Poets and Pancakes – Asokamitran

Gemini Studios
Gemini Studios was one of India’s pioneer movie factories. Situated in the present day Chennai,
owned by S.S Vaasan and worked by over 600 staff, the GS made movies for Tamilnadu and
other southern Indian states. Pancake[TM] was the makeup material used by the GS.
INTRODUCTION
For nearly thirty years from 1940, the Gemini Studios of Madras (Chennai) was the most
influential film-producing organization of India and its founder, the brilliant multi-faceted
entrepreneur S.S. Vasan lent substance and quality to the rather fragile and unpredictable movie
business. The Gemini emblem of two small boys with bugles was true to Vasan’s slogan for the
Studios, ‘when the bugles blow, there is a great show,’ Gemini films entertained millions all over
India and abroad.
Sahitya Akademi award-winning Tamil writer Asokamitran worked for the Gemini Studios from
1952 to 1966. A full twenty years after he ‘renounced’ films, poet-editor Pritish Nandy
persuaded Asokamitran to record his reminiscences and the result was a series of articles making
up My Years with Boss. The book covers only five of his fourteen years with the Studios but
captures that phase of Indian movie business when the key factors of the box office were
imperceptibly shifting from the studios to the stars.
My Years with Boss is one of the most unusual books to be written about the entertainment
world and clearly indicates the enormous impact of the movies on virtually every aspect of life in
India.
The author’s ability to capture the life and breathe of people and events, and his puckish
narrative make this a brief but special book of film history.”
Key Points
• The Make-up Department
– The make-up room was like hair cutting salon with bright lights and mirrors
– headed by a Bengali first, later by Maharashtrian, helped by an Andhdraite, a Madras Christian
and Anglo-Burmese and a local Tamil
– Example of national integration
– Hierarchy was followed
– Chief actors and actresses
– Assistant the second hero
– The office day of the crowd
• The Office Boy
– was in early forties
– did make up of the crowd
– Joined to become an actor, or a screenwriter, director or lyric writer, was a bit poet.
– Hopes shattered, seemed frustrated
• Inside the Gemini Studios
– Duty of the writer to cut out newspaper clipping
– everyone thought him as free
– office boy expressed his anger against Subbu, the No. 2 at the studios.
• Subbu
– Kothamangalam Subbu – No. 2 at Gemini Studios
– always accompanied the boss
– was in story department
– story department had lawyer, writers and poets
– was cheerful and loyal
– habit of being nice
– was charitable
– could suggest many ways of filming a scene
– was a poet, an amazing actor
– had many enemies, office boy being the main.
• The Lawyer
– was in story department
– was not very popular
– recorded outbursts of an actress and played the recording
– she left acting after this
– he dressed in pant, coat and tie differently than others
– story deptt was closed and he lost the job
• Gemini Studios – The Favourite Meeting Place of Poets
– Mr. Vasan the boss, was editor of Tamil weekly – Ananda Vikatan
– Main prominent poets visited studio
– They wore khadi, were against communism 1952 Frank Buchman’s moral Re-Armament
army visited studio
– Tamil plays copied their sets for years
– Hosting two hundred people of twenty nationalities was great change
• Visit of the English Poet
– A tall Englishman, a poet visited the studios
– The boss welcome the poet
– The poet had English accent, he spoke without being understood
– Years after retirement, Asokamitran saw a pile of books, with a book titled the God that
failed.
– It was collection of essays by six eminent writers
– The name of the editor was Stephen Spender
– The same poet who had visited the studio
– It cleared the mystery of Spender’s visit to the studios

Q.1.What does the writer mean by the fiery misery of those subjected to make-up?
The ‘fiery misery’ of those in the makeup room suggests the discomfort caused by incandescent
lights fitted at all angles. All of them when lit emitted so much heat and light that it was torturous
for those who were subjected to make up.
Q.2.What is the example of national integration that the author refers to in the Gemini
Studios?
Ans: In the studio the people from different regions and religions working together presented a
glimpse of national integration. The make-up department was first headed by a Bengali. He was
succeeded by a Maharashtrian. He was assisted by a Kannadiga from Dharwar and Andhra,
Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and usual local Tamils. All this shows that there
was a great deal of national integration in the makeup room of the Gemini Studios
Q3. What work did the ‘Office Boy’ do in the Gemini Studio?
