Poets And Pancakes for Class 12 English (Flamingo), CBSE (Summary, word meaning, literary devices and extract based question-answer)
POETS AND PANCAKES
By Asokamitran
Detailed summary, extract-based questions with their answer, vocabulary, and very short questions and their answer
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About the author
Asokamitran, born Thiagarajan in 1931 in Secunderabad, was a renowned Tamil writer. He continued to rule the literary world for almost six decades. He started his career in Chennai's film industry, which deeply influenced his writings. Ashokamitran's works deal with ordinary people’s struggles and aspirations. His acclaimed novel "Thanneer" (Water) highlights the impact of urbanisation. He is also known for his short stories, essays, and autobiographical works. He got many awards including the Sahitya Akademi Award. This literary giant passed away in 2017.
INTRODUCTION
The story Poets and Pancakas is an excerpt from the book “My Years With Boss”.This story is about a well-known film production company called Gemini Studios. It started in 1940 in Chennai and was famous in the early days of Indian cinema. S.S. Vasan, who started it, was a renowned personality in the film industry. The story is all about how movies have influenced the lives of Indians.
WORD-MEANING OF THE CHAPTER "POETS AND PANCAKES
Stables– a building set apart and adapted for keeping horses
Maiden– a young woman or an unmarried girl
Incandescent – emitting light as a result of being heated
Fiery – red-hot
Misery – a state or feeling of great physical or mental discomfort
Hideous– extremely ugly
Crimson hue– deep red colour
Potions– a liquid mixture
Hierarchy– A system in which members of an organisation are ranked according to relative status
Cubicle– a small partitioned area of a room
Barge in– to walk into a room without being invited
Perverts– a person whose sexual behaviour is regarded as abnormal and unacceptable.
Covertly– secretly
Woes– distress
Ignominy– public shame or disgrace
Affluent– wealthy
Overshadowed–to cause someone or something to seem less important or less happy
Dwarfed– make small
Refrain– lines repeated in poetry
Diction– how words are pronounced
Sprawling– spreading over a large area/detailed
Demeanour– behaviour/attitude
Sycophant - someone who praises powerful or rich people in a way that is not sincere, usually to get some advantage from them
Direst- terrible
Blow over– to move strongly and upset someone
Temperamental – someone whose mood changes very suddenly
Incriminating- to show that somebody has done something wrong or illegal
Foul – bad
Tirade – a long, angry speech of criticism or accusation
Struck dumb – shocked
Countryside: from village
Sophistication – having a good understanding of the way people behave
Catapulted – move suddenly or at great speed
Unwittingly– unknowingly
Coat of mail – a protective garment
Haunt – frequently visited by
Mess– a building or room providing meals
Prohibition– the act of forbidding something
Prerequisite- a thing that is required
Averse- strong dislike
Communism– a social and political system based on the belief that production is owned and controlled by all its members,
Conjugal– related to marriage
Forthcoming– about to happen
Trapeze– a short bar hanging high up in the air from two ropes that acrobats use to perform special movements
Surmise– guess something
Bafflement– confusion
Pursuit – activity
Persevering– quality to continue to do something, even when difficult or takes a long time:
Drudge –menial or tedious labour
Manuscript– written or typewritten composition
Literati- well-educated people who are interested in literature.
Sneaking into– doing something in a secretive or stealthy way
Forbidden– banned/prohibited
SUMMARY/EXPLANATION AND EXTRACT-BASED QUESTION-ANSWER OF "POETS AND PANCAKES"
Pancake was the brand name of a make-up material that Gemini Studios bought in truck-loads …………………. may not have even heard of it.
According to the author Pancake, the brand name of a make-up material, was used by actresses like Greta Garbo, Miss Gohar, Vyjayantimala, and many more in the past. But modern-day actresses like Rati Agnihotri might not even have heard the name Pancake.
Q. What was pancake?
Ans. The brand name of a make-up material.
Q. Who was Greta Garbo?
Ans. A Swedish actress.
Q. How can you say that Pancake was very popular in the past?
Ans. Top actresses like Greta Garbo, Vyjayantimala, Miss Gohar, etc used it.
Q. Which figure of speech has been used in the expression “bought in truck-loads”?
Ans. Hyperbole
The make-up department of the Gemini Studios was in the upstairs……………… Fort St George in Madras.
The building of the makeup department of the Gemini Studios was believed to be Robert Clive's stables.
Apart from this, many other buildings were also associated with Robert Clive.
