POETS AND PANCAKES

This piece, Poets and Pancakes, is taken from Asokamitran’s book ‘My Years with Boss’. He
was a Tamil writer, writing about his years in the company. He worked in The Gemini
Studios. His duty was to cut out newspaper clipping on a wide variety of subjects and
preserve them in files.

Gemini Studios was located in Madras (Chennai). Film making was its infancy in India.
Asokamitran writes humorously in a rambling style. To begin with he talks of the make-up
department of the studios. It was at the up-stairs of a building that was popularly
supposed to have been Lord Clive’s stables. Then there are quite a few buildings which
were supposed to have been Clive’s residences. Asokamitran does not believe all this to be
true. Lord Clive’s stay in India was very short. He lived in Madras for still shorter time. He
couldn’t have lived in all these houses.

‘Pancakes’ was a strange brand name for a make-up material. The Gemini Studios bought
truckloads of this material. It was used by the make-up department. The author
humorously says that it made decent looking boys and girls ugly.

Talking about the make-up department, he talks of his office boy. He was in fact a grown-
up man of forty. He aspired to be a director or a top star. But he remained an office boy.
He blamed his neglect on Subbu, who was considered to be No. 2 in The Gemini Studios.

Now the author tells us about Kothamangalam Subbu. He was a talented person. He was a
poet, novelist, actor and film maker, all rolled into one. But he had no aspirations. He was
loyal to boss.

Then he tells us of the legal advisor who was a member of the story department. He wore
western clothes and looked odd among khadi-clad writers and poets, who were averse to
communism. The legal advisor ruined the career of talented actress unwittingly.

Talking of communism the, author speaks of the arrival of Moral Re-armament Army at the
studios. It was a sort of counter-communism movement. It presented plays in the studios.
Their plays influenced Tamil dramas but their anticommunism had no effect. Later an
English poet paid a visit to the studios. But nobody could understand what the poet said or
what the purpose of his visit was.

The poet, which the author discovered, was the editor of the periodical, The Encounter. He
wrote an essay on his disillusion with communism. His visit to the Studios had been in this
connection.

Theme
An account of the events and personalities in a film company in the early days of Indian
cinema

Sub-Theme

Poets and writers in a film company environment.

Summary of Poets and Pancakes

In this piece, Asokamitran talks about Gemini Studios and all that helps to keep it in the
spotlight. He starts by mentioning ‘Pancakes’, the famous make-up brand ordered in
truckloads by Gemini Studios. He then discusses the plight of actors and actresses who,
while getting ready in the make-up room, must carry too many lights on their face.
According to him, the make-up department used heaps of make-up to turn them into
ugly-looking creatures. Shockingly, he talks about the office boy from the make-up
department whose task at the time of crowd-shooting is to slap paint on the faces of
players. He was a poet and, in the hope of becoming an actor, screenwriter, director or a
lyricist, he joined the studio. The author used to work inside a cubicle in those days and
had the task of collecting cuttings from newspapers that, according to others, were
insignificant. Therefore, in time, the office boy would come again to bother him with his
complaints. He was well-convinced that Subbu was the reason behind his plight. Subbu
had an advantage, he thought, because he was born a Brahmin.

Subbu was an ingenious man whose loyalty made him stand out. He was tailor-made for
films, and it was hard to imagine film-making without him. He was very friendly and well
known for his hospitality. Like many others in Gemini Studios, he also did poetry. He was
working for the storey department, which also consisted of a prosecutor. Generally, people
called him the opposite of a legal practitioner. He was a logical and neutral man in a room
full of dreamers. Asokamitran then explains how Gemini Studios had the chance to host a
group of foreign performers called the Moral Rearmament Army. Although the plots and
messages were not complex, their sets and costumes were so close to perfection that, for
many years, Tamil plays showed sunset and sunrise in a way inherited from ‘Jotham Valley.’
Then another guest, Stephen Spender, comes to Gemini Studios.

