Poets and Pancakes – AHSEC Class 12 English Chapter 6

Here is a complete and detailed guide for Chapter 6 of the AHSEC Class 12 English textbook, “Flamingo,” which is “Poets and Pancakes” by Asokamitran.

“Poets and Pancakes” by Asokamitran: A Comprehensive Guide

This guide provides a thorough set of notes covering all aspects of the chapter, known for its humorous and rambling style, to help you prepare for your AHSEC Class 12 English examination.

1. Summary of “Poets and Pancakes”

“Poets and Pancakes” is a humorous and insightful excerpt from Asokamitran’s book My Years with Boss. It provides a satirical and light-hearted account of his time at Gemini Studios in Chennai, one of India’s most influential film-producing organizations in the early days of Indian cinema.

The chapter begins with a description of “Pancake,” the brand name of the make-up material that Gemini Studios bought in truck-loads. The author humorously describes the make-up room, which looked like a hair-cutting salon with fiery incandescent lights. He talks about the “fiery misery” of the actors who had to endure the heat and the make-up process. A strict hierarchy was maintained in the make-up department, with the chief make-up man working on the main actors and his assistants on the secondary ones, while the “office boy” was responsible for the crowd players.

The author then introduces the “office boy,” a man in his early forties who had joined the studios years ago hoping to become a star actor, screen-writer, director, or lyricist. Frustrated with his failure, he blamed his woes on Kothamangalam Subbu, the No. 2 at Gemini Studios.

The narrative then shifts to Kothamangalam Subbu. He was a cheerful, multi-talented man who was “tailor-made for films.” Though he had a humble beginning, he rose to the No. 2 position due to his loyalty to the Boss, S.S. Vasan. Subbu was a creative genius who could offer multiple solutions for any filmmaking problem. He was also a poet and an amazing actor, though he never played the lead roles. Despite his charitable nature and genuine love for people, he had enemies, likely because of his sycophantic behavior and closeness to the Boss.

The author also describes the Story Department, which included a lawyer who was unofficially known as the “legal adviser.” In a humorous anecdote, the author recounts how this lawyer inadvertently ended the career of a talented but temperamental actress by recording and playing back her angry tirade. This lawyer was a man of cold logic in a studio full of dreamers and stood out by wearing pants and a tie while others wore khadi dhotis.

The chapter then moves on to discuss the political leanings at Gemini Studios. Most of the staff wore khadi and worshipped Gandhiji but had a strong aversion to Communism. This aversion was exploited when a “moral re-armament” (MRA) army, a counter-Communism movement, visited the studios. They presented two plays, “Jotham Valley” and “The Forgotten Factor,” which the Gemini family saw multiple times. Though the plays were simple, their sets and costumes were first-rate and influenced Tamil drama for years.

The most baffling event was the visit of an English poet (or editor). The Boss, S.S. Vasan, gave a grand reception, but no one at the studio knew who the visitor was. The Englishman gave a speech about the thrills and travails of being a poet, but his accent was so thick that the audience could not understand a word. The visit remained an “unexplained mystery” for a long time.

Years later, after leaving Gemini Studios, the author discovers the identity of the visitor. He comes across a book titled The God That Failed, a collection of essays by six eminent writers describing their journey into Communism and their disillusioned return. One of the essayists was Stephen Spender. The author suddenly realized that this was the poet who had visited the studio. The Boss, being anti-Communist, had likely invited Spender because of his essay in the book. The mystery of the English poet’s visit was finally solved.

2. Complete Textual Question and Answer Exercise

Here are the answers to all the questions given at the end of the chapter in your textbook.

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 chapter is filled with gentle humour. Some instances are:

• The description of the make-up department turning “any decent-looking person into a hideous crimson hued monster.”
• The make-up hierarchy where the office boy slaps paint on crowd players from a giant vessel.
• The office boy’s belief that his literary talent was being wasted in a department “fit only for barbers and perverts.”
• The lawyer who was known as the legal adviser but was referred to as the opposite, and who lost his job because the poets were asked to go home.
• The description of the MRA as an “international circus” whose members weren’t good on the trapeze and knew animals only at the dinner table.
  This humour makes the narrative engaging and provides a light-hearted critique of the film industry and human nature without being malicious.

