Poets and Pancakes

As a film writer who had a stellar career in Tamil films, Ashokmitran takes us on a journey to a
time when studios were the stars than actual individuals. The narration speaks of his time at
Gemini Studios of Madras under the tutelage one of the pioneers of Tamil and Indian cinema,
S.S. Vasan.
As one of the parts of a huge team, the writer discusses and describes various other individuals
that made Gemini studio as the front running film company in the country as well as South Asia.
He begins with the office boy who was responsible for painting the people in the crowds and
which he did with pride.
The makeup department he used to work in always worked with company called ‘pancake’. Then
he moves to K. Subbu who is the lieutenant for Vasan. He is a humble and family man with a
penchant for poetry. He loves sharing his words with common people. He not very educated but
has learned a lot on the job and with industry experience. 
The next person is the litigator who is known for his notoriety and tricks. He is always up to
some mischief with the actors and staff. Then he goes on to describe the writers who lack a sense
of originality and critique. They are lazy in their attitude and uninspiring in their works. 
Next, the writer describes a group of international performers called Moral Rearmament Army
who are invited to perform on the studio. However, they have an ulterior motive of triggering
anti-communist sentiment in a place where communism was a strong force.
Vasan who himself was a communist sympathizer realizes his mistake and persuades Stephen
Spender, a renowned communist poet to come and address the situation. Stephen,
although eloquent with his words, fails to connect with the listeners who do not understand his
language and diction.
The predominantly Tamil speaking audience does not even realize the stature of the poet.
Even the writer did not recognize that it was some famous English litterateur and poet. It was not
until a few years later when the writer came across Spender in one of his prose competitions, that
he realized the magnitude of the man’s work.