Main Highlights
1. The Gemini studio was located in Madras (Chennai).
2. The writer recounts his years in the company.
3. The make-up department was in the upstairs of a building that was believed to have
been Robert Clive’s stables.
4. Pancake was the brand name of the make- up the material used by the artists in
Gemini Studios.
5. The make-up room had the look of a hair -cutting salon with incandescent lights at
all angles around half a dozen large mirrors, the writer speaks about the ‘fiery misery’
‘of those subjected to make-up.
 6. There was a great deal of ‘national integration’ in the department and a strict
hierarchy was maintained there.
7. The players who played the crowd were the responsibility of the ‘office boy’ in his
early forties, a frustrated person, who turned all his anger towards Kothamanagalam
Subbu.
8. The author’s job was to cut out newspaper clippings and store them in files.
9. Most people including the ‘boy’ thought author was doing ‘next to nothing’.
10. S S Vasan (editor of Tamil weekly Ananada Vikatan’) was the owner of the studios.
11. Subbu was No.2. Subbu – a Brahmin, had the ability to look cheerful at all times,
could be ‘inspired when commanded’, was tailor-made for films, had a separate
identity as a poet and actor, had a genuine love for bothers, was charitable, always
seen with The Boss, attached to Story.
12. Department. Story Department – assembly of poets and writers wore khadi.
13. A lawyer(legal adviser) – referred to as ‘the opposite’-caused the end of a brief and
the brilliant career of a talented actress, looked ‘alone and helpless’, a man of cold
logic in a crowd of dreamers, close to the Boss, wore pants, coat and a tie, attached
to Story Department, lost his job when the Story Department was closed down.
14. Gemini studios –a favourite haunt of poets, an excellent mess which supplied good
coffee, Congress rule meant prohibition, almost everyone radiated leisure, wore
Khadi and worshipped Gandhi, averse to Communism.
15. Visit of MRA (a kind of counter-movement to international Communism) in
1952- presented two plays ‘The Forgotten Factor’ and ‘Jotham Valley’ in a
professional manner impressed Madras and Tamil drama community.
16. Another visitor – a poet from England, tall man, very English, addressed ‘a more
dazed and silent audience’, visit remained an unexplained mystery, staff did not
know whether he was a poet or an editor.
17. Author’s conviction about prose-writers –‘prose writing is for the patient,
persistent, persevering drudge’, short story contest by a British periodical ‘The
Encounter’-found in the British Council Library almost untouched by readers’,
discovered Stephen Spender was the editor.
18. The author bought ‘The God That Failed’ years later –six essays describing the
disillusionment of six eminent men of letters with Communism, Stephen Spender
one among them, the author suddenly realized the relevance of his visit to Gemini
studios.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. How does the writer describe the make-up room of the Gemini studios?

Ans. The makeup room of the Gemini studio had incandescent lights. It also had lights at
all angles, large mirrors. Those subjected to makeup had to face bright light and a lot of
heat there. It was on the upper floor of the o a building that was believed to have been
Robert Clive’s stables.
2. How was the make-up room a fine example of national integration?

Ans. The makeup room was headed by a Bengali, succeeded by a Maharashtrian, assisted
by a Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madrasi, Christian and an Anglo Burmese.

3. How did the legal advisor bring a sad end to the brief and brilliant acting career of
an extremely talented in the studios?

Ans. The legal advisor (lawyer) quietly switched on the recording equipment when once she
blew over on the sets against the producer. When the actress paused for breath, he played
back the recording. She was struck dumb on hearing her own voice and never recovered
from the shock. That was the end of the brief and brilliant career of the actress.

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

Ans. ‘The God That Failed’ refers to a collection of essays by six eminent literary
personalities, about their journey into communism and disillusionment. Stephen Spender
was one of the authors.

Extra Short Answer Questions

Q. What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make-up’?
And. The make-up room of the Gemini Studios seemed like a hair-cut salon. It had about
half a dozen mirrors with incandescent lights at all angles around them. The artists would
have felt the heat emanating from these lights. Thus, the writer uses the term ‘fiery misery’
to denote the uncomfortable situation of those who are subject to make-up.

Q. What is the example of national integration that the author refers to?
Ans. The Gemini Studios’ make-up division was an example of national integration.
According to the author, this is because people from different regions and religious groups
have worked together in the same department. The department was headed by a Bengali,
who had been replaced by a Maharashtrian. Other aid workers included the Dharwar
Kannadiga, the Andhra, the Madras Indian Christian, the Anglo-Burmese and the local
Tamils.

Q. Why was the office boy frustrated? Who did he show his anger on?
Ans. The office boy had joined the studio years ago, hoping to become an actor or
screenwriter, or a director, or a lyricist. He was frustrated by the fact that he ended up
becoming none of these. According to him, “great literary talent was allowed to go to
waste in a department suitable only for barbers and perverts.” He used to direct his anger
at the author, even though it was meant for Kothamangalam Subbu.

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

Ans. Subbu was a multi-disciplinarian. He had many exceptional qualities. He could provide
solutions to problems and remain cheerful all the time. He was an actor, a poet and a
novelist.