Robert Clive had been associated with Madras in many ways. In St Mary's Church in Fort Saint George in Madras, he married a maiden.
Q. Where was the make-up department of the Gemini Studios?
Ans. In the upstairs of a building believed to be Robert Clive's stables.
Q. How was Robert Clive associated with Madras?
Ans. Many buildings in Madras were associated with Robert Clive. He also married a maiden at Saint Mary's Church in Fort Saint George in Madras.
The make-up room looked like a hair-cutting salon …………….. in the hope of becoming a star actor or a top screenwriter, director or lyrics writer. He was a bit of a poet.
The make-up room of the Gemini Studios looked like a salon as there were so many mirrors on both sides. Also, there were bright lights. As a result, those who went through the makeup had to suffer a lot.
In the Gemini Studios, national integration was well maintained. People from different regions and religions worked together in the Gemini Studios. It was headed by a Maharashtrian. He had so many assistants including an Andhra, a Kannadiga, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo Burmese and local Tamils.
In the make-up department of the Gemini Studios hierarchy was maintained. The chief makeup man used to do the makeup of the main actors and actresses, senior assistants used to make second-rate heroes and heroines presentable, junior assistants did the makeup of comedians and crowd players were the responsibility of the office boy.
The office boy was not a boy but a man in his early forties. He came to Gemini Studios to become a star actor, director, or lyrics writer, but his dreams were shattered. As a result, he got frustrated.
Q. What did the makeup room look like?
Ans. The make-up room looked like a hair-cutting salon.
Q. What has been termed "fiery misery”?
Ans. The suffering of those who went through make-up due to the incandescent light and large mirrors. The light seemed to be piercing.
Q. What did light create?
Ans. The light created a heated atmosphere.
Q. Who was the head of the make-up department?
Ans. A Maharashtrian was in charge.
Q. How was national integration maintained in the make-up department of the Gemini Studios?
Ans. The people from different regions and religions worked together in the Gemini Studios.
Q. How was hierarchy maintained in the make-up department?
Ans. The make-up men used to do the make-up according to their position.
Q. Who did the makeup of the crowd players?
Ans. The office boy.
Q. How does the author describe the office boy?
Ans. According to the author, the office boy was not a boy but a man in his early forties. He came to Gemini Studios to become a star actor, a director, or a lyrics writer. But his dreams were shattered.
In those days, I worked in a cubicle, two whole sides of which………….. Nothing short of it could save me from his epics.
Cutting out newspaper clippings on various topics and filing them was the author's job at Gemini Studios. He had been provided with a cubicle. It had French windows. Everyone, including the boss, thought his work was second to nothing. Therefore, many entered his cubicles to let out their emotions and give him lectures.
The author got so irritated because of the lengthy lectures delivered by the office boy. He often said how a great talent was going to waste in the make-up department, which according to him, was suitable only for perverts and barbers. The narrator used to get so fed up that he prayed for crowd shooting.
Q. What was the author's job in the Gemini Studios?
Ans. He used to cut out newspaper clippings on various topics and file them.
Q. What is a cubicle?
Ans. A small enclosed space.
Q. What are French windows?
Ans. A pair of glass windows that reaches to the floor, opens in the middle and is placed in an exterior wall.
Q. What did the office boy think about the makeup department of the Gemini studios?
Ans. According to the office boy, the makeup department was fit for perverts and barbers.
Q. What is the irony in the statement by the office boy?
Ans. He held the lowest post in the makeup department, but still, he considered it suitable for barbers and perverts.
Q. Why did the author pray for crowd player shooting?
Ans. He used to be fed up with the long and useless lectures by the office boy.
Q. What does “his epics” refer to?
Ans. It refers to the lectures by the office boy.
In all instances of frustration, you will always the anger ……………… he must have had exposure to more affluent situations and people.
The office boy was certain that Kothamangalam Subbu, the man having the number 2 position in the Gemini Studios, was the cause of all of his problems and humiliation.
According to the office boy Kothamangalam Subbu could not have had a more positive opening than him (the office boy) if he (Subbu) had begun his career when the office boy did. The office boy had to deal with more challenging circumstances because, at the start of his career, there were no well-established studios or film production companies.
Even in the field of education, particularly formal education, the office boy was going to have a small advantage over Subbu. But Subbu was a Brahmin, which was itself a virtue. Therefore, Subbu got better opportunities.
Q. Who did the office boy hold responsible for all his woes and miseries?
Ans. Kothamanglam Subu.
Q. What, according to the office boy, was the advantage of Subbu?
Ans. He was a Brahmin and thus he got more opportunities compared to the office boy.
