Poets And Pancakes: Central Theme

Poets and pancakes summary has been taken from the autobiography ‘My Years With Boss’ by Ashokamitran. It shows the time
period when he used to work in the Gemini Studio. It was a very famous film studio of that time and he got a lot of exposure
there. We came to know that he used to cut paper cuttings of different topics.

Through this lesson, we get to know about the working of the Indian film industry. He also wrote about the makeup department
and we came to know that ‘pancake’ was the makeup material used in the industry.

Character Analysis
1. Ashokamitran
He is the author of this lesson and used to work as an employee of Gemini Studio. His job was to cut newspaper clippings on
different topics and make a file on it. The other members of his staff looked down upon his work and felt superior to him always.

2. The Office Boy

He was not really a young boy, but a grown-up man of forty years old and was given the duty of crowd makeup. His job was an
easy one still he feels he was an expert and a skilled make-up artist. He blamed Subbu for his failure to become a hero or a star
actor.

3. Kothmangalam Subbu
He was considered the No.2 at the studio and came from a lower background than the office boy but being a brahmin he was
given more importance than the office boy. He always looks cheerful as a lark and was loyal towards Vasan, always being at
service for him. He was extremely creative and used his talent to his own advantage and to make his position strong in the
studio.

He was a talented poet also and sometimes performed better than the lead actors. He used to write poems in Tamil and so he
had made some enemies also in the studio. He was a brilliant poet and actor and contributed a lot to the Studio.

4. Legal advisor
He was a lawyer in the story department of Gemini Studio. He wore pants and a tie and sometimes an oversized coat unlike
everyone in the department. He possesses cold and lame logic. He destroyed the career of many actresses by his unrealistic
behavior.

5. Stephen Spender
He was an English poet, editor, and a one-time communist who gave a speech about Communism. He gave a long lecture on
communism and also explains his tough times when he wishes to establish it here. Later on, people could know about the
reason he gave. Asokamitran, later on, came to know that he was the Editor of the British Periodical, ‘Encounter’.he recognized
the connection between him and the owner of the Studio, S.S. Vasan.

Poets and Pancakes : Gist

Pancakes were used as make-up material in the studio by many famous actresses and the studio buys in a very good amount.

The author humorously told us that these pancakes turned decent-looking characters into monsters. The cameras and studio
lights require that the artist should look ugly. And in turn, all players were made to look ugly.

The department had an office boy also who was around 40 years old and believed he had so much talent. He wishes to become
a star actor, director, screenwriter, or lyrics writer. The make-up department was upstairs and looked like a saloon, so anyone
who comes there in the scorching heat and light to get themselves ready feels they were in Hell.

The department also stood for national integrity as in its initial days it was headed by a Bengali, then by a Maharashtrian,
assisted by many people all around the world.
The author’s job was looked down upon by everyone in the department as he was always seen tearing newspapers. Everyone
comes to please him and even the office boy comes to recite his poems but all goes in vain in front of Subbu.

The office boy got vexed by this and certainly, he had green eyes towards Subbu. Subbu was very close to the boss and
whenever he faced any difficulty in presenting the scene, Subbu was there with prompt ideas to present. He was good at
writing poems and could write in high order but suppressed his talent and wrote in simple Tamil.

Subbu has written novels also in which he recreated the mood of Devadasis to make them life-like always. He was also an
excellent actor and sometimes performed better than the lead actor. But he played subordinate roles only. He loved all of his
relatives who come and live with him and never give a shit to money.

Subbu was a member of the story department in the studio but always seen with the boss. Besides, there was a legal advisor
also in the studio who was known for his cold behavior and illogical facts. Once he also destroyed the career of a talented
actress.

One day an actress showed tantrums on the sets and spoke against the producer. The legal advisor cunningly recorded her voice
and played in between the shooting, she was shocked to hear her own voice and never returned on the sets.

The Gemini Studio hosted the two most influential plays and they became a huge success and later on, he came to know that
MRA was the counter-communist movement.

The writer also informed about the visit of an English poet Stephen Spender for an unknown reason grand preparations were
done for him. They all were confused about his purpose of visit and could not understand what he spoke about.

Asokamitran’s duty was not considered important by all and he was engaged in paper cutting and making files.

Everybody wanted to give some tasks to him and he also remains at beck and call.

The author soon looked at a notice in the Hindu (newspaper). A story which has been organized by a British Periodical called The
Encounter. He came to know that the editor of that journal was none other than Stephen Spender.