ANS.It was the duty of the ‘office boy’ to do the make up of the crowd players at Gemini studio.
He mixed his paint in a big container and slapped it on the crowd players.
Q4 Why was the office boy frustrated?
Ans. The office boy had joined Gemini Studios in the hope of becoming a star actor, a top
screenwriter, a director or a lyricist. He was frustrated as his dreams remained unfulfilled as he
remained merely an office boy.
Q5 Why did the author appear to be doing nothing at Gemini Studios?
Ans. The author appeared to be doing nothing as his job was to gather relevant newspaper
clippings. Throughout the day he could be seen tearing up newspapers sitting at his desk. This
made others feel that he had very little to do.
Q6 Why was the legal adviser referred to as the opposite by others?
The legal advisor recorded the tirade of a temperamental actress bringing her career to an end.
That’s why he was referred to as the opposite by others.
Q7 What made the lawyer stand out from the others at Gemini Studios?
(While every other member of the Department wore a kind of uniform — khadi dhoti
with a slightly oversized and clumsily tailored white khadi shirt — the legal adviser wore
pants and a tie and sometimes a coat that looked like a coat of mail. Often he looked alone and
helpless — a man of cold logic in a crowd of dreamers — a neutral man in an assembly of
Gandhiites
and khadiites.)
Q8. Did the people at Gemini Studios have any particular political affiliations?
Most of the people at Gemini Studios were followers of Gandhiji and wore khadi. Beyond that
they did not have any particular political affiliations. However, they were all against
communism.
Q9. What caused the lack of communication between the Englishman and the people at
Gemini Studio?
ANS.The people at Gemini Studios could not understand what the Englishman was saying. His
accent was also different. It was very strange thing that an English poet was addressing the
audience who were making Tamil films. This caused a lack of communication between the
Englishman and the people at Gemini Studios.
Q10 Why is the Englishman’s visit referred to as unexplained mystery?
None of the employees of the studio knew the identity of the visitor and his purpose of visiting
the studio.Even the speech of the poet was beyond comprehension. They did not know what an
English poet was doing in a film studio which made Tamil films for simplest sort of people who
had no taste for English poetry.
Q11How did the author discover who the English poet was?
Ans. The author wanted to participate in a short story contest organized by a British periodical
named ‘The Encounter’. Being unfamiliar with the periodical he went to the British Council
Library to find out about the same and discovered that the editor was none other than Stephen
Spender
Q12..What does ‘The God That Failed’ refer to?
A. ‘The God That Failed’ is a book of six essays by six eminent men of letters that describe their
journey to communism and disillusioned return. Stephen Spender was one of the authors.

Q13. Why was Kothamangalam Subbu considered No. 2 in Gemini Studios?

.Kothamangalam Subbu was considered as No. 2 in Gemini Studio because he was next in a
position to the Boss. Apart from the fact that he was a Brahmin ,which was considered a head
start by many ,he was a many sided genius. He had a creative mind as he could provide various
alternatives as how a scene could be emoted. He was tailor made for films and had a separate
identity as a poet. He was also an amazing actor. His sense of loyalty made him identify with the
principal. For all these virtues he stood apart from others and enjoyed a higher rank.

EXTRA QUESTIONS (SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS)

Q1 Through the mention of Robert Clive, how does the narrator bring out the extravaganza of
those in power?
Ans: 1. The make up department of Gemini studio was in a building that was believed to have
been Rober Clive’s stable. So the place which was worth to become a studio had been misused
by the Britishers. Extravaganza of the Britishers has also been brought out when the author
mentions that Robert Clive used to own several buildings
Q2. Describe the make-up room of the Gemini Studios as described by the author.
Ans. It looked like a hair cutting salon, with incandescent lights that made the room very hot,
placed at all angles around half a dozen mirrors. It was so hot that the ones whose make-up was
done there were subjected to ‘fiery misery’
Q3 A strict hierarchy was maintained in the make-up department . Explain.
Ans. It was so as each make-up man was allotted his task according to his designation. The chief
make-up man attended the chief actors and actresses, his senior assistant the second hero and
heroine, the junior assistant the main comedian, the office boy the actors who played the crowd
and so forth.