2. Why was Kothamangalam Subbu considered No. 2 in Gemini Studios?
Answer: Kothamangalam Subbu was considered No. 2 at Gemini Studios due to several reasons:

• Closeness to the Boss: He was extremely loyal to the Boss, S.S. Vasan, and seemed to be his right-hand man.
• Creative Genius: He was a multi-talented individual who was invaluable to the filmmaking process. He could come up with numerous alternatives for any scene.
• Problem-Solver: He made filmmaking easy for the producer. His presence was crucial during the studio’s golden years.
• Versatility: He was a poet, a novelist, and an excellent actor. His all-round abilities made him indispensable.

3. How does the author describe the incongruity of an English poet addressing the audience at Gemini Studios?
Answer: The author describes the visit as completely incongruous and baffling. The audience at Gemini Studios made Tamil films for “the simplest sort of people” who had no taste for or exposure to English poetry. The English poet, with his thick accent, spoke about the thrills and travails of his profession, but the dazed and silent audience could not understand a word. The author humorously questions, “What is an English poet doing in a film studio which makes Tamil films for the simplest sort of people?” The entire event was a mismatch of speaker and audience, making it an “unexplained mystery.”

4. What do you understand about the author’s literary inclinations from the account?
Answer: The author, Asokamitran, clearly has strong literary inclinations.

• His job involved cutting and filing newspaper clippings, which made him well-informed.
• He shows a deep interest in literature, as seen in his desire to send a story to the English periodical The Encounter.
• He visited the British Council Library to learn about the periodical before sending his manuscript.
• His detailed and humorous descriptions of characters and events show his keen observational skills and talent as a writer.
• He refers to himself as a “prose-writer,” for whom rejection slips don’t mean a thing, indicating his patient and persistent nature as a writer.

3. Previous Year AHSEC Question Answers (2015-2025)

Short Questions (2 Marks)

1. What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make-up? (AHSEC 2015, 2018)
   Answer: “The fiery misery” refers to the intense discomfort and suffering experienced by the actors in the make-up room. They had to sit in front of large mirrors surrounded by about half a dozen powerful, hot incandescent lights, which generated immense heat, making the make-up process a torturous experience.
2. Who was the English visitor to the studios and what was the purpose of his visit? (AHSEC 2016, 2020)
   Answer: The English visitor was Stephen Spender, a poet and essayist. The purpose of his visit was not understood at the time, but the author later realized that he was invited because he had contributed an anti-Communist essay to the book The God That Failed. The Boss of Gemini Studios, being anti-Communist, likely invited him to speak against Communism.
3. Who was Kothamangalam Subbu? (AHSEC 2017, 2022)
   Answer: Kothamangalam Subbu was the No. 2 at Gemini Studios. He was a multi-talented man—a poet, novelist, and brilliant actor—who was extremely loyal to the Boss, S.S. Vasan. He was a creative genius and a problem-solver, making him indispensable to the studio.
4. What was the work of the ‘office boy’ in the Gemini Studios?
   Answer: The ‘office boy’ was responsible for the make-up of the crowd players. On days of crowd shooting, he would mix his paint in a giant vessel and slap it on the faces of the crowd players to close every pore on the surface of their faces.
5. Why was the legal adviser referred to as the opposite by others?
   Answer: The legal adviser was referred to as the opposite because his actions often led to disastrous or contrary results. For instance, instead of providing legal counsel, he inadvertently destroyed the career of a promising actress by recording and playing back her angry outburst, which was a foolish and illogical act.

Long Questions (5-7 Marks)