After that, he came to know about a book titled, The God That Failed. It contained six essays about the failed communism and
out of them one was written by Stephen Spender. The mystery was solved and the purpose too.

Conclusion

To sum up, the lesson is about the very famous Gemini Studio and talks about the various elements of each department. From
pancakes, he meant the make-up material which was used in heavy amounts by the then actresses. The lesson is an extract from
the book ‘My Years with The Boss’.

Poets And Pancakes Questions And Answers NCERT

Q1. What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make-up’?
The writer meant by this phrase, that actresses had to face a lot while using makeup products and get ready for the movies as
half a dozen light bulbs surround them all and the scorching heat of the bulbs burn them like hell.

Q2.What is the example of national integration that the author refers to?
Initially, a Bengali was given in charge of the department and later on, he left the job when given a better opportunity. Then
after that, it was supervised by a Maharashtrian, then a Christian, and then after that an Anglo-Bengali and Tamils. All of them
worked together and put an effort to promote integrity. This concept was raised by Doordarshan and All India Radio.
Q3.What work did the ‘office boy’ do in the Gemini Studios? Why did he join the studios? Why was he disappointed?
His duty was to paint faces and do makeup for the crowd. He dreamed of becoming a star actor but he remained as a
screenwriter or producer in the studio.

Q4. Why did the author appear to be doing nothing at the studios?
The author’s job was to cut and maintain clippings of the newspaper in a file. Others feel that this job was very easy and they all
gave them some extra work to do.

Poets and Pancakes Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Describe the make-up room of Gemini Studios.
Answer:
The make-up room of Gemini Studios looked more like a hair-cutting salon with incandescent lights at all angles and half a dozen
large mirrors. The lights made the room so hot that those subjected to make-up had to put up with its ‘fiery misery’.

Question 2.
How was strict hierarchy maintained in the make-up room?
Answer:
Each make-up man was allotted his task according to his designation. The chief make¬up man put make-up on the chief actors
and actresses, his senior assistant attended to the “second” hero and heroine, the junior assistant the main comedian. The
actors who played the crowd were the responsibility of the office boy.

Question 3.
Why did the office boy go to the author? Why was the author praying for crowd s*hooting?
Answer:
The author worked in a cubicle, apparently with nothing to do. The office boy, frequently barged in to enlighten him on how
Gemini Studios was allowing his great literary talent to go waste in a department fit for barbers and perverts. The author’s only
hope of reprieve was to pray that make-up for crowd shooting would call him away.

Question 4.
What advantage did the office boy think Subbu had?
Answer:
The office boy believed that Subbu’s advantage was by virtue of being born a Brahmin. This would have given him greater
exposure to a more affluent society, greater opportunities and better openings.

Question 5.
What were Subbu’s literary achievements?
Answer:
Subbu was an accomplished poet who addressed his poetry to the masses, in spite of being talented enough to write higher
forms of poetry. His works included several ‘story poems’, and a full length novel, ‘Thilana Mohanambal’.

Question 6.
Who was Subbu’s enemy? Why?
Answer:
Subbu’s success and his undisputed position as No. 2 of Gemini Studios made the office boy his enemy. He firmly believed that
Subbu was responsible for all his woes, humiliating neglect, and ignominy.

Question 7.
Subbu was charitable and generous. Why did he have enemies?
Answer:
Subbu’s closeness to the Boss and his desire to please him, made him appear to be a sychophant. His readiness to say nice
things about everyone was misconstrued as cunning. So Subbu had enemies like the office boy who wished the direct things for
him.
Question 8.
How did the legal advisor ruin an actress’ career?
Answer:
When an extremely talented but temperamental actress lost her temper and blew up the producer on the sets, the lawyer
quietly recorded the outburst. He then played back the recording. Utterly shocked and dumbfounded, this actress was unable to
deal with the shock and terror she experienced, and her career ended.

Question 9.
How did the lawyer lose his job?
Answer:
The lawyer lost his job when the story department of Gemini Studios was closed down. This was the first time in human history
that a lawyer lost his job because the poets were asked to go home.

Question 10.
What did the khadi clad poets believe about Communism?
Answer:
Though none of them had any abiding political ideology, they worshipped Gandhiji and were averse to Communism. To them, a
Communist was a man with no filial or conjugal love, could easily kill his parents and children, and was always out to spread
unrest and violence.

Question 11.
What role does the MRA play in the narrative?
Answer:
Frank Buchman’s Moral Rearmament army was a kind of counter-movement to international Communism. They presented two
plays in the Gemini Studios, with simple and homely messages, in an effort to counter the spread of communism in southern
India.

