What traumatic event does Zitkala-Sa describe at the school?

The forcible cutting of her long hair

Why was the cutting of her hair so humiliating to Zitkala-Sa?

Among her people, shingled hair was worn by cowards and mourners

What does the writer mean by the 'fiery misery' of those subjected to make-up?

He refers to the discomfort of actors sitting under the many incandescent lights of the make-up room, which gave off intense heat.

What example of national integration does the author refer to?

The make-up department was staffed by men from many regions and communities working together, long before official campaigns on national integration began.

Why did the office boy join the studios, and why was he disappointed?

He joined hoping to become a star actor, screenwriter, director or lyricist; he was disappointed to end up merely applying make-up to crowd players.

Why was Kothamangalam Subbu considered No. 2 at Gemini Studios?

Because of his loyalty, cheerfulness and many-sided genius — he could be inspired on command and gave direction and definition to the studio in its golden years.

List some of Subbu's special abilities.

He was a poet writing for the masses, a novelist (Thillana Mohanambal), an amazing character actor, and a man of great charity who supported many dependants.

Why was the legal adviser referred to as 'the opposite' of his title?

Officially the legal adviser, he once unwittingly ended an actress's career by recording her outburst, so others jokingly called him the opposite of an adviser.

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

They wore khadi and worshipped Gandhi but had little real political understanding; they were vaguely averse to Communism without grasping it.

Why was the Moral Re-Armament Army welcomed at the studios?

Its anti-Communist message suited the big bosses; its professionally staged plays impressed the staff and influenced Tamil drama for years.

How did the author finally discover who the English visitor was?

Years later he found a cheap copy of 'The God That Failed', in which Stephen Spender described his disillusionment with Communism, explaining the Boss's interest in him.

What kind of writing style does this piece illustrate?

It is a chatty, rambling, humorous style in which one thought leads to another, using gentle satire to expose human foibles.

Poets and Pancakes

Class 12 English · Flamingo · Chapter 6

Visual story

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CBSE Class 12 · English Core

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Marks booster + cheatsheet: key concepts in 2 lines each, common traps
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CBSE Class 12 · English Core

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The story in short

An excerpt from 'My Years with Boss' by the Tamil writer Asokamitran, this piece is a humorous, rambling account of the Gemini Studios in Madras, one of the most influential film-producing organisations of early Indian cinema, founded by S.S. Vasan. The author, whose job was to cut out newspaper clippings, observes the studio's personalities with gentle humour and satire. He describes the make-up department, named after the brand 'Pancake', staffed by a 'nationally integrated' team of make-up men from many regions who could turn any face into a hideous crimson monster under the incandescent lights. He paints affectionate portraits of the office boy — a frustrated forty-year-old aspiring poet who blamed all his woes on Kothamangalam Subbu, the cheerful, loyal, many-sided No. 2 of the studios, a poet, novelist and actor who gave direction to Gemini in its golden years. He recalls the studio's Story Department, with its out-of-place legal adviser 'a man of cold logic in a crowd of dreamers'. The khadi-clad poets of Gemini, who worshipped Gandhi but were averse to Communism, warmly hosted Frank Buchman's Moral Re-Armament army in 1952, whose plays influenced Tamil drama. Later an unknown English visitor — the poet and editor Stephen Spender — addressed the baffled, uncomprehending studio audience, a mystery the author only solved years later when he discovered Spender's name in 'The God That Failed'. The essay is an example of a chatty, transitional style where one thought leads to another.

Early Indian cinemaHumour and satireCharacter sketchesA chatty, rambling stylePoets and writers in a film studio

Characters & key ideas

Gemini StudiosThe influential Madras film studio founded by S.S. Vasan.

PancakeThe brand of make-up material bought by the studio in truckloads.

Kothamangalam SubbuThe loyal, many-sided No. 2 who gave direction to Gemini.

The office boyA frustrated, ageing aspiring poet who envied Subbu.

Stephen SpenderThe unknown English poet-editor who baffled the studio audience.

Moral Re-ArmamentFrank Buchman's troupe whose plays influenced Tamil drama.

Extra questions & answers (board-style)

Try one from this chapter

Who wrote "Poets and Pancakes"?

Flashcards & interactive practice