1. Give a detailed account of the make-up department of Gemini Studios. (AHSEC 2019)
   Answer: The make-up department of Gemini Studios was located in a building believed to have been Robert Clive’s stables. The make-up room resembled a hair-cutting salon, equipped with large mirrors and numerous incandescent lights that produced intense heat, causing “fiery misery” for the actors. The department was a symbol of “national integration,” as it was headed by people from different states over time and had assistants from various regions like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra, and Madras.
   A strict hierarchy was followed. The chief make-up man handled the main actors and actresses, his senior assistant worked on the ‘second’ hero and heroine, the junior assistant on the main comedian, and the ‘office boy’ was tasked with the make-up for the crowd players. The author humorously notes that the job of the make-up artists was to turn decent-looking people into hideous monsters so they would look presentable on camera. The department used truck-loads of “Pancake” make-up material to achieve this effect.
2. The visit of the English poet to Gemini Studios was an “unexplained mystery.” Explain the reasons for this and how the mystery was solved.
   Answer: The visit of the English poet, Stephen Spender, was an “unexplained mystery” because no one at Gemini Studios knew who he was or why he was there. The studio primarily produced Tamil films for a simple audience with little to no interest in English poetry. The poet’s speech was incomprehensible to the dazed audience due to his accent and the unfamiliar subject matter. The entire event felt completely out of place and pointless, leaving everyone baffled.
   The mystery was solved years later, after the author, Asokamitran, had left the studio. He came across a book available at a reduced price called The God That Failed. The book contained six essays by eminent writers about their disillusionment with Communism. To his surprise, one of the writers was Stephen Spender. The author then connected the dots: the Boss of Gemini Studios, S.S. Vasan, was a staunch anti-Communist. He must have invited Spender not as a poet, but as an intellectual who had renounced Communism, to deliver a speech against it. The poet’s visit was thus a part of the studio’s anti-Communist propaganda, and with this realization, the mystery was finally unraveled.

4. Most Important 10 Questions and Answers

1. What was “Pancake” and what was it used for?
   Answer: “Pancake” was the brand name of the make-up material that Gemini Studios bought in huge quantities. It was used by the make-up department to apply on the faces of the actors to make them look presentable on camera under the harsh studio lights.
2. Why did the office boy blame Subbu for his failures?
   Answer: The office boy, frustrated with his own lack of success, saw Subbu as the reason for all his problems. He felt that Subbu, who had risen to the No. 2 position, had an advantage because he was born a Brahmin and had a more encouraging start. He directed all his anger and frustration towards Subbu, who seemed to have everything he desired.
3. What were the special abilities of Kothamangalam Subbu?
   Answer: Subbu was a man of many talents. He was a creative genius who could provide numerous solutions for filmmaking problems. He was a fine poet who could also write novels. He was also a brilliant actor who performed better than the main players in subsidiary roles.
4. What made the lawyer stand out from the others at Gemini Studios?
   Answer: The lawyer stood out because he was a man of “cold logic” in a crowd of dreamers and artists. While everyone else wore a uniform of khadi dhoti and shirt, he wore pants, a tie, and sometimes a coat, which made him look different and isolated.
5. What was the Moral Re-Armament (MRA) army, and why was it welcomed at Gemini Studios?
   Answer: The MRA was an international anti-Communist cultural movement. It was welcomed at Gemini Studios because the Boss, S.S. Vasan, and most of the staff were averse to Communism. The MRA’s visit served as a convenient platform to indirectly promote anti-Communist sentiments.
6. How did the MRA plays influence the Tamil drama scene?
   Answer: The MRA presented two plays with very professional sets and costumes. The Tamil drama community was so impressed that for many years, almost all Tamil plays had a scene of sunrise and sunset staged in the manner of “Jotham Valley,” with a bare stage, a white background curtain, and a tune played on a flute.
7. What does the author’s job in the studio reveal about him?
   Answer: The author’s job was to sit at a desk and tear up newspapers, cutting out and filing clippings on a wide variety of subjects. This seemingly insignificant job made him the most well-informed person at the studio and gave him a unique vantage point to observe the people and events around him.
8. What does the title “Poets and Pancakes” signify?
   Answer: The title “Poets and Pancakes” juxtaposes two contrasting elements of Gemini Studios. “Pancakes” represents the superficial, glamorous, and commercial world of filmmaking and make-up. “Poets” represents the world of art, literature, and intellectualism that also existed, albeit awkwardly, within the studio. The title hints at the strange and often humorous mix of commerce and art that defined the studio.
9. What is The God That Failed?
   Answer: The God That Failed is the title of a book containing six essays by six famous writers (including Stephen Spender), where they describe their personal journeys into Communism and their eventual disillusionment with it. The “God” that failed refers to Communism, which they once believed in as a utopian ideal.
10. What is the central theme of “Poets and Pancakes”?
    Answer: The central theme is a satirical and humorous exploration of the film industry’s inner workings, human eccentricities, and the often-comical clash between different ideologies and personalities. It provides a nostalgic look at a bygone era of Indian cinema, filled with irony, wit, and keen observation of human foibles.