Q4 why did the office boy come to the author? Why was the author praying for crowd shooting?
Since the author was wrongly believed to have no work to do , the office boy often came to his
cubicle to give went to his frustration and impress upon him that a great talent remained
untapped and was being wasted. Since the author was bored with the office –boy’s never ending
babble , he prayed for crowd shooting so that the boy would be busy in painting the crowd and
would not pester him.
Q5 What advantage did the office boy think Subbu had?
d) Subbu, in no way was superior to the office boy in talent or education. It was by the dint of his
birth in a Brahmin family that he got a lead over him. His ‘birth” helped him get better openings,
opportunities and exposure. Thus he had an edge over the office boy.
Q6 Who was Subbu’s enemy? Why?
 office boy
 convinced that all his woes, ignominy and neglect were due to Subbu / who only by
virtue of being born a Brahmin had exposure to more affluent situations and people
Q7. Subbu was charitable and improvident, yet he had enemies. Why?
Ans. Subbu’s good qualities were overlooked as his desire to please the boss, the key to his
success, made him seem like a sycophant. His non critical attitude was misconstrued as
cleverness. So he had enemies, as the office boy, who blamed him for their failures
Q8 How did the lawyer lose his job ? p-62 ,1st para)
Q9.What role did the canteen play at the Gemini studio? (p-62 ,2nd para)
Q10 What was the opinion of the khadi clad poets of Gemini Studios about Communism?
Ans. They were against Communism as that was the prevailing political notion in South India. A
Communist to them was a Godless man, had no filial or conjugal love, could unhesitatingly kill
his parents or children and was always out to cause and spread violence and unrest.
Q11 What shows that the boss knew very little about the poet who was visiting Gemini studio?
(p-64 , 1st seven lines)
Q12Why was the English poet who visited the Gemini Studios as baffled as his audience?
Ans. The poet Stephen Spender was baffled, as he could comprehend that his audience was
unable to understand him. The audience was also baffled as the poet’s accent defeated
comprehension and they had no idea as to why the English poet had been invited to address an
audience that had nothing to do with English poetry.
Q13. Why did Stephen Spender visit Gemini Studios?
Ans. Stephen Spender was an anti Communist like the people at Gemini Studios. He had been
invited to talk about his journey into Communism and his disillusioned return
Q14.The boss of Gemini studio had nothing to do with Spender’s poetry but not with his 'God
that failed`. Bring out the significance of this line?
LONG QUESTIONS:
Q1 Describe the Moral Re-Armament Army’s visit to Gemini Studios?
 Frank Buchman’s MRA comprising of two hundred members visited Chennai in
1952.
 MRA- counter movement to Communism
 People thought it was an international circus
 Two plays ‘The Forgotten Factor’ and ‘Jotham Valley’ ran several shows in
Madras
 Good sets and costumes
 Tamil drama community was extremely impressed
 For some years almost all Tamil plays had a scene of sunrise and sunset as in
‘Jotham Valley’-bare stage, white background curtain and a tune played on the
flute.

Q2 Analyze the character of Kothamangalam Subbu.

 Many sided genius
 Didn’t have much formal education but had learnt from his exposure to prosperous
people
 Sense of loyalty made him to identify completely with his boss. Turned all his creativity
to his boss’s advantage.
 Had a solution for any problem encountered by Mr. Vasan.
 Gave direction and definition to Gemini Studios
 A poet capable of writing complex poems but chose deliberately to address the masses
 Composed several truly original story poems in folk refrain and diction
 Wrote a sprawling novel- Thilana Mohanambal with dozens of deftly etched characters-
recreated manner of Devdasis of the early 20th century
 Powerful actor- never aspired for lead roles- better in subsidiary roles than lead actors

Q3. Asokamitran has used humor and satire effectively in Poets and Pancakes.
Discuss.
Author uses gentle human and mild satire.
• He has a chatty style which quickly changes from one thought to the other.
• Makes fun of the make-up applied to the artists which changes a decent person into
a monster.
• Sets required the actors to look ugly so that they look presentable in the movie.
• Characters of the office boy, Subbu No. 2 and the legal adviser has many subtle
touches of humor.
• Purpose of the visits of Moral Re-Armament Army and the English Poet baffles
everyone.
