What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make-up’?
By ‘the misery’, the writer refers to the heat produced by the incandescent lights and increased by the mirrors, which was a misery to the people.
What is the example of national integration that the author refers to?
The composition of the make-up staff, which consisted of people from all across India, is what the author refers to as an example of national integration.
What work did the ‘office boy’ do in the Gemini Studios? Why did he join the studios? Why was he disappointed?
The ‘office boy’ applied make-up on crowd players. He had joined Gemini Studio in the hope of becoming a star actor or a top screen writer, director or lyrics writer. He was disappointed as he thought the great literary talent was being wasted in the studio’s make-up department, referring to himself.
Why did the author appear to be doing nothing at the studios?
The author read newspapers throughout the day, due to which it appeared as if he did nothing at the studios.
Why was the office boy frustrated? Who did he show his anger on?
The office boy was frustrated because he thought his talent was wasted in the studio’s make-up department. He showed most of his anger on Kothamangalam Subbu, the No.2 at Gemini Studios.
Who was Subbu’s principal?
Subbu’s principal was the ‘Boss’ of Gemini Studios.
Subbu is described as a many-sided genius. List four of his special abilities.
Subbu, as a man of many qualities, had the ability to look cheerful at all times, was an excellent actor who could portray his roles in several ways, was an accomplished poet, and loved anyone he met.
Why was the legal adviser referred to as the opposite by others?
The legal adviser, instead of working in the studio’s favour, once had scared an emerging actress into quitting her job, due to which people called him the opposite of a legal adviser.
What made the lawyer stand out from the others at Gemini Studios?
While everyone else at Gemini Studios wore khadi dhoti and a shirt, the lawyer wore pants and a tie, sometimes with a coat, which made him stand out from others.
Did the people at Gemini Studios have any particular political affiliations?
The people had no particular political affiliations, except that they worshipped Gandhiji, and weren’t fond of Communism.
Why was the Moral Rearmament Army welcomed at the Studios?
The Moral Rearmament Army was welcomed at the Studios as even though they’re plays were simple, their sets and costumes were very sophisticated, and their plays were professional.
Name one example to show that Gemini studios were influenced by the plays staged by MRA.
MRA’s nature as a counter to communism influenced the people at Gemini Studios to some extent.
Who was The Boss of Gemini Studios?
Mr. Vasan was the Boss of Gemini Studios.
What caused the lack of communication between the Englishman and the people at Gemini Studios?
The Englishman’s poetry and his accent couldn’t be understood by the simple staff of Gemini Studios, who worked mostly on Tamil films for simple people, due to which there was a lack of communication.
Why is the Englishman’s visit referred to an unexplained mystery?
As the people at Gemini Studios knew nothing about refined English poetry, thus the visit of the Englishman, his speech, and his accent wasn’t suited for the audience at Gemini Studios, which is why his visit was an unexplained mystery.
Who was the English visitor to the studios?
The English visitor to the studios was Stephen Spender, editor of a British Periodical called The Encounter.
How did the author discover who the English visitor to the studios was?
The author, wanting to apply for the short story contest in The Encounter, wanted to know about the periodical first. On reading it, he found out that its editor was the Englishman who had visited the studios.
What does The God that Failed refer to?
The God that Failed refers to a collection of essays by six authors who wrote about their journey into Communism, one of them being Stephen Spender.
The author has used gentle humor to point out human foibles.
Pick out instances of this to show how this serves to make the piece interesting.
The author uses several characters and their roles to portray human foibles, like the office boy’s ambitions to become a star actor, Subbu’s natural talent, and his strange qualities, the legal adviser’s ways that turned him into an opposite of an adviser, are a few instances from the passage.
Why was Kothamangalam Subbu considered No. 2 in Gemini Studios?
Kothamangalam Subbu worked under his principal, being very close and loyal to him. In his ways, he only took up secondary roles but was always better than the lead actors.
How does the author describe the incongruity of an English poet addressing the audience at Gemini Studios?
The author writes how the English poet’s visit to a studio mainly focused on producing simple Tamil films was a mystery, as no one could understand his poetry or his accent.
What do you understand about the author’s literary inclinations from the account?
The author was mostly interested in prose, as evident from his choice of books, his appreciation for Stephen Spender and the recurrent theme of prose literature in the account.
Discuss in small groups taking off from points in the text.
1. Film-production today has come a long way from the early days of the Gemini Studios.
2. Poetry and films.
3. Humour and criticism.
Do it yourself
• This piece is an example of a chatty, rambling style. One thought leads to another which is then dwelt upon at length.
• Read the text again and mark the transitions from one idea to another. The first one is indicated below.
Make-up department Office-boy Subbu
The examples of transitions from one idea to another are given below:
i. Legal Adviser- Gandhism and Communism- Moral.
ii. Rearmament Army- Englishman- Stephen Spender
You must have met some interesting characters in your neighbourhood or among your relatives. Write a humourous piece about their idiosyncrasies. Try to adopt the author’s rambling style, if you can.
The neighbourhood I lived in, called Race Course, was indeed a neighbourhood of all races, politically correct or not. Our neighbours, a Sikh family who had migrated from Pakistan after Partition, frowned at their new hilly surroundings, remembering their days in Punjab, while their children had no such apprehensions about the quiet hill-town, and often used to steal mangoes from the tree in our yard. The family opposite to our house, the Dharamshaktus, were upholders of their tradition of producing great lawyers, and their son was often seen fighting on the behalf of unwitting patrons at the local tea shop, haggling with the owner for two rupees. Caught between these lively neighbours, a herd of stray cattle occupying the cross-road, and the tea shop with its frequent political discussions, was my house. Unfortunately, our rather simplistic ways, normal lives and quiet existence didn’t quite fit in with the people of Race Course, who often used to come to our house, trying to write our story. Needless to say, my creative lies about our family history painted quite a picture for my neighbours, who finally accepted us as equally eccentric members of Race Course.