Poets

and
Pancakes
~Asokamitran

(1931-2017)
‘Pancakes’
Gemini Studios is an old film studio based in Madras (now Chennai). The
author reminisces about his times there starting with ‘Pancake’, an, old
brand of make-up that was used there. He referred to the actresses of olden
times who had used it, such as Greta Garbo (in Hollywood) and
Vyjayantimala, but actresses like Rati Agnihotri may not have even heard of
the brand of makeup as she entered the industry later and probably, the brand
was no longer in use then. The author mentions next that the makeup
department was situated in a building which was believed to be Robert
Clive’s stables. It is believed that Robert Clive had many houses in the city,
and he even married his wife at St. Mary’s Church in Fort St. George.
Next, the author details the ethnic composition of the make-
up department. He calls it national integration since it had
people from almost every Indian state. It had a Bengali, who
left. Then it was filled in succession with a Maharashtrian
assisted by a Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian
Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and, of course, Tamils. They
would apply layers of Pancake on actors, making them look
hideously ugly.

There was a strict hierarchy of work in the department. The

who would apply make-up on the actors who acted as the crowd. The office ‘boy’ was actually a man in
his forties, who had come to the studio in the hope of becoming a star actor, script writer, director or lyrics
writer
 ‘The Office
Boy’
The office boy was a forty year old makeup artist in Gemini studios,
who was not satisfied with his present job as he wanted to become a
successful director. He was jealous of Subbu, as he was closer to his
boss. Due to his unsuccessful career, he had a tendency to criticize
others. The office boy demonstrates the plight of those people who are
not able to realise their dreams and spend their life in misery.

Questions
• What is the Office Boy’s attitude towards his work?
• How does the Office Boy’s character differ from that of the
Lawyer’s?
Asokamitran
( Narrator)
The author’s job was to cut newspaper articles and keep them as a
record. He sat in a cubicle bracketed by French windows, a name he
didn’t know back then. Sitting at a desk on the film sets made
people think he was not doing any work. Hence, people would
barge in anytime. One person who was guilty of this behaviour far
more frequently than others was the aforementioned office ‘boy’,
who lectured him on the way great literary talent was being wasted
in the department. This made the author pray for frequent crowd
scenes to keep the office ‘boy’ away from him.

Question
• Who is Asokamitran in the chapter “Poet and Pancakes”?
 Kothamangalam
Subbu
Kothamangalam Subbu was the No. 2 or the second in command after the Boss at
Gemini Studios. People vented their frustration at him. Even the office ‘boy’
thought that Subbu was the reason for his problems. The author explained that
Subbu had to face many obstacles himself. Subbu was as educated as the office
‘boy’. However, since he was an upper caste Brahmin, he was privileged. Subbu
constantly wore a cheerful face, even if his films flopped. He would always work
with somebody, never alone. So, he was deeply loyal to them. His talent was
legendary.

He would know how to visualise a scene in several different ways. For him,
filmmaking was very easy. His work in films eclipsed his literary work. He wrote
poems and a long novel which had welldrawn characters. In addition, he was a
talented actor and genuinely liked people.

Kothamangalam Subbu
 ‘Legal Advisor’
While every other member of the Department wore khadi-dhoti with a slightly oversized and
clumsily tailored white khadi shirt, the legal adviser wore pants and a tie and sometimes a coat that
looked like a coat of mail. Often he looked alone and helpless — a man of cold logic in a crowd of
dreamers.

Like so many of those who were close to The Boss, he was allowed to produce a film and though a
lot of raw stock and pancake were used on it, not much came of the film. Then one day The Boss
closed down the Story Department and this was perhaps the only instance in all human history
where a lawyer lost his job because the poets were asked to go home.

Once an extremely talented actress, who was also extremely temperamental, blew over on the sets.
While everyone stood stunned, the lawyer quietly switched on the recording equipment and played it
back later which completely silenced and terrified her. This encounter marked the end of her brief
but bright acting career.
 ‘Poets’
The Gemini studio was frequented by famous poets (like S.D.S.Yogiar, Sangu
Subramanyam, Krishna Sastry and Harindranath Chattopadhyaya). The mess at the
studio was excellent, it prepared a nice coffee which was available all day long. In
those days, the Congress rule meant restrictions and a cup of coffee with friends was
the only source of entertainment. Only the office boys and some clerks at the studio
worked, the others enjoyed their free time which was necessary for creating poetry.
S.D.S Yogiar
Most of the poets wore clothes made of khadi fabric and respected Gandhiji for its
prevalence but were not politically inclined. They hated terms like communism
because they thought that a Communist did not love his family. He would not
hesitate in killing them. He was there to create violence among ignorant and
innocent people.

Sangu Subramanyam
‘Frank Buchman’s Moral Re-armament
Army’
Frank Buchman’s Moral Re-Armament army consisting of 200 people came to
Madras in 1952. They were referred to as the International Circus even though
they were not very good with trapeze and animals. They were hosted by Gemini
Studios and two of their plays that were performed with full proficiency and
professionalism got a lot of appreciation while they performed it again and again
in different parts of Madras.