• Baffled reaction of the staff Gemini studio arouses humor.
• Satire is also directed towards people who are against communism and would do
anything to oppose it

Q.4. What does Asokamitran’s lesson ‘Poet and Pancakes’ deal with?
Ans: The author, Asokamitran recounts his years spent at the Gemini studios. Gemini Studios
was set up in the year 1940 in Chennai and grew into one of the most influential film producing
organizations of India in the early years of the Indian film making industry. The studios of film
production has never confined its activities within the four walls of the studios but it also gives a
fine glimpse of outside world as well.
The production department has two prominent divisions – the make up department and the story
department. In the make up room there had a team of workers from chief make-up man to the
office boy who stopped the crowd players with lotions and pancakes. Pancakes were used by the
actors and actress. Pancake was the popular brand name there. There was a strict hierarchy of
make up man.
The story department had its significant contribution. There was a legal advisor duly
accompanied with an assembly of poets and writers. They were engaged in creating story, songs,
social and other work. In those days, it was mainly indoor shooting. The Boss had a strict vigil at
every aspect. He was assisted by Kothamanglam Subbu, who was an indispensable person for the
studios. Beside this, the Gemini Studios had become the favourite haunt of the poet and other
visitors because of its decent mess that served coffee till the late at night. The studios hosted the
visit of Moral Re-Armament Army and a poet-cum-editor Stephen Spender. The MRA was a
counter movement to international communism but the people at the studios were averse in this
ideology. The visit of Spender also became an unexplained mystery for all.
What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make-up’?
The make-up room of Gemini Studios looked like a hair cutting salon. It had around half a dozen
mirrors with incandescent lights at all angles around them. The artists would feel the heat
emanating from these lights. Thus, the writer uses the term ‘fiery misery’ to denote the
uncomfortable situation of those subjected to make-up.
What is the example of national integration that the author refers to?
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.
What work did the ‘office boy’ do in the Gemini Studios? Why did he join the studio? Why
was he disappointed?
The ‘office boy’ was responsible for the make-up of the people who formed part of crowd in the
films. He used to mix his paint in a giant vessel and slapped the paint on the faces of the players.
He had joined the Gemini Studios years ago, aspiring to become an actor, or a scriptwriter, or a
director, or a lyricist. He was disappointed with the studio that failed to recognise his talent. He
called it a “department fit only for barbers and perverts”.
Why did the author appear to be doing nothing at the studios?
The job of the author was to cut newspaper clippings and file them. For the other employees, all
he seemed to be doing is tearing newspapers, which according to them did not qualify as work.
Why was the office boy frustrated? Who did he show his anger on?
The office boy had joined the studio years ago in the hope of becoming an actor or a
screenwriter, or a director, or a lyricist. The fact that he ended up becoming none of these left
him frustrated. According to him, “great literary talent was being allowed to go waste in a
department fit only for barbers and perverts”. He used to direct his anger at the author even
though it was meant for Kothamangalam Subbu.
Who was Subbu’s principal?
The Boss, who was also the founder of Gemini Studios, was Subbu’s principal.
Subbu is described as a many-sided genius. List four of his special abilities.
Subbu was a multi-disciplinarian. He was could provide solutions to problems, could remain
cheerful all the time and was an actor, a poet and a novelist.
Why was the legal adviser referred to as the opposite by others?
A lawyer used to be a part of the story department at the Gemini studios. Though, a legal adviser
was supposed to be involved in legal matters, his cagey yet stupid idea led to the end of an
actress’s career. Due to this, he was referred to as the opposite of a legal advisor, by the people.
What made the lawyer stand out from the others at Gemini Studios?
The lawyer wore pants and a tie and sometimes a coat whereas everyone else in the Story
Department wore similar khadi dhoti with a slightly oversized and clumsily tailored white khadi
shirt. Thus, the lawyer stood out from others at Gemini Studios as if he is a dispassionate man
who did not take sides. Moreover, he was a logical man with no emotional attachment
whatsoever.
Did the people at Gemini Studios have any particular political affiliations?
The people at Gemini Studios did not have any particular political affiliations. The common
political notions of the day managed to influence them but that was limited to wearing khadi and
admiring the Gandhian philosophy. They were averse to the term ‘Communism’ but had only an
erroneous understanding of the concept.
