcomed at Gemini Studios?
The Moral Re-Armament Army was invited to stage two plays, which were more
like plain ‘homilies’ (sermons/lectures) for the Gemini family. It was discovered
only later that the group was part of the movement countering international
communism and Vasan had invited them under the influence of his political
interests.

14. Subbu is described as a many-sided genius. Justify.

Kothamangalam Subbu may not have had much formal education but, by virtue
of his being born as a Brahmin, he had had exposure to many affluent situations
and people. He had the ability to look cheerful at all times, even after a setback.
He was always full of creative ideas. Above all, he was an extravagant and
charitable man and hospitable to his relations. His loyalty had put him close to
his boss. But he seemed to others a sycophant and a flatterer and, probably, that
was the reason he had enemies.
15. How did the lawyer unwittingly bring an end to a brief and brilliant career of a
young actress?
A talented but very temperamental actress lost her cool on the sets. The lawyer
recorded her outburst and played it back, much to her embarrassment. The
actress from the countryside was so terror-struck that she retreated and never
got back to films. In this way, his mischief making brought an abrupt end to the
brilliant actress’ career.

16. Name one example to show that Gemini Studios was influenced by the plays
staged by MRA?
MRA staged two plays ‘Jotham Valley’ and ‘The Forgotten Factor’. Their high-
quality costumes and well-made sets earned a lot of admiration. Their sunrise
and sunset scene impressed them so much that all Tamil plays started
reproducing the scene with a bare stage, a white background curtain and a tune
playing on the flute.

17. Why did the magazine, ‘The Encounter’, ring a bell in the writer’s mind?
The writer wanted to participate in a short story writing contest organised by
‘The Encounter’, a British publication. Before sending his entry, he wanted to
confirm the authenticity of the periodical. So, he visited the British Council
Library. When the author read the editor’s name, a bell rang in his mind. It was
Stephen Spender, the poet who had visited the Gemini Studios.

18. What was significant about the book which the author took from the roadside?
‘The God That failed’ was the name of the book which caught the attention of
the author. It contained the essays of six eminent men, who described their
journey into communism and their return from it after being disillusioned. It
suddenly assumed great significance for the author as he discovered that one of
the essays had been written by Stephen Spender, the poet, who had visited the
Gemini Studio. He now understood the reason for his having been invited.

19. Who was the Boss of the Gemini Studios?

Mr. S. S. Vasan, the founder of the Gemini Studios was the Boss. Apart from
producing films, he was an editor of a popular Tamil weekly ‘Ananda Vikatan’. He
was a great admirer of scholarly people. Subbu seemed to enjoy an intimate
relationship with him. Mr. Vasan is projected as a bit of showman here.

20. What caused the lack of communication between the Englishman and the people
at Gemini Studios?
The Englishman’s speech was peppered with words like ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’
and the Gemini family had no political interests, so they were dazed and a silent
audience. Also, the Englishman’s accent was difficult to understand, because of
which all communication had failed. He was basically a poet and that made no
sense to the people whose life centered around a film studio.

21. Why did the magazine, ‘The Encounter’, ring a bell in the writer’s mind?
The writer wanted to participate in a short story writing contest organised by
‘The Encounter’, a British publication. Before sending his entry, he wanted to
confirm the authenticity of the periodical. So, he visited the British Council
Library. When the author read the editor’s name, a bell rang in his mind. It was
Stephen Spender, the poet who had visited the Gemini Studios.
22. What was significant about the book which the author took from the roadside?
‘The God That failed’ was the name of the book which caught the attention of
the author. It contained the essays of six eminent men, who described their
journey into communism and their return from it after being disillusioned. It
suddenly assumed great significance for the author as he discovered that one of
the essays had been written by Stephen Spender, the poet, who had visited the
Gemini Studio. He now understood the reason for his having been invited.

23. Why was the Englishman’s visit referred to as unexplained mystery?

The Englishman was a poet whose name was not familiar. In his speech he talked
about the thrills and travails of an English poet, which made no sense for the
simple people at Gemini Studios who had had no exposure other than films and
so they were not interested. These simple people had neither taste for English
poetry nor political interests. Hence, his visit is referred to as an unexplained
mystery.

24. What do you understand about the author’s literary inclinations from the
account?
The author was very knowledgeable young man whose job required him to pour
over the newspaper all day long. His interest in creative writing and participating
in story writing contests indicates his interest in literature. This interest was so
keen that he read books on varied subjects and went about buying them even
when he was short of money.

25. What kind of people, according to the author, are meant for prose writing?
According to the author, prose writing is not the pursuit of a genius. It is for the
patient, persistent and persevering drudge whose heart can take rejections and
whose spirit to keep trying does not get killed as easily.

26. Why was Gemini Studios a favourite haunt of the poets?

Gemini Studios was a favourite haunt of the poets as it had an excellent mess
which supplied good coffee at all times of the day and for most part of the night.
Meeting there was a satisfying entertainment. Moreover, Mr. Vasan was a great
admirer of scholarly people.

27. Who was the English visitor to the studios? How did the author discover who the
English visitor to the studio was?
The English visitor to the studios was poet Stephen Spender, editor of British
periodical ‘The Encounter’. The author discovered his identity by reading his name
on the pages of ‘The Encounter’ in the British Council Library. He also knew about
him from the paperback edition of the book ‘The God That Failed’.