Q. Why was the office boy not successful?
Ans. According to the office boy, he could not succeed because he had to face a lot of challenges as there were few studios and film production houses when he started his career.
He had the ability to look cheerful all the time ………………. Who gave direction and definition to Gemini Studios during its golden years.
Subbu was a very resourceful person, who always had work for everyone. He had been a man who never did any work himself. But his loyalty had made him close to the boss.
His creativity was very well known and everybody thought that he was perfect for the film industry. If the producer said he was confused about how to do a particular scene, Subbu would come up with many different ways of doing it. If the producer said it would not work, he had plenty of different ways to do that.
Q. What was the special quality of Subbu?
Ans. Subbu rarely did any work himself. Instead, he got the same done by someone else.
Q. What made Subbu close to the boss?
Ans. His loyalty and creativity.
Q. How did Subbu display his creativity?
Ans. By offering suggestions in difficult situations.
Film making must have been and was so easy with a man like Subbu ………………….. there was this man in the make-up department who would wish the direst things for Subbu.
Subbu was a very creative and resourceful person, and his presence made filmmaking so much easier. He played a significant role in giving Gemini Studios its unique character.
At the same time, he was a talented poet. He used to address the common people. Some critics believed his success in film-making overshadowed his literary talent.
Subbu composed several folk "story poems" and wrote a novel Thillana Mohanambal, which featured well-developed characters. The novel recreated the tone and manner of the 20th-century Devadasis.
Subbu was an exceptional actor. He never wished for the main role. He excelled even when in supporting roles.
He had a genuine love for everyone he knew, and his home was a shelter for numerous close and distant family members and friends.
It is surprising that Subbu, who was so generous, had so many enemies. It might be because he was a sycophant or because he was close to the boss or because he always remained cheerful and said nice things.
Q. What qualities of Subbu have been highlighted in this extract?
Ans. He was an amazing actor, a gifted writer and poet, kind and helpful, and cheerful, but had the qualities of a sycophant.
Q. Why was Subbu not recognised as a literary genius?
Ans. His success in films overshadowed his literary achievements.
Q. What was the novel Thillana Mohanambal about?
Ans. The novel was about the Devdasis of the early 20th century.
Q. What does the expression,” deftly etched characters” highlight about Subbu?
Ans. He was skilful in characterisation.
Q. Give an example to show that Subbu was generous.
Ans. His house was a permanent residence of many of his acquaintances and relatives. He not only sheltered them but also fed them.
Q. Why did Subbu have so many enemies?
Ans. It might be because of his closeness with the boss, his sycophancy and his cheerfulness.
You saw Subbu always with The Boss but in the attendance rolls, he was grouped under a department called the Story Department ……………..
Subbu used to hang around with the boss, but in the attendance records, he was placed in a group called the Story Department. This department included a lawyer and a bunch of writers and poets.
The lawyer was called the "legal adviser," although he was better known for the opposite.
Once a very talented but quite temperamental actress burst out on the set. Everyone was shocked. On the other hand, the lawyer turned on a recording device. When the actress stopped, the lawyer played back the recording.
What the actress said about the producer was not foul. However, when she heard her voice through the recording equipment, she was speechless.
She came from the countryside. So, she had no experience of all the ups and downs that usually come. As a result, she never recovered from the shock she felt that day.
It was the end of her short but brilliant acting career. It was all because of the legal adviser who unknowingly brought an end to the career of a talented actress.
In fact, the lawyer was not fit for the filmmaking industry. Like others, he was not a dreamer. On the contrary, he was a man with cold logic.
Moreover, he used to wear coat and pant while others wore khadi dhoti and khadi shirts.
Gemini Studios was the favourite haunt of poets like S.D.S Yogiar …………………….. The evidence of it was soon forthcoming.
Gemini Studios was a popular spot for poets like S.D.S. Yogiar, Sangu Subramanyam, Krishna Sastry, and Harindranath Chattopadhyaya. People loved hanging out there because they had a great café that served delicious coffee all day and night.
During those times, the government, led by Congress, enforced Prohibition, making it illegal to drink alcohol. So, meeting friends over a cup of coffee became a satisfying way to socialise.
At Gemini Studios, most people, except for the office boy and a few clerks, radiated leisure, a pre-requisite for poetry. Many of them wore khadi and admired Gandhiji, but their interest in politics was quite limited.