Why was the Moral Re-Armament army welcomed at the studio?
Frank Buchman’s Moral Re-Armament army was welcomed at the studio mainly because of
their political association. The people at the Gemini Studios were averse to Communism, and
hence, were ready to play host to the MRA.
Apart from that, the studio people hardly had any occupation and suffered from boredom. The
MRA came as a welcome change to their monotonous days at the studio.
Name one example to show that Gemini Studios was influenced by the plays staged by
MRA.
Madras and Tamil drama community included scenes of ‘sunset and sunrise in the manner of
Jotham Valley’ in almost all of their plays. This shows how the plays, staged by MRA,
influenced Gemini Studios.
Who was The Boss of Gemini Studios?
Mr. S.S. Vasan was The Boss of Gemini Studios.
What caused the lack of communication between the Englishman and the people at Gemini
Studios?
Answer:
The accent of Stephen Spender, the Englishman, was the main cause of the lack of
communication between him and the people at Gemini Studios. Apart from that, the people did
not have any idea about what he was talking.
Why is the Englishman’s visit referred to as unexplained mystery?
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.
Who was the English visitor to the studio?
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.
How did the author discover who the English visitor to the studios was?
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.
What does The God that Failed refer to?
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”.
Why was Kothamangalam Subbu considered No. 2 in Gemini Studios?
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.
How does the author describe the incongruity of an English poet addressing the audience at
Gemini Studios?
The audience at the Gemini studios was not knowledgeable enough to understand the thrills and
travails of an English poet, of which the visitor poet-editor talked about, in his speech. The
studio made films for simple people whose limited resources did not provide them with an
opportunity to develop a taste in English poetry. The audience failed to understand anything the
poet said, all the more, because of the latter’s accent. The poet-editor, in turn, looked baffled
realising the utter inappropriateness of his speech being directed to such an audience.
What do you understand about the author’s literary inclinations from the account?
Though the author had a very tedious and unchallenging job at the studios, his interest in
literature and writing is apparent in his willingness to participate in the short story contest
organized by the British periodical, The Encounter. Moreover, the author appears to be a keen
reader visiting libraries and buying books on wide-ranging topics whenever he could afford
them. Besides, the narrative also establishes the fact that the author was one of the most
knowledgeable persons in Gemini Studios. His idea about how prose writing was not meant for
geniuses but for those with patience and perseverance, highlight his reflective and deep thoughts
on literature and creative writing.
Questions & Answers
1. How was Gemini Studios connected to Robert Clive?
The connection the Gemini Studios had with Robert Clive was that its Make-up
Department was built on the upstairs of Clive’s stables.
2. What was the fiery misery inside the make-up department of the Studios?
The makeup room had a lot of hot bulbs always burning inside and a number of mirrors
to reflect the heat. Madras, being a hot city and no cooling at that time at the studio, it
was a real misery inside the makeup room.
3. All this shows that there was a great deal of national integration long before A.I.R.
and Doordarshan began broadcasting programs on national integration. Explain.
The heads and the subordinates of the make-up department were from various parts of
India. There was no preference to any state or language or religion. Anyone could be the
 head. Once there was a Bengali as the head of this department. He was succeeded by a
Maharashtrian who was assisted by a Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian
Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and the local Tamils.
The Office Boy
Office Boy was a grown up man in the Makeup Department of the GS. He was in charge of the
crowd makeup. He applied pancake on their faces with the help of a dipped paint brush. Though
his job was quite an easy one, the office boy considered him to be a greatly skilled artist.
Questions & Answers
1. Who was the office boy? What was his duty in the make-up department? How did
he appreciate himself and his profession?
The office boy was a forty year old man who worked at the lowest rank among the
makeup artists at the Gemini Studios. His duty was to apply makeup for the crowd-
players for shooting. As his work required no skill and that he was not satisfied with his
designation and the kind of work, the ‘Boy’ remained unsatisfied and criticized everyone
he was jealous.
Asokamitran
Asokamitran was one of the staff whose job was to collect information such as news events from
newspapers and magazines and to paste them in files. The other staff considered his job out of
place and most of them thought so high of themselves. Here are some of the interesting staffs of
GS.
Questions & Answers
1. How was the author’s job odd in the eyes of the other staff? How did they respond
to this?
