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Think as you read

Q1. What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected ‘make-up’?
Answer: The writer means the intense discomfort and pain caused by the heat of the incandescent lights used in the make-up room. The lights were so hot that they caused “fiery misery” to those sitting under them.

Q2. What is the example of national integration that the author refers to?
Answer: The author refers to the make-up department as an example of national integration. The department had people from different states of India, including a Bengali, a Maharashtrian, a Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese, and local Tamils.

Q3. What work did the ‘office boy’ do in the Gemini Studios? Why did he join the studios? Why was he disappointed?
Answer: The ‘office boy’ applied make-up to the crowd players. He joined the studios with the hope of becoming a star actor, a top screen writer, director, or a lyricist. He was disappointed because he was stuck doing a trivial job, and his dreams were not being realised.

Q4. Why did the author appear to be doing nothing at the studios?
Answer: The author appeared to be doing nothing because his job was to cut out newspaper clippings and store them in files. This was an insignificant function, and people would often see him sitting at his desk tearing up newspapers “day in and day out,” making them believe he was doing “next to nothing.”

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Think as you read

Q1. Why was the office boy frustrated? Who did he show his anger on?
Answer: The office boy was frustrated because his great literary talent was being wasted in a make-up department. He was stuck in a low-level job, and his dreams of becoming a director or actor were not being realised. He showed his anger and frustration on Kothamangalam Subbu, who was No. 2 at Gemini Studios.

Q2. Who was Subbu’s principal?
Answer: Subbu’s principal was S.S. Vasan, the founder of Gemini Studios, whom the author refers to as “The Boss.”

Q3. Subbu is described as a many-sided genius. List four of his special abilities.
Answer: Four of Subbu’s special abilities are:

1. He had the ability to look cheerful at all times.
2. He could come up with multiple solutions for a single problem.
3. He was a talented poet and a novelist.
4. He was a great actor who performed better than the main players.

Q4. Why was the legal adviser referred to as the opposite by others?
Answer: The legal adviser was referred to as the opposite because he was a man of “cold logic” in a crowd of “dreamers.” While others were emotional and creative, he was neutral and rational. He was also a part of the Story Department, which was full of writers and poets, but he was a lawyer.

Q5. What made the lawyer stand out from the other at Gemini Studios?
Answer: The lawyer stood out from the others because of his clothing. While everyone else wore a “khadi dhoti with a slightly oversized and clumsily tailored white khadi shirt,” he wore “pants and a tie and sometimes a coat that looked like a coat of mail.” He was also the only person who was a man of logic in a crowd of dreamers.

Page 64

Think as you read

Q1. Did the people at Gemini Studios have any particular political affiliations?
Answer: The people at Gemini Studios did not have any particular political affiliations. They wore khadi and worshipped Gandhiji, but they had “not the faintest appreciation for political thought of any kind.” They were all averse to the term ‘Communism.’

Q2. Why was the Moral Rearmament Army welcomed at the Studios?
Answer: The Moral Rearmament Army (MRA) was welcomed at the Gemini Studios because its plays were a counter-movement to international Communism. The “big bosses of Madras” like Mr. Vasan, who were averse to Communism, “simply played into their hands.” The MRA was also a large group of people from different countries, and the staff of Gemini Studios had a nice time hosting them.

Q3. Name one example to show that Gemini studios was influenced by the plays staged by MRA.
Answer: The plays staged by the MRA influenced Gemini Studios in that for some years, almost all Tamil plays had a scene of “sunrise and sunset” with a “bare stage, a white background curtain and a tune played on the flute,” in the manner of ‘Jotham Valley.’

Q4. Who was The Boss of Gemini Studios?
Answer: The Boss of Gemini Studios was S.S. Vasan.

Q5. What caused the lack of communication between the Englishman and the people at Gemini Studios?
Answer: The lack of communication was caused by two factors: the Englishman’s “very English, very serious and of course very unknown” persona and his accent. The people at the studios, who were simple and accustomed to Tamil films, could not understand a word of what he was saying.

Q6. Why is the Englishman’s visit referred to as unexplained mystery?
Answer: The Englishman’s visit is referred to as an “unexplained mystery” because no one at the studios understood what he was doing there. He was a poet and an editor of a British periodical, while the Gemini Studios made Tamil films for the simplest sort of people. The “incongruity” of his talk about the “thrills and travails of an English poet” to a dazed audience left everyone baffled.

Page 65

Think as you read

Q1. Who was the English visitor to the studios?
Answer: The English visitor to the studios was Stephen Spender.

Q2. How did the author discover who the English visitor to the studios was?
Answer: The author discovered who the English visitor was years later when he was out of Gemini Studios. He came across a book titled ‘The God That Failed’ on a footpath and bought it for fifty paise. When he read the list of contributors, he saw the name Stephen Spender and realised that he was the same poet who had visited the studios years ago.

Q3. What does The God that Failed refer to?
Answer: “The God that Failed” refers to Communism. The book contains essays by six eminent men of letters who describe “their journeys into Communism and their disillusioned return.”

Page 66

Understanding the text

Q1. The author has used gentle humour to point our human foibles. Pick out instances of this to show how this serves to make the piece interesting.
Answer: The author uses gentle humour to point out human foibles in several instances. For example, he describes the make-up department as a place where “any decent-looking person” could be turned into a “hideous crimson hued monster.” He also humorously refers to the ‘office boy’ who was in his forties and whose “literary talent was being allowed to go waste in a department fit only for barbers and perverts.” The author’s self-deprecating humour about his own job, and his comparison of the lawyer’s coat to a “coat of mail” make the piece interesting and engaging.