28. ‘Prose writing is not and cannot be the true pursuit of a genius’, says the author.
Explain the statement.
In this statement, the author says that prose writing can’t be the true pursuit of
a genius because it is always rejected. A genius is not that is accepted
everywhere. The author states all this with criticism that prose writing is
actually meant for rejection. Prose writers are patient, persistent and
persevering drudges. They can’t be down played by rejection slips. Every time he
gets a rejection slip for his manuscript, he starts making a fresh copy and sends
it to another publisher with return postage.
29. ‘Suddenly the book assumed tremendous significance.’ Explain the statement.
The author bought one copy of the book ‘The God That Failed’ from the footpath.
Six eminent men of letters in six separate essays describe their journey into
communism and their disillusioned return. Among them one was Stephen
Spender. The author at once recollected that Stephen Spender had visited Gemini
Studios. He knew about the mystery of his visit now. So, the book assumed
tremendous significance for him.

30. Explain the appropriateness of the title ‘Poets and Pancakes’.

The chapter describes the Gemini Studios and its functioning very clearly. Its
employees are little unrecognised poets. Though they work in a film studio, the
focus is on the author’s station in the Studios as a make-up boy using pancakes
on crowd players, and how he failed as a poet. So, the title is appropriate.

31. How humorously does the author describe Frank Buchman’s Moral Re-Armament
Army?
The author humorously calls the Moral Re-Armament Army after someone as ‘an
international circus’. Then he states that they were not very good on the trapeze.
Their acquaintance with animals should have been much as animals play tricks
in a circus. “But the group ate animals”, says the author “their acquaintance
with animals was only at the dining table.”

32. What was thought about a communist by the people in the studio?
Most of the people in the studio worshipped Gandhiji and had no affiliation for
any political party whatsoever. According to them, a communist was a godless
man. He had no filial or conjugal love. He had no regret about killing his own
parents and children. He was always out to cause and spread unrest and violence
among the innocent and ignorant people.

33. What does ‘The God That Failed’ refer to?

‘The God That Failed’ refers to a book that was a compilation of six essays by six
eminent men. It was a low-priced student edition released to commemorate the
50th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. The author’s disillusionment with
communism is dealt with.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

1. The author has used gentle humour to point out human foibles. Pick out instances
of this to show how this serves to make the piece interesting?
‘Poets and Pancakes’ has an underlying tone of humour which is satirical and has
been used by the author to point out human weaknesses. It is mainly manifested
in his description of the make-up room people. The make-up room, he says, was
in a building that had once been the stables of Robert Clive. He further makes
fun of the make-up team that slapped make-up. Ironically, the make-up turned
any normal man into a hideous monster, far from being presentable. He also
refers to the fiery misery of the actors when their make-up was done under the
bright bulbs, large mirrors reflecting blazing heat. His description of Subbu’s No.
2 position in Gemini Studios, the frustration of the office boy and the opposite
role played by the legal adviser in the acting career of a countryside girl are
humorously dealt with but effectively bring out the flaws in the set-up. The
showmanship of the boss and what influences his guest-list point out human
weaknesses in a light-hearted manner. The humour is at its peak in the
description of the visit of Stephen Spender. S. S. Vasan’s reading a long speech in
his honour but he too knew precious little about him. Spender’s accent is highly
unintelligible. Then the author’s establishing long lost brother’s relationship with
the English visitor is also funny and humorous. All these slight digs at human
foibles tickle in us humour.

2. Why was Kothamangalam Subbu considered No. 2 in Gemini Studios?

Kothamangalam Subbu was on the attendance roll with the story department
and was No. 2 at Gemini Studios not by virtue of any merit, but because he was
a Brahmin with affluent exposure. He was cheerful and had a sense of loyalty
that placed him close to the Boss. He was quick to delegate work to others. As
if tailor-made for films, sparks of his creativity showed in his suggestions on how
to create shots. He composed poetry, scripted a story and a novel. He gave
direction and definition to Gemini Studios during its golden years. He performed
in a subsidiary role better than the main players. He had a genuine love for his
relatives and near and dear ones. His extravagant hospitality was popular among
his relatives and acquaintances, probably that is why he had enemies.

3. How does the author describe the incongruity of an English poet addressing the
audience at Gemini Studios?
The Gemini Studios witnessed a surprising visit by a tall Englishman who was
proclaimed to be a poet. The welcome speech by the Boss was delivered in the
most general terms, which only showed that even the Boss did not know much
about him. The poet talked about the thrill and travails of an English poet which
made no sense to the simple people at Gemini Studios. They had no exposure
other than films and so, they were not interested. Also, words like democracy
and freedom that featured in his speech held no interest for them as they had no
political thought or interests. Moreover, the Englishman’s accent was difficult
to understand, because of which all communications failed. He was basically a
poet and that made no sense to the people whose life centred round a film studio.
Therefore, his visit remained an unexplained mystery for much time.

4. What do you understand about the author’s literary inclinations from the account?
The author, Asokamitran, was entrusted with the job of maintaining the
newspaper clippings of movies and other articles. Though to others, who just saw
him tearing papers, he appeared to be doing nothing, the job kept the author well
informed. Also, there prevailed an intellectual environment to some extent
because the poets and script writers used to hang out there in the mess that
served coffee any time of the day. The author would pick up fifty paisa copies of
journals from the footpath and took part in the poetry writing competition. He
actually read essays ‘The God Who Failed’ to know more about the poet Stephen
Spender. All these are evidence that he had some literary taste.

*****

CHECKED & APPROVED BY

MS. BLISS BERNARD