Question 12.
Why was the English poet who visited Gemini Studios as baffled as his audience?
Answer:
The poet was baffled to address an audience that was utterly dazed and silent. No one understood his accent or the content of
his speech. The audience was baffled as they had no idea why an English poet had been invited to a film studio that made Tamil
films for the simplest sort of people.

Question 13.
Why did Stephen Spender visit Gemini Studios?
Answer:
Stephen Spender was a disillusioned communist. He had been invited to talk on his journey into Communism and his
disillusioned return to the people of Gemini Studios who too were anti-communism.

Question 14.
Why does Asokamitran say that prose writing is not the true pursuit of a genius?
Answer:
Asokamitran feels that prose writing requires a lot of patience and perseverance. The prose writer’s mind should be so shrunken
that no rejection can disappoint him. Nothing breaks his resolve to keep making fresh copies of his prose writings to send to one
editor after, another.

Question 15.
The boss of Gemini Studios had nothing to do with Spender’s poetry but not with his ‘God that failed’. Explain.
Answer:
Years later, the mystery of Stephen Spender’s visit to Gemini Studios became clear to the author when he chanced upon the
book,‘The God That Failed’, and read Spender’s essay. He realised that the Boss, S.S.Vasan, had deliberately brought the English
poet to Gemini Studios to destroy all illusions about Communism among its simple inmates.

Question 16.
In what sense was Subbu loyal to the boss?
Answer:
Subbu was totally loyal to the boss. He fully identified himself with him. He put all his creativity to the benefit of his boss. He felt
inspired whenever commanded. He could suggest to the boss a number of ways to deal with a difficult scene or situation in a
film.

Question 17.
In what way was Subbu better than the office boy?
Answer:
Subbu was No. 2 at Gemini Studios. However, in reality he was in no better position than the office boy. He had to face more
difficulties. But Subbu had more affluent exposure and many abilities.

Question 18.
What was the poet’s preconceived idea about a Communist?
Answer:
The poet’s thought that a Communist was a godless person. He loved neither his children nor his wife. He was a terrorist, always
prepared to cause violence and unrest among innocent and ignorant people.

Poets and Pancakes Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Describe the make-up department of the Gemini Studios. How did it prepare the players for a movie?
Answer:
The make-up department of the Gemini Studios was located in the upstairs of Robert Clive’s stables. They bought and lavishly
used truckloads of a make-up material called Pancake. The make-up room contained large mirrors and bright lights set at
various angles. It looked like a hair-cutting salon. It was a terrible experience for an actor or actress to undergo the make-up.

The lights generated intense heat. The members of the make-up department represented different parts of India. It symbolised
national integration. Ninety-five per cent of the shooting of a film during those days was done on the sets. It demanded that
every pore of the actors’ faces should be closed. Thus, they were painted, and looked ugly. A strict hierarchy was maintained.
The chief make-up man made the hero and the heroine ugly. The office boy painted the crowd players ugly.

Question 2.
What was Moral Rearmament Army? Describe their visit to the Gemini Studios.
Answer:
Frank Buchman’s Moral Rearmament Army visited the Gemini Studios in 1952. It was a drama company. In reality, it was a
counter movement to international communism. It had two-hundred players and was called an international circus. The players
belonged to twenty different nationalities.

They presented two plays in the most professional manner. The plays represented simple homilies and the costumes and sets
were superb. Their play, ‘Jotham Valley” impressed the Tamil theatre. They imitated the sunrise and sunset scenes in their
manner for years. The scenes were played on a bare stage with a white background and a tune played on the flute.Though the
MRA was anti-communist and the anti-communist feeling existed at the Studios, the coming of the MRA had no impact on the
attitude of the bosses; their enterprises went on as usual.

Poets and Pancakes Extra Questions and Answers Extract Based

(Para-1)

A strict hierarchy was maintained in the make up department. The chief make up man made the chief actors and actresses ugly,
his senior assistant the ‘second’ hero and heroine, the junior assistant the main comedian, and so forth. The players who played
the crowd were the responsibility of the office boy. (Even the make up department of the Gemini Studios had on ‘office boy!) On
the days when there was a crowd-shooting, You could see him mixing his paint in a giant vessel and slapping it on the crowd
players.