Asokamitran’s job at the Gemini Studios was to collect information from newspapers and
magazines and to paste the cuttings in files for reference. This was probably the only
work odd in the Gemini Studios while every other staff was some sort of an artist. They
therefore advised the author to do some better jobs other than wasting his time cutting
papers in a department similar to a barber shop.
2. Why did the author pray for crowd shooting?
Like many of the other staff who believed that Asokamitran was doing next to nothing in
the Gemini Studios the Office Boy too used to advise him for hours. When the author
was tired of his unending epics, he used to pray for a crowd shooting to which the Office
Boy assigned.
Kothamangalam Subbu
Kothamangalam Subbu was another clerk. He was not as educated, as fortunate and as supported
by as the Office Boy, yet he reached the top of the GS. He was a man of amazing genius. He was
able to direct the directors. He suggested dozens of ways to shoot a certain scene when the
director failed to find one. He acted better than the heroes. He wrote incredible poems. Though
he was able to write more complicated ones that could raise him to the status of a great poet,
Subbu preferred writing them in simple Tamil to enlighten the majority of Tamil people.
Besides, he supported his far and near relatives. But he had only enemies everywhere because he
was very much close to the boss, Vaasan.
Questions & Answers
1. Who was Kothamangalam Subbu? How did he make all the other staff hate him?
Kothamangalam Subbu joined the Gemini Studios as a clerk and remained the same in
the records. But in practice he soon acquired the status of the No.2 at the studios thanks
to his amazing genius and multifaceted skills. He did any work for his boss and ignored
the rest above him. This made him envied and hated by the rest of the staff.
2. Discuss Subbu’s identity as a poet. Why was he not known as a poet?
Apart from being an amazing director of movies, Subbu had the identity as a poet. The
world of his time and later never recognized Subbu as a poet yet he was a great unknown
poet. He wrote poem in the simplest Tamil language and was able to recreate the classical
poems in his own style.
3. Subbu excelled as an actor too. Discuss.
Subbu was a good actor. He was able to act better than the lead actors yet never wished to
take any lead roles in any movie.
4. In spite of all the good qualities and readiness to be a host any time, Subbu had only
enemies. Why?
Subbu was good to everyone he came by, spoke in his niceness, fed his relatives, excelled
everyone in the Gemini Studios but was hated by most of them just because he was so
close to the boss of the studios. Being a clerk in the attendance register he was above all
and above all the departments. Those who bore designations above Subbu felt it
intolerable to obey him.
Legal Advisor
The legal advisor worked in the Story Department. He was a lawyer and provided legal advices
to the writers yet he was known as the illegal advisor. The following incident is one reason that
gave him that name. Once a shooting was under progress. The heroine, a highly emotional girl,
got angry with the director and producer. While the whole set stood stunned at this, the legal
advisor recorded her voice without her permission and made her listen to the playback, thus
resulting the end of a rising actress.
Questions & Answers
1. How did the legal advisor behave illegally in the instance of the actress.
The legal advisor was, of course, an advocate, yet was known as an illegal advisor. Once
he recorded the voice of an actress who shouted at the producer and director while in the
 shooting sets. The legal advisor’s behavior turned out to be illegal because he did it
without the actress’ permission.
2. In what context did Congress rule mean Prohibition and how was it for the staff of
Gemini Studios meeting over a cup of coffee a rather satisfying entertainment?
Congress being the ruling party, made the public’s life horrible by imposing curfew and
emergency in the initial years of Independent India. Citizens were not allowed to gather
and hold meetings. While the whole of the nations struggled under emergencies, the six
hundred Gemini staff enjoyed freedom inside the studios as their freedom was not
restricted.
3. How did Subbu surpass the office boy despite his limitations?
The office boy in the makeup department was always ahead of Subbu in the beginning,
especially in education, having influential people to support. But he ended up where he
began while Subbu ascended the steps to the maximum height and surpassed the Boy.
4. The staff of the Gemini Studios attributed Subbu’s success to his being a Brahmin.
Why?
Most of the staff of the Gemini studios was unhappy with Subbu. His amazing influence
on the Boss and the consequent privileges he enjoyed made them feel jealous of him. So,
instead of accepting his talents, they consoled themselves by attributing his fortunes to be
a Brahmin.
