POETS AND PANCAKES BY ASHOKAMITRAN

COMPLETE SOLUTION OF POETS AND PANCAKES 

Q1. What is the name of the author of “Poets and Pancakes”?

Ans:- Ashokamitran is the author of ‘Poets and pancakes’.

Q2. What was the mean by ‘Pancakes’ in Gemini studios?

Ans:- Pancakes was the brand name of the make-up material which was used  in Gemini Studios while 1940s.

Q3. Who was Greta Garbo?

Ans:- Greta Garbo was a Swedish actress who must have used pancakes while getting her face make-up.

Q4. Who were Miss Gohar and Vyjantimala?

Ans:- Miss Gohar and Vyjantimala were prominent veteran actress of Indian cinema of 1940s.

Q5. Who was the founder of Gemini Studios?

Ans:- S.S. Vasan was the founder of Gemini Studios.

Q6. Where was Gemini Studios located?

Ans:- Gemini Studios was located in Chennai.

Q7. Where was the make-up department of Gemini Studios?

Ans:- The make-up department of the Gemini Studios was in the upstairs of a building that was believed to have been Robert Clive’s Stables.

Q8. Who was Robert Clive? What did he do in India?

Ans:- Robert Clive was the British Governor, he seemed to have done a lot of moving. He also fought some impossible battles in remote corners of India and married a maiden in St. Mary’s Church in Fort St. George in Madras.

Q9. What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make-up?

Ans:- There were half a dozen magnificent mirrors and lights at every angle of the make-up room. So, the people subjected to the make-up had to face fiery misery. That’s why the author speaks about ‘fiery misery’.

Q10. Why Gemini Studios is called symbol of national integration?

Ans:- Indeed, there were many people in Gemini Studios from different caste and creed from different parts of India. Bengali, Maharashtrian, Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian and Anglo-Burmese as well as local Tamils but they often lived together with harmony. So, Gemini Studios is called symbol of national integration.

Q11. What was the work of make-up department in Gemini Studios?

Ans:- Work of make-up department to paint the faces of actors and actress to look ugly in order to look presentable in the movie.

Q12. What did office boy do in the make-up department?

Ans:- The office boy had duty to paint the faces of crowd players.

Q13. Why did the office boy join the Gemini studios?

Ans:- The office boy joined the Gemini Studios years ago by keeping hope of becoming a star actor or a top screen writer, director or lyric writer.

Q14. Why did the author appear to be doing nothing at the Studios?

Ans:- In those days author Ashokamitran worked in a cubicle. He sat in front of the desk tearing up news papers all the day long. That’s why people thought that the author appear doing nothing.

 Q15. Who was Kothamangalam Subbu? What was his rank in Gemini Studios?

Ans:- Kothamangalam Subbu was a versatile veteran actor who knew much about film making. He was the No. 2 in Gemini Studios.

Q16. What special virtue had within Subbu?

Ans:- Subbu had the ability to look cheerful at all times even after having had a hand in a flop film.

Q17. Why director and producer of the film asked for help from Subbu?

Ans:- In fact, Subbu was a versatile film actor who knew much about film making. Whenever any difficult scene would come, often he was remembered to mend the scene in the proper order and he did the best. So, Subbu was remembered by director and producer.

Q18. Name the novel which was written by Subbu?

Ans:-Novel Thillana Mohanambal was written by Subbu.

Q19. Why was Subbu very close to the Boss?

Ans:- Subbu always would seek out work for others, he never took rest even a span of moment. He always kept himself busy with the Boss in the shooting; perhaps that’s why Subbu was very close to the Boss.

Q20. Who was Subbu’s principal?

Ans:- Subbu’s principal was the actor of the film means hero for whom he toiled and loyal to him.

Q21. Subbu is described as a many-side genius. List four of his special abilities?

Ans:- Subbu is described as a multi talented actor. Followings are his four special abilities.

 (a) Subbu always kept on looking cheerful even after having a hand in a flop film.

(b) He was a poet.

(c) He was a novelist too.

(d) Subbu had much knowledge about the film making.

Q22. Why was the legal adviser referred to as the opposite by others?

Ans:- The legal adviser was an eternal part of the story department. He had terminated the career of a beautiful heroine. He seemed alone and helpless but he was a man of cold logic in a crowd of dreamers. So, the legal adviser was referred as opposite by others.

 Q23. What kind of uniform did the people of the story department wear except legal adviser?

Ans:- The people who worked in the story department wore- khadi dhoti with a slightly oversized and clumsily tailored white khadi shirt.

Q24. What was the uniform of the legal adviser?

Ans:- The legal adviser wore pants and a tie and sometimes a coat .

Q25. Whose favourite haunt was Gemini Studios?

Ans:- Indeed, Gemini Studios was the favourite haunt for few poets like S.D.S.Yogiar, Sangu Subramanyam, Krishna Sastry and Harindranath Chattopadhyaya.

Q26. Who welcomed Frank Bucherman’s Morals Re-Armament army in India in 1952?

Ans:- Gemini Studios welcomed Frank Bucherman’s Morals Re- Armament army in India with its best hospitality in 1952.

Q27. What were names of those two plays which were played in a most professional manner by MRA?

Ans:- They were ‘Jotham Valley’ and ‘The Forgotten Factor’.

Q28. What is the mean by MRA in the story?

Ans:- MRA means, Moral Re-Armament Army.

Q29. Did the people at Gemini Studios have any particular political affiliations?

Ans:- Not at all, the people at Gemini studios didn’t have any individual political affiliations. They were followers of Mahatma Gandhi and wore khadi dhoti and shirt.

Q30. What caused the lack of communication between the Englishman and the people at Gemini studios?

Ans:- Most of the people who worked at Gemini Studios were great followers of M. Gandhi. They loved their mother tongue the most and their knowledge towards English was weak too. So, the obstacle of language caused the lack of communication between the Englishman and the people at Gemini Studios.

Q31. Who was the English visitor to the Studios?

Ans:- Stephen Spender was the visitor of the Gemini Studios.

Q32. Why is the Englishman’s visit referred to as unexplained mystery?

Ans:- In fact, the visit of Englishman to the Gemini Studios remained as an unexplained mystery because none could understand what he was talking about and another hand his accent bothered much while speaking for the people of Gemini Studios. The poet Spender was looking himself baffled. Beside the people of Gemini Studios were poor in English too. Hence the visit of the Englishman referred to as an unexplained mystery.

Q33. Who was the Editor of “The Encounter”?

Ans:- Stephen Spender was the Editor of ‘The Encounter’.

Q34. How did the author discover who the English visitor to the Studios?

Ans:- Once The Hindu had published a tiny announcement about a short story contest organised a British periodical by the name The Encounter. Ashokamitran wanted complete information about The Encounter before sending his story to England. After all, it involved a demand of money to send the manuscript to England. So, by holding this intention, the author went to the British Council Library. There he found several copies of The Encounter. When he read the Editor’s name on them, the author flabbergasted. Because it was none other than Stephen Spender, the English poet who had visited the Gemini Studios, thus the author discovered the visitor of the Studios.

Q35. What does ‘The God that Failed’ refer to?

Ans:- ‘The God that Failed’ refers to the communism and the communist rule in Russia.