Q2. Why was Kothamangalam Subbu considered No. 2 in Gemini Studios?
Answer: Kothamangalam Subbu was considered No. 2 in Gemini Studios because of his immense creativity, loyalty, and problem-solving abilities. He was tailor-made for films and could come up with multiple solutions for any problem the producer had. His sense of loyalty made him identify completely with his principal, and he turned his creativity to “his principal’s advantage.”

Q3. How does the author describe the incongruity of an English poet addressing the audience at Gemini Studios?
Answer: The author describes the incongruity of an English poet addressing the audience by highlighting the vast cultural and linguistic gap between them. He says that the audience, who made and watched Tamil films for the simplest sort of people, could not understand what the tall, very serious Englishman was saying. The poet’s talk about the “thrills and travails of an English poet” was completely out of place in a film studio that made films for the masses.

Q4. What do you understand about the author’s literary inclinations from the account?
Answer: From the account, it is clear that the author has a strong literary inclination. Despite his insignificant job, he was the “most well-informed of all the members of the Gemini family.” He was aware of The Encounter, a British literary periodical, and had an interest in poetry and prose writing. He also had a “shrunken heart” that “heard a bell ringing” when he saw the name of Stephen Spender, showing his deep connection to the world of literature.

Talking about the text

Q1. Film-production today has come a long way from the early days of the Gemini Studios.
Answer: Film production today is vastly different from the early days of Gemini Studios. In the past, make-up was a time-consuming and cumbersome process involving incandescent lights and truckloads of pancake. Today, make-up is a specialised art form with advanced products and techniques. The studios of the past were also very different, with all the departments being in one place. Today, film production is a global industry with specialised departments and advanced technology. The focus has shifted from simple storytelling to special effects, visual graphics, and complex narratives.

Q2. Poetry and films.
Answer: Poetry and films, though different art forms, can complement each other. Poetry is often used in films to create a mood, a feeling, or to add a deeper meaning to a scene. Films can also be a source of inspiration for poetry, and many poets have written about films and the people who make them. Films, like poetry, can be a reflection of a society, its culture, and its values.

Q3. Humour and criticism.
Answer: The author’s use of humour is a great way to criticise without being harsh or moralistic. By using gentle humour, he points out the flaws and idiosyncrasies of the people he worked with, and the inefficiencies of the system, without being preachy. His humour makes the criticism more palatable and the piece more enjoyable to read. It is a powerful tool that can be used to make a point without being overly aggressive.

Noticing transitions

Q1. Read the text again and mark the transitions from one idea to another.
Answer: The transitions are:

• Make-up department to office boy: The author starts by talking about the make-up department and then transitions to the ‘office boy’ who worked there.
• Office-boy to Subbu: The author transitions from the office boy’s frustration to the person he showed his anger on, Kothamangalam Subbu.
• Subbu to the lawyer and Story Department: The author transitions from Subbu, who was always with The Boss, to the Story Department, which included a lawyer and a group of writers and poets.
• Story Department to the poets’ haunt: The author transitions from the Story Department’s closure to the fact that Gemini Studios was a “favourite haunt of poets.”
• Poets to MRA’s visit: The author transitions from the poets’ aversion to Communism to the visit of the Moral Re-Armament army, which was a counter-movement to Communism.
• MRA’s visit to the Englishman’s visit: The author transitions from the MRA’s visit to another visitor, an English poet.
• Englishman’s visit to the author’s discovery: The author transitions from the “unexplained mystery” of the Englishman’s visit to his own discovery of the poet’s identity.

Writing

Q1. If the interviewer Mukund Padmanabhan had not got the space in the newspaper to reproduce the interview verbatim, he may have been asked to produce a short report of the interview with the salient points. Write this report for him.
Answer:
Report: An Interview with Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco: A Professor Who Writes on Sundays
In an exclusive interview with Mukund Padmanabhan of The Hindu, the celebrated Italian academic and novelist Umberto Eco discussed his dual identity as a scholar and a fiction writer. Eco, who considers himself a “university professor who writes novels on Sundays,” expressed his surprise at being known primarily as a novelist, despite his more than 40 non-fiction works. He explained that his works, both academic and fictional, are driven by the same “bunch of ethical, philosophical interests.”
Eco shared a secret to his prolific output: he makes use of the “empty spaces” in life, such as waiting for an elevator, to write. He also revealed that he adopted a narrative style in his academic writing from a young age, which later made the transition to novel writing seamless. On the immense success of his novel, The Name of the Rose, Eco stated that it was a mystery and that it was not a surprise that a serious novel could attract a large audience, as not all people desire “easy experiences.” He concluded by reiterating his belief that the success of a book is unpredictable and depends on the time in which it is published.

Things to do

Q1. Interview a person whom you admire either in school or your neighbourhood and record it in writing.
Answer:
An Interview with Ms. Rita Verma, a Neighbourhood Artist
Interviewer: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, Ms. Verma. I’ve always admired your artwork displayed in your window. How did you get started with painting?
Ms. Verma: Thank you for your kind words. I started painting when I was a little girl. My father was a painter, and he taught me the basics. I found that I was able to express myself through colours and shapes in a way that I couldn’t with words. It was a way for me to connect with my inner world.
Interviewer: Your paintings are so vibrant and full of life. Where do you get your inspiration from?
Ms. Verma: I get my inspiration from the world around me. The vibrant colours of the market, the lush greenery of the park, and the simple beauty of everyday life. I try to capture the emotions and feelings of the people I see. I believe that every person has a story to tell, and I try to tell it through my art.
Interviewer: Do you have any advice for aspiring artists in our neighbourhood?
Ms. Verma: My only advice is to keep practicing. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Art is a journey, and every stroke of the brush is a step forward. Don’t compare yourself to others. Find your own voice and express yourself. Most importantly, never give up on your passion.