Poets and writers
Gemini Studios had some great poets like Harindranath Chatopadhyaya and a few others. Most
of the insignificant poets considered so great of themselves. They had no great talent, no great
creativity, no political views yet they assumed the airs of the greatest poets, wasting Vaasan’s
money and time. They believed Gandhiji to be the last word of politics and had developed an
aversion to Communism.
Questions & Answers
1. How was the Gemini Studios a perfect place of nationally integrated Indians?
Situated in Tamilnadu’s capital Madras, the Gemini Studios was an amazement for a
number of reasons, one of them being the selection of its department heads and other staff
from all over India. For instance, the makeup department was for some time headed by a
Bengali though he was later removed from the post. His follower in the department was
from Maharashtra and his assistant was Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andra, a Madras Indian
Christian, an Anglo Burmese and even the usual Tamilians. The presence of any talented
person from any part of India shows that Gemini Studios was a perfect example of unity.
2. How are poets and prose writers different according to Asokamitran? What
personal experience makes him say that?
Asokamitran believes in the qualitative difference between prose writers and poem
writers. A poem can be written in no time if the poet is a genius while prose such as a
novel can be written by a person who has a lot of patience and perseverance. The prose
 writer’s mind should be so shrunken that no rejection can disappoint him but he will be
encouraged from failures and rejections.
Communism and MRA
Communism was a new political order that was spreading throughout the world, especially in
Asian countries. Communism preached equality of people and abolition of poverty and class
divisions while it discouraged private ownership. But Communism won a negative impression
due the Capitalist countries such as America.
MRA or Moral Rearmament Army was an international team of actors and actresses that spread
anti Communist feelings throughout the world. The MRA came to Chennai and saw how
influential was Gemini Studios in the south of India. The team got permission from Vaasan to
stage their plays. Vaasan was only happy to give them permission because he hoped that his staff
would get inspiration from the international team. But little did Vaasan know of their intentions.
MRA staged their plays with hidden anticommunist messages and went away and it was yet after
some time that Vaasan realized that he had been fooled.
Questions & Answers
1. What is Communism? What ideas about the communism gathered popularity in
India?
Communism is a political order that believes in the equality of citizens and abolition of
private ownership. The state or nation is the owner and caretaker of each citizen.
Citizen’s welfare is nation’s prime concern. It sometimes resorts to armed revolution to
establish social and political equality.
2. What was MRA? Why did it tour the world?
MRA, short for Moral Rearmament Army was an anti-Communist organization that
toured the world informing the world of the evil side of Communism that was spreading
throughout Asia and some parts of Europe. Headed by Frank Buchman, the MRA
believed that Communism was evil and it would wipe out democracy in the world.
3. How did the MRA spread its anti-Communist ideas in South India?
Moral Rearmament Army believed that Communism was evil and therefore wanted to
wipe it out of the world. This group of 200 men and women from twenty different nations
spread anti communist messages with the help of their stage performances such as
dramas.
4. How was Vasan played into the hands of the MRA?
There is no clear indication that Vasan, the owner of the Gemini Studios, was a
Communist or not yet there are very clear hints that he was a prominent Communist of
Chennai. The MRA spread its anti-Communist messages through their stage programs
and made the poets and writers of the South India hate Communism which was a great
achievement. Vasan, who knew nothing of their intentions, was indeed fooled by MRA at
his cost.
Stephen Spender
Anyway, Stephen Spender, who was once a prominent communist editor and poet from England,
came to the studio and gave his speech. His lecture was about Communism on one side and
about his struggles to establish as a poet on the other. Whatever he spoke was great, hot, exciting
and inspiring, but what use, his accent was such terrible one that none of the Gemini staff could
clearly understand what Spender had spoken. They fell into shame for not being able to
understand the poet and wished not to meet him again.
Questions & Answers
1. Why was Stephen Spender invited to the Gemini Studios? Who wanted him there?
Stephen Spender was a great poet with Communist inclinations. SS Vasan, the owner of
the Gemini Studios, wanted Spender give a speech on the greatness of Communism to his
staff.
2. Spender’s Speech was a shock for him and a matter of utter shame for the literati of
the Gemini Studios. Explain.