Q. Did the people at Gemini Studios have any particular political affiliations?

Ans. The people at Gemini Studios had no specific political affiliations. The common
political notions of the day were able to influence them, but this was limited to wearing
Khadi and admiring Gandhi’s philosophy. They were opposed to the term ‘communism,’
but had only an incorrect understanding of the concept.

Q. Why was the Moral Re-Armament army welcomed at the studio?

Ans. The Moral Re-Armament Army of Frank Buchman was welcomed at the studio mainly
because of their political association. The people at the Gemini Studios were opposed to
Communism, and therefore ready to host the MRA. Apart from that, the people in the
studio had hardly any occupation and were bored. The MRA came to the studio as a
welcome change to their monotonous days.

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

Q. 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.

Ans. The author Asokamitran, in his extract ‘Poets and Pancakes,’ recalled the years he
spent at the Gemini Studios owned by S.S. Vasan in Chennai. In his subtle and gentle
manner, humour has been used as an effective method to point out human foibles.

He sets the tone of laughter in his usual rambling style in his narration. He said that there
was a great deal of national integration in the Gemini Studios even before A.I.R and
Doordarshan began broadcasting programmes on national integration. He uses
exaggerations to suggest that any decent looking human could be turned into a monster
with the help of a truck-load of pancakes and ‘locally made potions and lotions.’ Ironically,
it is used to invoke humour stating that boys and girls were made to look ugly in order to
look presentable in the film. The paint was mixed up in the studio in a huge vessel and
slapped it on the faces of the audience. In the course of applying make-up, every pore on
the surface of the face has been closed.

Humour is used by the protagonist in cases where he acknowledges that people assumed
he didn’t do something because he saw frequent newspaper tears. The literary talent was
wasted in a department only suited to barbers and perverts.

The author uses humour to expose people to authority. The storey department was closed,
and this was the only instance in human history where a lawyer lost his job because the
most amusing circumstance occurs when the definition of Communism is described. ‘A
godless man without filial or conjugal love.’ The workers of Gemini rejected the idea and
became Gandhiites and Khadiites. Ironically, there is the ‘God Who Lost’ collection of
Communism and their disillusioned return.

Q.Write a brief character sketch of Kothamangalam Subbu.

Ans. Kothamangalam Subbu was granted a lot of importance in the essay ‘Poets and
Pancakes’ by Asokamitran. He was presented as a man who was held in high regard at
Gemini Studios. He was born Brahmin and may have risen to the position of No. 2 in
Gemini Studios because of this virtue. He had contact with wealthy citizens. He was cool,
calm and collected, and even a flop film he was involved in, never made him depressed or
unhappy. He was looking happy all the time. He was very loyal to his boss, and that made
him dear to the boss. He was a man who could be motivated when commanded.

He was creative and showed this skill when, effortlessly, he could give fourteen alternative
ways of handling a particular scene. Subbu was a calibre poet and had a distinct identity as
a poet. His success in film overshadowed his achievements in literacy. He composed truly
original ‘storey poems’ and wrote a novel called ‘Thillana Mohanambal’ with a lot of
characters. It re-created the mood and manner of the Devadasis of the early 20th century.
He was an amazing actor, yet he never aspired to play leading roles. He loved all of them
genuinely and unselfishly.

He was charitable and imprudent, yet he probably had enemies because of his closeness to
the Boss. The author Asokamitran portrayed him as an extremely talented, creative and
lovable human being.

Q. How does the author describe the incongruity of an English poet addressing the
audience at Gemini Studios?

Ans. The audience at the Gemini Studios was not sufficiently knowledgeable to understand
the thrills and works of the English poet, about whom the visitor, the poet-editor, spoke, in
his speech. The studio produced films for simple people whose limited resources did not
give them the opportunity to develop a taste in English poetry. The audience failed to
understand anything the poet had said, all the more so because of the accent of the latter.
The poet-editor, in turn, looked bewildered to realise that the utter inappropriateness of
his speech was directed at such an audience.

Q. What do you understand about the author’s literary inclinations from the account?

Ans. Although the author had a very tiresome and unchallenged job in the studios, his
interest in literature and writing is evident in his willingness to take part in the short storey
contest organised by the British newspaper ‘The Encounter.’ In addition, the author seems
to be a keen reader visiting libraries and buying books on a wide range of topics whenever
he can afford them. The narrative also shows that the author was one of the most
knowledgeable people in Gemini Studios. His idea of how prose writing was meant not for
geniuses but for those with patience and perseverance, underscores his profound thoughts
on literature and creative writing.