Kothamangelam Subbu, the number two in Gemini studio is  a story in himself. He is very
talented, a poet, novelist, actor and film maker. He is an all rounder and very loyal to boss.
Another character that comes into focus at Gemini studios is the legal advisor, who wears
western clothes among the rest of the Khadi clad gentry.
Asokamitran also tell about the manner in which the legal advisor ruins the career of a talented
actress unwittingly.
Communism also finds a place in the musings of Asokamitran. At that time of India the educated
folk took pride in showing their support for Communism and Gemini Studios was no exception.
In the same stride he also mentions the anti-communism movement run by the West. In this
context he mentions the play troupe of the poet/editor who visited the studio. Later on he
discovers that the poet was in fact the editor of the then famous magazine 'The Encounter'
Pancake
· Pancake was the brand name of a make-up material. The Gemini studios bought a lot of it.
· Make-up men used it to turn decent looking players into hideous looking monsters.
· Infact, it was because most of the shooting of a film was done on the sets.
· The set and studio lights required that every pore of the players’ faces was closed.
· A strict hierarchy was maintained in the make-up department to make the players look ugly.
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Ø The chief make-up man made the hero and heroine ugly
Ø His senior assistant made the ‘second’ hero and heroine ugly
Ø It went on-in like manner
Ø It was the office boy’s job to make the crowd players ugly.
The Office Boy
· The make-up department had an office boy. He was not a boy but a 40 year old man
· He had joined the studios years ago
· He believed that he had a great talent and hoped to become a star actor, director, screen writer
or lyric writer.
· But he was frustrated à He blamed his disgrace on Kothaman.
· Galam Subbu àwho was considered No. 2 at the Gemini Studios.
The Make-up room
· The make-up department was in the upstairs of a building that was said to have been Robert
Clive’s stables.
· The make-up room looked like a hair-cutting salon because it had large mirrors and lights.
· The lights gave out intense heat àThe person who underwent make-up had a miserable
experience of being scorched as if in hell.
Author appears to be idle:
· The nature of the author’s job appeared to be insignificant.
· He was usually seen tearing newspapers
· Everybody would walk into his cubicle and want to give him some work to do.
· The office boy would come in to recite his poems. He wished to impress the author by his talent
and how it was going to waste on account of Subbu.
Kothamangalam Subbu”
· The office boy was frustrated . Probably he was jealous of Subbu’s nature.
· Subbu was very close to the boss. He had no better qualification than the boy.
· But he had worked hard to reach this position.
· Subbu had a more affluent exposure because he eas a Brahmin. He would remain cheerful in
spite of failures.
· He had talents which he used for the advantage of his Boss.
· Whenever the Boss had any difficulty in presenting a scene in a film, Subbu would suggest a
number of practical ideas.
· Subbu was a good poet too. He could write poems of a high order.
· But he deliberately suppressed his talent to write for the masses.
· He was a novelist too. He had written a novel in which he recreated the moods and manner of
the Devdas’s of early 20 century
· He had created life-like characters too.
· Subbu was an excellent actor. But he never aspired for lead roles.
· But whatever minor roles he played, he acted better than the main players.
· Subbu loved all. Several friends and relatives stayed with him for long periods.
Ø He never gave a thought to the money he spent to support
· But the office boy hated him à Perphaps Subbu appeared to be a sycophant.
Story Department:
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· Though Subbu was always seen with the Boss, he was a member of the story department.
· Besides writers and poets in the story department there was a lawyer too.
Ø Officially he was known as a legal advisor, but people called him by an opposite name.
· Once the legal advisor unwittingly ruined the career of a  of a talented actress.
Incident relating to an actress:
· An actress, who was not seasoned in worldly wisdom, lost her temper on the sets. She spoke
angrily against the producer.
· The legal advisor switched on the recording equipment, when she paused, he played back the
record.
· The action was dumbfounded to hear her own voice. Though she had not said anything
offensive, she never appeared on the stage again.
Anti-communism perception:
· The legal advisor wore trousers, shirt and tie. Sometimes he wore a coat too.
· He appeared odd among the khadi clad poets and writers.
· The poets and worshipped Gandhiji though they had no affiliation to his ideas.
· But they were averse to communism.
· They had a notion that communist loved nobody. He was an anarchic.
Arrival of MRA
· The feelings against communism were widespread in South India
· The Moral Re-Armament Army was a sort of anti-communism movement. It visited Gemini
Studios in 1952.
· They were about 200 people belonging to atleast 20 nationalities.
· They presented two plays ‘Jotham Valley’ and the ‘Forgotten Factor’ in a most professional
manner.
· The Gemini family of six hundred and the citizens of Madras were greatly impressed by their
plays.
· Their message was simple but the sets and costumes were excellent.
· For many years the Tamil drama imitated àThe sunrise and sunset scenes presented by the
MRA.
· The scenes were presented on a base stage with white background and a tune played on the
flute.
· But the MRA did not influence the outlook of the Gemini Bosses.
· The staff had enjoyed hosing the MRA
Visit to an Englishman:
· A few months later Gemini Studios received another guest.
· It was an Englishman. Nobody knew who he was.
· Some said he was a poet. Some believed he was an editor because the topmen of The Hindi
were taking the initiative.
· But he was not the editor of any of the newspaper the staff of Gemini Studios had heard of .
· The Englishman was welcomed by the Boss, Mr. Vason.
· He read out a long speech talking of freedom and democracy.
· Then the Englishman spoke àwho could not be expected to have any interest in English poetry.
· The visit of the Englishman remained a mystery.
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Mystery solved
· The author saw a noticed in the Hindu.
· The Encounter, a British periodical, was organizing a short story contest. The author had never
heard the name of the periodical.
· He wanted to send on entry à but wanted to have information before.
· He visited the British Council library. These he found copies of the Encounter.
· He leaned that its editor was Stephen Spender àwho visited the Gemini Studios.
· After a few years – The author retired
· One day he saw a pile of low priced paperback editions of ‘The God that Failed’, He bought a
copy.
· It contained six different essays by six different writers.
· They described the writers ‘Journeys into communism and the disillusioned return.
· One of the writers was Stephen Spender
· The whole mystery of Spender’s visit was cleared.
· Mr. Vasex was not interested in his poetry but in his views on Communism.
2. What is the example of national integration that the author refers to?
3. What work did the 'office boy' do in the Gemini Studios? Why did he join the studios?
Why was he disappointed?