Stephen Spender was specially invited to the Gemini Studios to enlighten the staff there
with communist ideas. When Spender began his speech he was amazed to see the way he
was being listened to. But soon, when he realized that his audience didn’t follow him the
least due to his accent, Spender’s amazement turned to utter shock and embarrassment
and he stopped his speech in the middle.
3. How are poets and prose writers different according to Asokamitran? What
personal experience makes him say that?
Asokamitran says poems can be written by any genius while prose writing is the true
pursuit of a really determined person who has suffered a lot of rejections and is ready for
any further disappointments with more perseverance to pursue his mission of writing a
long prose.
4. Spender’s Speech was a shock for him and a matter of utter shame for the literati of
the Gemini Studios?
Stephen Spender was called to the Gemini Studios to talk to the staff there about
Communism but what he spoke was of his struggles as a poet. Whatever he spoke, his
talk was not followed by practically anyone. When Spender realized that his audience
didn’t follow his talk, he stopped in utter shame to have made a talk to a deaf audience
while the Gemini staff got dispersed in great humiliation because Spender’s accent failed
them.
Crisis
Why should Vaasan be fooled if an organization spread anti communist messages in Chennai? It
appears that Vaasan himself was a Communist! Or, he too had an experience of a disillusioned
abandoning of Communism. The author has not given us a hint about this and therefore we have
to different opinions:
  Vasan as a Communist: If so, Vasan felt terribly bad for being played into the hands of
the MRA that left a deep anticommunist impression upon his staff. He therefore decided
to bring back the Communist atmosphere in his studio and for this he invited a
communist poet to deliver a speech on how great Communism was.
 Vasan as an anticommunist: If SS Vasan was an anticommunist, he was the one who
invited the MRA to the Gemini Studios. Later, when he saw that MRA had successfully
spread anticommunism among his staff, he wanted to strengthen the new notions in them
by inviting another anticommunist and therefore he invited Spender.
Questions & Answers
1. The Boss of the Gemini Studios may not have much to do with Spender’s poetry.
But not with his god that failed.’ Explain.
Stephen Spender was invited to the Gemini Studios to enlighten the staff with great ideals
of Communism but what Spender spoke was about his thrills and struggles to establish
himself as a poet. The bosses of the studio like S. S. Vasan were interested in Spender as
a Communist, not as a poet.
2. How did MRA impress the staff of Gemini Studios and the Tamil drama community?
Asokamitran’s meeting Spender
The lesson ends with two incidents in which Asokamitran, our author, met Spender; not face to
face, but in two different ways. While attempting to send his short story to England to participate
in a contest, Asokamitran happened to read The Encounter, a magazine that had Stephen Spender
as its editor. On another occasion he happened to read the book, the God that Failed, an article of
which was written by Spender.
Questions & Answers
1. How did the magazine ‘The Encounter’ become important in Asokamitran’s life?
The Encounter was a British Communist magazine. When Stephen Spender was its
editor, this magazine organized a short story competition for writers from all over the
world.
2. How does the book, ‘The God That Failed’ deserve its title? OR Justify the title,
‘The God That Failed.’
The ‘God That Failed’ was written by six eminent writers who were attracted to
Communism and abandoned it because they hated it later on. Communism was in its
beginning, a God because it stood for equality and removal of class systems and poverty.
While the Gods or incarnations before it achieved their goals, Communism failed in
attaining its goals as it was a failure in itself.
3. What made Asokamitran hope Stephen Spender too would be singing the same song
at the same time when he sealed the envelop of his manuscript?
Asokamitran had been struggling to establish as a writer when he came across the
magazine, The Encounter. When he saw that the editor of The Encounter was Stephen
 Spender, the same poet who came to Gemini Studios and talked about his struggles to
become a poet, Asokamitran felt as if he had found a long lost brother.
4. ‘In a moment I felt a dark chamber of my mind lit up by a hazy illumination.’ What
was the dark chamber? What did light up the darkness?
Due to Spender’s British accent the normally educated staff like could not understand his
speech and therefore his speech remained an unsolved mystery for the staff including
Asokamitran. This mystery was the dark chamber of his mind. When Asokamitran saw
that Spender was the editor of The Encounter, he understood that Spender’s speech was
all about stories and poems and suddenly he related this to his speech he made years ago
the Gemini Studios.