Madras and the Tamil drama community were highly influenced by their play and
for some years almost all 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

The MRA was opposed to Communism and people like Mr Vasan was suffering at
their hands. However, these bosses and their businesses remained unaffected by
such issues. Not only the audience, but also the staff of Gemini studios had a great
time hosting two hundred people from over twenty nationalities.
 ‘‘The Visit’
After a few months, Gemini Studios got yet another chance to welcome a poet from England. People made
guesses about who was going to visit this time because most people knew a few poets like Wordsworth or
Tennyson, or the enthusiasts knew about Keats, Shelley, Byron or even Eliot. They were curious as to who was
the one visiting Gemini Studios.

The person about to visit Gemini Studios was not a poet but an editor of a newspaper daily and thus, the boss
was planning on giving him a huge welcome. Even Vasan was the editor of a famous Tamil weekly publication
titled Ananda Vikatan.

The highest level of managers at The Hindu were involved which meant that the editor was a prominent
personality. The staff at Gemini only knew of 2 newspapers – The Manchester Guardian and The London Times.
The man was not the editor of either of the two.

The guest was tall, and had a serious-looking British face. Boss welcomed him with a speech and that speech
was evident of the fact that he too only knew about him just as little as they did. When it was time for the poet
(or editor) to enlighten the audience, unfortunately, no one could understand a word he was saying because of his
British accent. He left an hour later and remained baffled throughout his visit.
 ‘‘Asokamitra and Writing’
Asokamitran feels that writing cannot be performed by the intelligent because it is a task of those
who are patient and can do the hard work. For such writers The Hindu advertised a short story
contest organised by The Encounter. As he didn’t know anything about ‘The Encounter’, he went
to the British Council Library to find the copy of this periodical.

He found the periodical lying untouched by the readers. The editor’s name rung a bell in
Asokamitran’s heart. He mailed his entry for the contest hoping that the editor would also feel the
same when he receives his mail.
 ‘The God that failed’
Years later when Asokamitran left the Gemini studio, he had much time but
no money. So, anything at a discount attracted him.

On the footpath of the Madras Mount Road Post Office, there was a pile of
brand new books for fifty paise each.

He was quite surprised by the cost. He came to know that they were copies of
the American origin book ‘The God that Failed’.

They were low priced on account of the 50th Anniversary of the Russian
Revolution, When Asokamitran read the name of the authors (Andre Gide ,
Richard Wright, Ignazio Silone, Arthur Koestler, Louis Fischer and Stephen
Spender.) the book suddenly gained utmost importance. They mystery of the
visit was solved
Stephen Spender
 Question
What was Mr. Vasan's actual motive for inviting Stephen Spender to Gemini
Studios?
Imp
. "The God That Failed" is key here. This book is a collection of essays by
prominent authors who had initially embraced communism but later became
disillusioned with it. Spender was one of the contributors to this book.

The author appears to suggest that Mr. Vasan, the head of Gemini Studios, may
not have been interested in Spender's poetry but rather in his perspective on
communism, as expressed in "The God That Failed." The phrase "his god that
failed" likely refers to Spender's disillusionment with communism, which is a
central theme in the book. It implies that Mr. Vasan may have been interested in
Spender's insights into the failures of communism, rather than his literary work.
 Summary
In this lesson, Asokamitran talks about Gemini Studios and all that helps in keeping it in the spotlight. He starts by making a
mention about ‘Pancakes’, the famous make-up brand which Gemini Studios ordered in truckloads. He then talks about the
plight of actors and actresses who have to bear too many lights on their face while getting ready in the make-up room. The
make-up department, according to him, used heaps of make-up to turn them into ugly-looking creatures. Shockingly, he
talks about the office boy of the make-up department whose task is to slap paint onto the faces of players at the time of
crowd-shooting. He was a poet and had joined the Studio in the hope of becoming an actor, screenwriter, director or a
lyricst. In those days, the author used to work inside a cubicle and had the task of collecting newspaper cuttings which,
according to others was insignificant. Thus, office boy would come in time again, to bother him with his complaints. He was
well-convinced that the reason behind his misery was Subbu. He thought Subbu had an advantage because he was born a
Brahmin. Subbu was a resourceful man whose loyalty made him stand out. He was tailor-made for films and it was difficult
to imagine film-making without him. He was very welcoming and was known for his hospitality. Just like many others at
the Gemini Studios, he also did poetry. He worked for the story department which also consisted of a lawyer. People
generally called him the opposite of a legal practitioner. He was a logical and neutral man amidst a room full of dreamers.
Asokamitran then describes how Gemini Studios got a chance to host a group of international performers called Moral
Rearmament Army. Though the plots and messages were not complex, their sets and costumes were near to perfection so
much so that for many years, Tamil plays displayed sunset and sunrise in a way inherited from ‘Jotham Valley’. Then
another guest, Stephen Spender comes to visit Gemini Studios. People had hardly heard of him and they couldn’t even
connect with him due to linguistic barriers. It was not until a few years later that Asokamitran saw his name in a book and
realised who he actually was.
PRESENTATI ON PREPARED AND PRESENTED BY:

EKNOOR & SAMEER