NCERT Solutions for Class 12th: Ch 6 Poets

and Pancakes English
NCERT Solutions for Class 12th: Ch 6 Poets and Pancakes Flamingo English
By Asokamitran
Page No: 57
1. Notice these words and expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.
blew over: give a long, angry speech of criticism or accusation
was struck dumb: render speechless, as by surprise or shock
catapulted into: to shoot forth or launch
a coat of mail: an armoured coat made of chain mail, interlinked rings, or overlapping metal
plates
played into their hands: to act or behave so as to give an advantage to (an opponent).
the favourite haunt: a frequently visited place
heard a bell ringing: stirring an often indistinct memory
Page No: 59
Think As you Read
1. What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make-up’?
Answer
The heat produced by the lights in the make-up room brought about a lot of discomfort to the
actors in the make-up room. Hence the writer refers to this pain and trouble as ‘fiery misery’.
2. What is the example of national integration that the author refers to?
Answer

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The make-up division of the Gemini Studios was an example of national integration. According
to the author, this is so because people from different regions and religious groups worked
together in the same department. The department was headed by a Bengali who was succeeded
by a Maharashtrian. The other helpers included a Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras
Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and the local Tamils.
3. What work did the ‘office boy’ do in the Gemini Studios? Why did he join the studios?
Why was he disappointed?
Answer
The office boy applies make-up on the players who played the crowd. On the days of crowd
shooting, he would mix his paint in a big vessel and apply it quickly and noisily on the faces of
the players. He had joined the studios with the hope of becoming a star actor or a screen writer,
director or lyrics writer. He was disappointed because he failed and remained only a ‘boy’.
4. Why did the author appear to be doing nothing at the studios?
Answer
The author's duty was to cut out newspaper clippings on a wide variety of subjects and store
them in files. Many of these had to be written out in hand. The onlookers noticed him merely
tearing up newspapers. Hence to them he seemed to be doing next to nothing.
Page No: 61
1. Why was the office boy frustrated? Who did he show his anger on?
Answer
The office boy was frustrated because despite getting a good opening, he remained only an office
boy. He had had a good formal education and would write poetry also. But his great literary
talent was being allowed to go waste. He showed his anger on Kothamangalam Subbu, the No. 2
at Gemini Studios.
2. Who was Subbu’s principal?
Answer

Mr. S.S Vasan, the founder of the Gemini Studios, was Subbu’s principal.
3. Subbu is described as a many-sided genius. List four of his special abilities.
Answer
Four Special abilities of Subbu:
i) Subbu had the ability to look cheerful at all times.
(ii) His sense of loyalty made him turn his entire creativity to his principal's advantage: Film-
making was quite easy with Subbu around
(iii) He was literary inclined too-a poet and novelist. He was an amazing actor.
(iv) He had a charitable and loving nature.
4. Why was the legal adviser referred to as the opposite by others?
Answer
The lawyer was in the Story Department. He was officially known as the legal adviser. However,
his actions did nobody any good. He had unwittingly brought to an end the career of a promising
young actress. Hence he was referred to as the opposite by others.

5. What made the lawyer stand out from the others at Gemini Studios?
Answer
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The lawyer’s dress that he wore made him stand out from the others. He wore a pant, a tie and
sometimes a coat also. Others put on a khadi dhoti with a slightly oversized and clumsily tailored
white khadi shirt, which looked like everyone’s uniform.
Page No: 64
1. Did the people at Gemini Studios have any particular political affiliations?
Answer
Most of the people at Gemini Studios were followers of Gandhiji and wore khadi. Beyond khadi
and wearing of khadi they did not have any particular political affiliations. However, they were
all against communism.
2. Why was the Moral Rearmament Army welcomed at the Studios?
Answer
The Moral Rearmament Army was a kind of counter movement to international communism.
The Big Bosses of Madras like Mr. Vasan simply played into their hands. So the Moral
Rearmament Army was welcomed at the Gemini Studios.
3. Name one example to show that Gemini Studios was influenced by the plays staged by MRA.
Answer
The plays staged by the MRA greatly influenced Madras and Tamil drama community. For some
years almost all Tamil plays had a scene of sunrise and sunset in the manner of ‘Jotham Valley’
with a bare stage, a white background curtain and a tune played on the flute.
4. Who was the Boss of Gemini Studios?
Answer
Mr. S.S Vasan was the Boss of Gemini Studios.
5. What caused the lack of communication between the Englishman and the people at Gemini
Studios?
Answer
Most of the 600 odd people at Gemini Studios were Tamil speakers. The Englishman was
addressing them in his own language-English. He had a peculiar accent. Hence, there was a lack
of communication between the Englishman and the people at who could not follow what he was
saying.
6. Why is the Englishman’s visit referred to as unexplained mystery?
Answer
The Englishman’s visit to the Gemini Studios is referred to as an unexplained mystery because
no one could decipher his identity, whether he was a poet or an editor. Besides, when he spoke
no one at the studio understood what he intended to say as his accent was beyond their
comprehension.
Page No: 65
1. Who was the English visitor to the studios?
Answer
The English visitor to the Gemini Studios was Stephen Spender. He was the editor of The
Encounter, a British Periodical, and a famous English poet, essayist and novelist of the twentieth
century.
2. How did the author discover who the English visitor to the studios was?
Answer