They didn't understand or appreciate political ideas. They strongly disliked the term 'Communism.' To them, a Communist was a man without any religious belief. He didn't care for family ties. They thought Communists were violent and responsible for creating unrest on this planet. These misconceptions were common not just at Gemini Studios but also in other parts of South India during that time.
Q. Name the poet who frequently visited Gemini Studios?
Ans. The poets like S.D.S Yogiar, Sangu Subramaniam, Krishna Sastry and Harindranath Chattopadhyaya frequently visited Gemini Studios.
Q. Why do you think leisure is a prerequisite for poetry?
Ans. Leisure is a prerequisite for poetry because a poet requires free time to write it (poetry)When Frank Buchman’s Moral Re-Armament army, some two hundred strong, visited Madras sometime in 1952, ……………………Tamil plays had a scene of sunrise and sunset in the manner of ‘Jotham Valley’ with a bare stage, a white background curtain and a tune played on the flute.
In 1952, a group called Frank Buchman’s Moral Re-Armament army, consisting of about 200 people, came to Madras. They were welcomed warmly by the Gemini Studios.
Some people called them an international circus although they weren't skilled acrobats, and their knowledge about animals was limited. They performed two plays very professionally.
The plays 'Jotham Valley' and 'The Forgotten Factor,' which they presented became quite popular in Madras. People in the city, including the 600 members of the Gemini Studios family, watched these plays multiple times. The messages in the plays were simple life lessons, but the stage settings and costumes were excellent.
These plays left a lasting impression on Madras and the Tamil drama community. For many years, almost all Tamil plays included a scene of sunrise and sunset, just like 'Jotham Valley,' with a simple stage, a white background curtain, and a flute playing in the background.
Q. What was Frank Bushman's Moral Re-Armament Army?
Ans. Frank Bushman's Moral Re-Armament Army was a theatre group.
Q. What did the people think about the Moral Rearmament army?
Ans. In general, the people thought of Frank Bushman's Moral Re-Armament army as an international circus because there were people from different regions, countries, and races.
Q. Which two plays were presented by Frank Bushman's Moral Re-Armament Army?
Ans. Jotham Valley and The Forgotten Factor.
Q. What was the message of the two plays presented by Frank Bushman's Moral Re-Armament Army?
Ans. The messages in the plays were simple life lessons.
Q. Which scene impressed the people?
Ans. The scene of sunrise and sunset in “Jotham Valley” impressed Madras and the Tamil drama community so much that for many years the same scene was presented by them.
Q. Give a description of the scene of sunrise and sunset in Jotham Valley.
Ans. There was a bare stage, a white background curtain, and a flute being played in the background.
It was some years later that I learnt that the MRA was a kind of countermovement to international Communism ……………………… It was such a change from the usual collection of crowd players waiting to be slapped with thick layers of make-up by the office boy in the make-up department.
A few years later the narrator found out that the Moral Re-Armament (MRA) was created to counter international Communism. Some influential people in Madras, like Mr. Vasan, seemed to support them.
At Gemini Studios, everybody had a good time hosting around 200 people from different backgrounds and nationalities. It was a change from their usual routine of dealing with actors waiting to get their makeup done by the office boy. Everyone, regardless of their colour or nationality, came together, and it was quite a unique experience for all of them.
Ans. It was a kind of counter-movement to international communism?
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. ………………… Who was the poet visiting the Gemini Studios now?
A little later a foreigner arrived at Gemini Studios The people were informed that the visitor was a poet from England. The people at Gemini Studios had heard of poets like Wordsworth and Tennyson, and some of the more educated ones knew about Keats, Shelley, and Byron.
A few might have heard of someone named Eliot. So, everybody was curious about who the poet from England visiting Gemini Studios was.
There was total confusion about the visitor. Some said that he was a poet, while others expressed that he was an editor.
Many thought that the Boss, Mr Wasan was giving a warm welcome to the visitor because he was also the editor of a popular Tamil magazine “Ananda Vikatan”.
The visitor from England wasn't the editor of any famous British magazines or newspapers like “The Manchester Guardian” or “The London Times”.
At last, around four in the afternoon, the poet (or the editor ………………………….. His visit remained an unexplained mystery.
Finally, at around 4 p.m., the poet or the editor arrived. He was a tall man who appeared to be very English, and very serious.
The boss, Mr Wasan, delivered a long welcome speech. In his speech, Mr Wasan mentioned words like freedom and democracy.
Then the poet or the editor delivered his speech. Nobody had any idea what he was talking about. Moreover, his accent made it even more difficult to understand. This whole event lasted about an hour. Everyone was feeling very confused.
