NCERT Book Class 12 English (Flamingo) Prose 6 Poets and Pancakes

6 Poets and Pancakes
About the author
Asokamitran (1931–2017), a Tamil writer, recounts his years
at Gemini Studios in his book My Years with Boss which talks
of the influence of movies on every aspect of life in India. The
Gemini Studios, located in Chennai, was set up in 1940. It was
one of the most influential film-producing organisations of India
in the early days of Indian film-making. Its founder was S.S.
Vasan. The duty of Asokamitran in Gemini Studios was to cut out
newspaper clippings on a wide variety of subjects and store them
in files. Many of these had to be written out by hand. Although
he performed an insignificant function he was the most well-
informed of all the members of the Gemini family. The following
is an excerpt from his book My Years with Boss.

Notice these words and expressions in the text.
Infer their meaning from the context.
 blew over  was struck dumb
 catapulted into  a coat of mail
 played into their hands  the favourite haunt
 heard a bell ringing

Pancake was the brand name of the make-up material that Gemini
Studios bought in truck-loads. Greta Garbo1 must have used it,
Miss Gohar must have used it, Vyjayantimala2 must also have used
it but Rati Agnihotri may not have even heard of it. 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. A dozen other
buildings in the city are said to have been his residence. For his

1. A Swedish actress, in 1954 she received an Honorary Oscar for her unforgettable screen
performances. The Guinness Book of World Records named her the most beautiful woman who
ever lived. She was also voted Best Silent Actress of the country.
2. An Indian actress whose performance was widely appreciated in Bimal Roy’s Devdas. She won
three Best Actress awards for her acting. She is now an active politician.