Chapter 6 Poets and Pancakes Solutions
Question - 11 : - Why was the Moral Re-Armament Army welcomed at Gemini Studios?
Answer - 11 : -
The Moral Re-Armament Army was invited to stage two plays, which were more like plain homilies тАШ (sermons/lectures) for the Gemini family. It was discovered only later that the group was part of the movement countering international communism and Vasan had invited them under the influence of his political interests.
Question - 12 : - Name one example to show that Gemini Studios was influenced by the plays staged by MRA?
Answer - 12 : -
MRA staged two plays тАШJotham ValleyтАЩ and тАШThe Forgotten FactorтАЩ. Their high quality costumes and
well made sets earned a lot of admiration. Their sunrise and sunset scene impressed them so much that all Tamil plays started reproducing the scene with a bare stage, a white background curtain and a tune playing on the flute.
Question - 13 : - Who was the Boss of Gemini Studios?
Answer - 13 : -
Mr. S.S. Vasan, the founder of Gemini Studios was the Boss. Apart from producing films, he was an editor of a popular Tamil weekly тАШAnanda VikatanтАЩ. He was a great admirer of scholarly people. Subbu seemed to enjoy an intimate relationship with him. Mr. Vasan is projected as a bit of showman here.
Question - 14 : - What caused the lack of communication between the Englishman and the people at Gemini Studios?
Answer - 14 : -
The EnglishmanтАЩs speech was peppered with words like тАШfreedomтАЩ and тАШdemocracyтАЩ and the Gemini
family had no political interests, so they were dazed and a silent audience. Also, the EnglishmanтАЩs accent was difficult to understand, because of which all communication had failed. He was basically a poet and that made no sense to the people whose life centered around a film studio.
Question - 15 : - Why was the EnglishmanтАЩs visit referred to as unexplained mystery?
Answer - 15 : -
The Englishman was a poet whose name was not familiar. In his speech he talked about the thrills and travails of an English poet, which made no sense for the simple people at Gemini Studios who had had no exposure other than films and so they were not interested. These simple people had neither taste for English poetry nor political interests. Hence, his visit is referred to as an unexplained mystery.
Question - 16 : - Who was the English visitor to the studios?
Answer - 16 : -
The English visitor to the studios was poet Stephen Spender, editor of British periodical тАШThe EncounterтАЩ.
Question - 17 : - How did the author discover who the English visitor to the studio was?
Answer - 17 : -
The author discovered his identity by reading his name on the pages of тАШThe EncounterтАЩ in the British Council Library. He also knew about him from the paperback edition of the book The God That Failed.
Question - 18 : - What does The God That Failed refer to?
Answer - 18 : -
The God That Failed refers to a book that was a compilation of six essays by six eminent men. It was a low priced student edition released to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. It dealt with the authorтАЩs disillusionment with communism.
Question - 19 : - 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 - 19 : -
тАШPoets and PancakesтАЩ has an underlying tone of humour which is satirical and has been deployed by the author to point out human foibles. It is mainly manifested in his description of the make-up room people.
The make-up room, he says, was in a building that had once been the stables of Robert Clive. He further makes fun of the make-up team that slapped make-up. Ironically, the make-up turned any normal man into a hideous monster, far from being presentable. He also refers to the fiery misery of the actors when their make-up was done under the bright bulbs, large mirrors reflecting blazing heat. His description of SubbuтАЩs No. 2 position in Gemini Studios, the frustration of the office boy and the opposite role played by the legal adviser in the acting career of a countryside girl are humorously dealt with but effectively bring out the flaws in the set-up.
The showmanship of the boss and what influences his guest list point out human weaknesses in a light-hearted manner. The humour is at its peak in the description of the visit of Stephen Spender. S.S. VasanтАЩs reading a long speech in his honour but he too knew precious little about him. SpenderтАЩs accent is highly unintelligible. Then the authorтАЩs establishing long lost brotherтАЩs relationship with the English visitor is also funny and humorous. All these slight digs at human foibles tickle in us humour.
┬а
Question - 20 : - Why was Kothamangaiam Subbu considered No. 2 in Gemini Studios?
Answer - 20 : -
Kothamangaiam Subbu was on the attendance roll with the story department and was No. 2 at Gemini Studios not by virtue of any merit, but because he was a Brahmin with affluent exposure. He was cheerful and had a sense of loyalty that placed him close to the Boss. He was quick to delegate work to others. As if tailor-made for films, sparks of his creativity showed in his suggestions on how to create shots. He composed poetry, scripted a story and a novel. He gave direction and definition to Gemini Studios during its golden years. He performed in a subsidiary role better than the main players. He had a genuine love for his relatives and near and dear ones. His extravagant hospitality was popular among his relatives and acquaintances, probably that is why he had enemies.