The people at Gemini Studios were wondering what an English poet was doing in a film studio that made Tamil movies for very simple people. So, his visit remained a big mystery for all of them.
Ans. According to the author, the English poet was a tall man who seemed to be very English and very serious.
Q. Who delivered the welcome speech? What did the speech contain?
Ans. The speech was delivered by Mr Wasan, the boss of the Gemini Studios. It appeared that Mr Wasan also did not know much about Stephen Spender. In his speech, he used words like freedom, democracy etc.
Q. Why were the people unable to understand what the poet or the editor spoke?
Ans. First of all the people did not know what he was saying. Moreover, his British accent became a hurdle.
The great prose writers of the world may not admit it, but my conviction grows stronger day after day that prose writing is not and cannot be the true pursuit of geniuses…………………….. Encounter wasn’t a known commodity among the Gemini literati.
According to the author, the world's famous writers may not openly accept that prose writing is not a true pursuit of geniuses. Instead, it is for those who are patient, persistent and have strong hearts so that nothing can easily hurt them. If they get rejected it mustn't bother them. They simply make a new copy and send it to another editor.
“The Hindu” put up a small notice in the corner of an unimportant page about a short story contest being organised by a British magazine named “The Encounter”. But the people in Gemini Studios knew little about “The Encounter”.The narrator wanted to participate in the contest. Therefore, he decided to learn more about the magazine before spending a lot of money on postage.
Q. What does the author say about the prose writing and prose writers?
Ans. According to the author, prose writing is not a pursuit of geniuses. It requires patience, perseverance and a strong heart.
Q. How do the prose writers display their patience and perseverance? Ans. When their writing is rejected, the prose writers make a new copy and send it to another publication.
Q. Why should a prose writer have a shrunken heart?
Ans. This is because rejection slips are common in their life.
Q. How do you know that the author was a prose writer?
Ans. He decided to participate in a story-writing competition.
Q. What was “The Encounter”?
Ans. It was a British periodical.
In those days, the British Council Library had an entrance with no long-winded signboards and notices………………… long lost brothers of Indian films discover each other by singing the same song in the first reel and in the final reel of the film. Stephen Spender.
To get more information about “The Encounter”, the narrator visited the British Council Library. There the narrator found copies of “The Encounter” which were kept untouched. When the narrator saw the name of the editor, it felt like a bell ringing in his strong heart. He was the same poet who had visited the Gemini Studios.
The narrator felt like he had found a long-lost brother. He was so happy when he sealed the envelope and wrote his address. He thought the poet or the editor might have the same feeling— like finding long-lost brothers in Indian films by singing the same song at the beginning and end of the movie. His name was Stephen Spender.
Q. How does the author describe the British Council Library?
Ans. According to the author, now the British Council Library appears to be a prohibited place.
Q. What did the narrator discover at the British Council Library?
Ans. The narrator found out that the editor of “The Encounter” was Stephen Spender, who had visited the Gemini Studios.
Q. How did the author feel to see the name of the editor of “The Encounter”?
Ans. The author was very excited to know that the editor was the same person who had visited Gemini Studios a little earlier. He started singing the song usually sung in Indian films by the two brothers before they get separated and when they meet after a long time.
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……………… The Boss of the Gemini Studios may not have much to do with Spender’s poetry. But not with his god that failed.
Many years passed. The narrator left the Gemini Studios. Now he had a lot of free time but very little money. Therefore, he liked to buy low-price books. One day, he found a book being sold on the footpath near the post office on Madras Mount Road. The book cost just 50 paise. It was being sold at a special low price to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Russian Revolution.
He bought one copy of the book The book was titled "The God That Failed," and it contained six essays written by six famous writers. In their essays, they mentioned their attraction towards communism and disillusioned return. These writers were Andre Gide, Richard Wright, Ignazio Silone, Arthur Koestler, Louis Fischer, and Stephen Spender.
When he saw Stephen Spender's name, the book became more important to him because he had visited Gemini Studios. The mystery about Stephen Spender’s visit to the Gemini Studios was solved.
Q. Which book did the author purchase? What was it about?
Ans. The author bought the book titled “The God That Failed”. It consisted of six essays written by prominent writers including Louis Fischer, and Stephen Spender. It was about their journey to communism and their disillusioned return.
Q. When was the mystery about the visit of Stephen Spender solved?
Ans. The mystery about Stephen Spender’s visit to the Gemini Studios was solved when the narrator read the book “The God That Failed”.
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