NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 6 - Poets and Pancakes

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The writer uses 'fiery misery' to describe the terrible discomfort actors faced during makeup. The bright, hot lights in the makeup room created unbearable heat, making the actors suffer greatly while getting their makeup done. This painful experience felt like burning torture, which is why the author called it 'fiery misery'.

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The makeup department at Gemini Studios was a perfect example of national integration. People from many different regions and religions worked together peacefully. The department was led by a Bengali person, then by a Maharashtrian. Other workers included people from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, a Madras Christian, an Anglo-Burmese person, and local Tamils. Despite their different backgrounds, they all worked as a team.

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The office boy's job was to apply makeup on crowd actors. During crowd scenes, he would mix paint in a large container and quickly apply it on many actors' faces. He had joined the studios hoping to become a famous actor, screenwriter, director, or lyricist. However, he was disappointed because despite his dreams and talents, he remained stuck in the same low-level job and never got the opportunities he wanted.

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The author's job was to collect newspaper clippings on various topics and organize them in files. Sometimes he had to copy these clippings by hand. To people watching him, it looked like he was just tearing up newspapers and doing nothing important. They couldn't understand that this was actually his assigned work, so they thought he was wasting time.

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The office boy felt frustrated because he had good education and could even write poetry, but despite his talents, he was stuck in a basic job. He felt his abilities were being wasted and he wasn't getting the recognition he deserved. He directed his anger towards Kothamangalam Subbu, who was the second most important person at Gemini Studios, probably because he was jealous of Subbu's success.

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Mr. S.S. Vasan, who started and owned Gemini Studios, was Subbu's boss or principal.

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Subbu had many special talents:

• He always stayed cheerful and positive, no matter what happened
• He was extremely loyal and used all his creativity to help his boss succeed
• He was talented in literature - he wrote poetry and novels, and was also a great actor
• He had a kind heart and was always ready to help others in need

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The legal adviser was called "the opposite" because he did the exact opposite of what his job title suggested. Instead of giving helpful legal advice, he accidentally caused problems. He unknowingly destroyed a young actress's career, which was the opposite of helping people. His actions harmed rather than helped, so people sarcastically called him "the opposite."

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The lawyer stood out because of his Western-style clothing. He wore pants, a tie, and sometimes even a coat, while everyone else at the studio wore simple Indian clothes - a khadi dhoti with a loose white khadi shirt that looked like a uniform. His formal Western dress made him look very different from the rest of the staff.

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Most people at Gemini Studios supported Gandhi and wore khadi clothes to show this support. However, beyond wearing khadi, they didn't have strong political beliefs or involvement. The main thing they all agreed on was being against communism. They weren't deeply political but had basic patriotic feelings.

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The Moral Rearmament Army was welcomed because it opposed communism, which the studio people also disliked. Important business leaders in Madras, including Mr. Vasan, supported this anti-communist movement. Since the studio bosses favored anything against communism, they readily welcomed the Moral Rearmament Army to their premises.

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The MRA's play "Jotham Valley" greatly influenced Tamil theater. For several years, almost every Tamil play copied the style of this play by including scenes with sunrise and sunset. These scenes used a simple empty stage, a white background curtain, and flute music, just like in "Jotham Valley." This shows how deeply the MRA plays affected local drama.

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Mr. S.S. Vasan was the owner and boss of Gemini Studios.

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The communication problem happened because most of the 600 people at Gemini Studios spoke Tamil, while the Englishman spoke only in English. Even worse, he had a very unusual accent that made his English hard to understand. So the audience couldn't follow what he was saying, creating a complete communication breakdown.

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The Englishman's visit was called an "unexplained mystery" because nobody could figure out who he really was or why he came. People couldn't tell if he was a poet, an editor, or something else. When he spoke, his strange accent made it impossible for anyone to understand what he was trying to say. His identity and purpose remained completely unclear to everyone.

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The mysterious English visitor was Stephen Spender, a famous British poet, essayist, and novelist of the 20th century. He was also the editor of a British magazine called "The Encounter." At the time of his visit, nobody at the studio knew who he was.

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The author found out by accident years later. He wanted to enter a short story contest organized by an English magazine called "The Encounter." Before spending money on the entry fee, he decided to research the magazine at the British Council Library. While reading through the magazine, he discovered that Stephen Spender was its editor. This made him realize that Spender was the same mysterious Englishman who had visited their studio years ago.

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"The God That Failed" was a book containing six essays written by six famous writers: Andre Gide, Richard Wright, Ignazio Silone, Arthur Koestler, Louis Fischer, and Stephen Spender. In these essays, each writer shared their personal story of how they once believed in communism but later became disappointed and left it behind. The book was about their journey from believing in communism to losing faith in it.

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The author uses gentle humor throughout the story to point out people's funny habits and weaknesses without being mean. For example, he amusingly describes the makeup artists and their use of pancakes, making it sound both important and ridiculous. He humorously portrays Subbu as someone always eager to solve his boss's problems. The story of the legal adviser accidentally ruining an actress's career is told with ironic humor. The frustrated office boy, people's shallow support of Gandhi, their hatred of communism, and the mystery around Stephen Spender are all described with gentle wit. This humor makes the story entertaining while still making serious points about human behavior.

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Subbu became the second most important person at Gemini Studios through his clever use of flattery and loyalty. He wasn't the most brilliant person, but he was always cheerful and extremely loyal to the boss. Whenever the boss faced any problem, Subbu was quick to offer solutions. His ability to make the boss happy and his constant availability made him the most trusted person, earning him the number two position in the studio.

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The author finds it absurd and mismatched that an English poet was talking to a Tamil-speaking audience about English poetry. The poet spoke in English with a strange accent about the joys and struggles of being an English poet, while his audience sat confused and silent, unable to understand a word he said. It was like trying to explain snow to people who had never seen winter - completely meaningless and disconnected.

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The author was interested in writing prose, particularly short stories. We know this because he wanted to submit a short story to a contest organized by the British magazine "The Encounter." This shows he was serious about his writing and was looking for opportunities to get his work published and recognized.

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Today's film industry is completely different from the old Gemini Studios days. Modern filmmaking uses advanced technology with high-quality cameras and sophisticated equipment that allow for much more creative and accurate storytelling. While old studios used to shoot only 5% of scenes outdoors, today filmmakers shoot anywhere they want. Makeup has evolved far beyond the simple pancake used in Gemini Studios - now we have professional makeup artists and even digital effects. All the different departments like directing, producing, writing, and acting now have specialized experts. The overall quality of films today is much more polished, visually stunning, and engaging than the simple productions of the past.

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In India, poetry and films have always been closely connected. At Gemini Studios, many people claimed to be poets, mainly because their boring, routine work gave them too much free time to daydream. However, most of these people weren't educated or talented enough to be real poets. Films, unlike poetry, can reach people from all backgrounds - even those who can't afford to develop a taste for literature and poetry can enjoy movies. Films use visual storytelling that doesn't require the same level of education or cultural background that poetry appreciation needs.

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The story cleverly uses gentle humor to make serious criticisms about human behavior and society. Humor makes criticism more acceptable and entertaining - people are more likely to listen to and remember funny stories than serious lectures. Humorous content attracts more readers and viewers because it provides entertainment and helps people forget their daily worries. When writers and filmmakers use humor to criticize society, their message becomes more effective because people don't feel attacked. Instead, they can laugh while also thinking about the serious points being made. This makes humor a powerful tool for social commentary.