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Before investing money in participating in a short story contest organised by an English
periodical The Encounter, the author did a research on the magazine. He went to the British
Council Library where, while going through an issue of that periodical, he discovered that its
editor was Stephen Spender, the poet that had once visited the studio.
3. What does ‘The God that Failed’ refer to?
Answer
'The God That Failed' was a compilation of six essays written by six eminent writers, namely,
Andre Gide, Richard Wright, Ignazio Silone, Arthur Koestler, Louis Fischer and Stephen
Spender. In each of the essays, the respective writers described “their journeys into Communism
and their disillusioned return”.
Page No: 66
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.
Answer
The instances of humour, used by the author, mark the eccentricities and idiosyncrasies without
making any direct and rude comment on anybody. For instance, the author portrays the make-up
artists and the usage of the pancakes in an interesting way. Even the caricature of Subbu is
hilarious. The way he tries to help his principal by offering quick solutions to his problems is
quite amusing. The episode of the legal adviser that inadvertently causes the end of an actress’s
career is yet another example. The frustration of the office boy, the superficial praising of
Gandhi, hatred of Communism and the ‘mystery’ surrounding Stephen Spender are some of the
instances where the author has incorporated gentle humour.
2. Why was Kothamangalam Subbu considered No. 2 in Gemini Studios?
Answer
Kothamangalam Subbu succeeded in securing the place closest to The Boss by means of flattery.
He was not brilliant but a rather cheerful person and exceedingly loyal to The Boss. He offered
solutions whenever The Boss was in a fix. Thus, the other employees considered him No.2 in
Gemini Studios.
3. How does the author describe the incongruity of an English poet addressing the audience at
Gemini Studios?
Answer
The English poet was addressing the Tamil audience at Gemini Studios in English with a typical
provincial accent. He was talking about the thrills and travails of an English poet to a dazed and
silent audience. This was the incongruity because his audience could not understand him at all.
4. What do you understand about the author’s literary inclinations from the account?
Answer
The writer was a prose-writer. He wanted to send a short story for the short story contest
organised by a British periodical by the name 'The Encounter'.
Talking about the Text
Discuss in small groups taking off from points in the text.

1.Film-production today has come a long way from the early days of the Gemini Studios.
2. Poetry and films.
3. Humour and criticism.

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Answer
1. Film production is more technical nowadays. While earlier only five per cent of the shooting
was done outdoors, nowadays outdoor shooting is no more limited to such a negligible
percentage. The cameras and other equipments are more advanced allowing for more varied and
accurate presentation.
The quality of make-up has improved many folds from the days of the Gemini Studios where
only pancake was used. The people involved in various departments are experts in their
specialised work, be it the director, producer, scriptwriter, lyricist or the actors. The overall
quality of the films is more striking and lively.
2. In India poetry and films are intricately linked. The people at Gemini Studios, all claimed to
have the talents of a poet. The main reason behind it was their monotonous and leisurely life at
the studios. However, these people were not knowledgeable or educated enough to be poets.
Unlike poetry, films can be enjoyed by people with little resources who cannot afford to cultivate
taste for poetry and literature.
3. The story is interspersed with instances dipped in subtle humour. The humorous instances,
however, make interesting and relevant comments on the behaviour of general people. A
humorous story has more readers, a humorous film more viewers. This is because they provide
entertainment and a respite from the tedious existence. Criticism by means of humour is more
effective, hence writers and film-makers often use humorous elements in their works and make
sarcastic comments and criticism.