Questions:
(a) What do you understand by ‘hierarchy’ ?
(b) Whose responsibility was to make up the crowd ?
(c) How the office boy used to prepare the make up paint?
(d) Name the chapter and the writer.
Answers :
(a) Hierarchy is a system in which members/ participants of any oragnisation/ company are ranked according to relation or their
authority.
(b) The crowd was made-up by the office boy of Gemini Studios.
(c) The office boy used to prepare the make up paint by mixing it (paint) in a giant vessel.
(d) The chapter’s name is ‘Poets and Pancakes’ by ‘Asokamitran’.

(Para-2)

An extremely talented actress, who was also extremely temperamental, once blew over on the sets. While every¬one stood
stunned, the lawyer quietly switched on the re¬cording equipment. When the actress paused for breath, the lawyer said to her,
“One minute, please,” and played back the recording. There was nothing incriminating or unmentionably foul about the
actress’s tirade against the producer. But when she heard her voice again through the sound equipment, she was struck dumb.

Questions :
(a) What happened to the actress once on the sets ?
(b) What did the lawyer said in the mid of the shot ?
(c) Was there something special about actress’s tirade ?
(d) Why was the actress struck dumb ?
Answers:
(a) Once on the sets, the actress with extremely tempera-mental blew over.
(b) In the mid of the shot, the lawyer said to the actress, “One minute, please,” and played back the recording.
(c) No, nothing was special and mentionable about the actress’s tirade.
(d) The actress struck dumb when she heard her own voice again through the sound equipment.

(Para-3)

Gemini Studios was the favourite haunt of poets like

S.D.S. Yogiar, Sangu Subramanyam, Krishna Sastry and Harindranath Chattopadhyaya. It had an excellent mess which supplied
good coffee at all times of the day and for most part of the night. Those were the days when Congress rule meant Prohibition
and meeting over a cup of coffee was rather satisfying entertainment. Barring the office boys and a couple of clerks, everybody
else at the Studios radiated leisure, a pre-requisite for poerty.

Questions :
(a) Why all four poets mentioned above gathered at Gemini Studios ?
(b) What was the use of mess at Gemini Studios ?
(c) What was the meaning of Congress rule those days ?
(d) Why leisure, a pre-requisite for poetry was ?
Answers:
(a) All four poets mentioned above gathered at Gemini Studios because it was an excellent place for discussion and they felt
relaxed gathering there.
(b) Mess at Gemini Studios supplied good coffee at all times of the day and for most part of the night.
(c) Congress rules, those days meant ‘Prohibition’.
(d) Leisure was a pre-requisite for poetry because poetry was liked by not only office boys or clerks but by everybody there.

(Para-4)

A few months later, the telephone lines of the big bosses of Madras buzzed and once again we at Gemini Studios cleared a
whole shooting stage to welcome another visitor. All they said was that he was a poet from England. The only poets from
England the simple Gemini staffknew or heared of were Word worth and Tennyson; the more literate ones knew of Keats, Shelly
and Byron; and one or two might have faintly come to know of someone by the name Eliot. Who was the poet visiting the
Gemini Studios now ?

Questions: .
(a) Why did they clear the whole shooting stage ?
(b) What did they come to know about the visitor ?
(c) Which poets were known among the more literate peoples of Gemini Studios ?
(d) Was they sure about the visitor that time ?
Answers:
(a) They cleared the whole shooting stage to welcome an another visitor at Gemini Studios.
(b) They came to know that the visitor might be a poet from England..
(c) Keats, Shelley and Byron were known among the more literatre peoples of Gemini Studios.
(d) No, they were not sure about the visitor that time.

(Para-5)

And years later, when I was out of Gemini Studios and I had much time but not much money, anything at a reduced price
attracted my attention. On the footpath in front of the Madras Mount Road Post Office, there was a pile of brand new books for
fifty paise each. Actually they were copies of the same book, an elegant paperback of American origin. ‘Special low-priced
student edition, in connection with the 50th Anniversary of the Russian Revolution’.

Questions :
(a) What attracted the writer and why ?
(b) Where did the writer find new books ?
(c) What do you understand by ‘paper back’ ?
(d) Why those books on footpath were so cheap ?
Answers:
(a) Anything at a reduced price attracted the attention of the writer because his pockets were not full of money.
(b) On the footpath in front of the Madras Mount Road Post Office, the writer found new books.
(c) Paperback is a type of book characterized by a thick paper or paperboard cover, and stick together with glue rather than
stitches or staples.
(d) Those books on footpath were so cheap because those were the books, special low-priced student edition, in connection
with the 50th Anniversary of the Russian Revolution.