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My Mother At Sixty Six Summary in English by Kamala Das

My Mother At Sixty Six Poem by Kamala Das About the Poet

Kamala Das was bom on March 31,1934 in Punnayurkulam, Thrissur District in Kerala. She was one of f the India’s original and versatile writers. She spent her childhood between Calcutta, where her father : was employed and at the ancestral home in Punnayurkulam. The writings of her great uncle, Nalapat Narayana Menon and mother Nalapat Balamani Amma had a great impact on her.

She took to writing at an early age and continued even after marriage as she was encouraged by her husband to write. Her ? writings reflect exploration of a wide range of relationships from a woman’s point of view—a daughter, a wife and a mother. Her works are filled with a woman’s desire for self-expression and freedom.

My Mother At Sixty Six Introduction to the Poem

Though ageing is a natural process, yet the fear of separation from your loved and near ones is very painful. The poem talks about the feeling of loneliness that aged people experience and the feeling of guilt which their offspring experience for not being able to be with their parents in their old age. The poem also explores the feelings of melancholy and pain that a daughter experiences while leaving her mother, all by herself, at a ripe old age. The agony of separation is brought forward in this poem very explicitly. The poem, in a way, also sends a very strong message to the youth of today—do not be so busy in fulfilling your desires and wishes that you forget to take care of your elderly parents when they need you the most. At times, situation can be binding. But one should never forget to show one’s love, affection and concern for one’s parents.

My Mother At Sixty Six Theme

Fear of loss: The poem composed in blank verse expresses the anguish of a daughter over her mother’s advancing age and the fear of permanent separation from her. ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ symbolises the fast paced life and the inevitable death of our childhood, youth and loved ones. The poet is agonised by her mother’s advancing age and fear of her imminent death.

Nostalgia: The poet is carried away by her childhood premonition of losing her mother.

My Mother At Sixty Six Summary in English

While driving from her parent’s home to Cochin, International Airport, Kamala Das notices her mother, who was sitting beside her, dozing with her mouth open. Her mother’s face was pale like a dead body. The expression on her face was clearly one of pain, borne out of fear of separation and old age. A sudden fear and pain crops up in the poet’s mind and she realises that her mother is old now and could pass away leaving her all alone. Though the realisation was alarming, it was hard to accept.

In order to drive her thoughts away from the agony and pain on looking at her mother’s colourless pale face, Kamala looks outside the car. The trees racing past and the speeding car were grim reminders that time has flown by. The joyous children playing outside represent youth, energy and life. All this probably reminded of her childhood when her mother was young.

After the security check at the airport, Kamala Das looks back at her mother standing a few yards away looking pale and grey like the winter moon. The poet senses a familiar pain and her childhood fear of the thought of losing her mother comes back. Overcome with sorrow and fear, she bids her old mother goodbye and keeps smiling to hide her real feelings.

My Mother At Sixty Six Summary Reference-to-Context Questions

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

1. Driving from my parent’s home to
Cochin last Friday morning,
I saw my mother, beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with pain
that she was as old as she looked but soon
put that thought away, and looked out at Young
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes,

a. Name the poem and the poet.
Answer:
The poem is ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ and the poet is ‘Kamala Das’.

b. Where was the poet going to and with whom?
Answer:
The poet was going from her parent’s home to the Cochin airport. She was accompanied by her mother who was sixty-six years old.

c. What did the daughter notice inside the car?
Answer:
She noticed her mother looking pale and dull, and as lifeless as a dead body. She was dozing and her mouth was open.

d. In what state is the mother now?
Answer:
She is dozing open mouthed and with a pale face.

2. but after the airport’s
security check, standing a few yards
away, I looked again at her, wan, pale
as a late winter’s moon and felt that old
familiar ache, my childhood’s fear,
but all I said was see you soon, Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and smile

a. Why does the poet ‘look at her again’?
Answer:
The poet looks at her mother for the last time before boarding the flight. She reassures herself about the well-being of her mother. She wished her mother goodbye in order to comfort her and leave on an optimistic note.

b. Does the poet share her thoughts with her mother?
Answer:
No, the poet does not share her fears and agony with her mother, but only bids her a cheerful farewell.

c. Why did the poet not share her thoughts with her mother?
Answer:
The poet did not share her thoughts with her aged mother because it would have unnecessarily disturbed her frail old mother. Moreover, her thoughts were caused by her fear of the unknown.

d. Give one reason for the poet’s ‘smile’.
Answer:
She wanted to assure her mother that they would meet again.

3. … she
looked but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at young
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes,…

a. What did the poet realise? How did she feel?
Answer:
The poet was on her way to the airport when she realised that her mother was nearing her old age, and this feeling was hard for her to accept.

b. What did she do then?
Answer:
She tried to divert her thoughts by looking out of the car window.

c. What did she notice in the world outside?
Answer:
She noticed that some joyous children were playing outside which gave her some respite , from the thoughts of her ageing mother. The children represented youth, energy and life.

d. Which poetic device is used in the 2nd last line?
Answer:
Personification

4. … but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at young
trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes,…

a. Which thought did the poet put away?
Answer:
The poet put the thought of looking at her ageing mother away.

b. What do the ‘sprinting trees’ signify?
Answer:
It is our common experience, whenever we travel by a fast-running vehicle, the standing objects appear to be running back fast. These sprinting trees in the poem signify how the young age of the poet’s mother passed so fast.

c. What are ‘the merry children spilling out of their homes’ symbolic of?
Answer:
The poet’s mother who is sitting beside her is dozing. Her ‘ashen’ face looks lifeless and pale like a corpse. On the other hand, children are gay and happy. They are moving out of their homes in large numbers. There is an image of happiness and spontaneous overflow of life.

d. Why are trees ‘young’ here?
Answer:
The poet establishes the contrast with the ageing mother inside the car and the sprinting trees are potrayed as young.

5. Driving from my parent’s
home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother, beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with pain
that she was as old as she looked…

a. Where was the poet driving to?
Answer:
The poet was driving to the Cochin airport.

b. Why was her mother’s face looking like that of a corpse?
Answer:
The-mother’s face was pale, lifeless and wan looking like that of a corpse because she had grown old.

c. What did the poet notice about her mother?
Answer:
When the poet looked at her mother, her mouth was open, her pale face was looking like a corpse. She realised that her mother had grown old.

d. What pain did the poet experience?
Answer:
She felt it painful to witness her ageing mother.

6. I saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with
pain

a. Who does ‘I’ refer to ?
Answer:
‘I’ refers to the poet, Kamala Das.

b. What did ‘I’ realise with pain?
Answer:
The poet realised with pain that her mother was nearing old age.

c. Why was the realisation painful?
Answer:
Her mother’s approaching death was a hard fact for her to accept. The thoughts of separation from her mother made her feel sad.

d. Identify and name the figure of speech used in these lines.
Answer:
Simile: ashen like that of a corpse

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Going Places Summary in English by A.R. Barton

Going Places by A.R. Barton About the Author

A.R. Barton is a modern English writer. He lives in Zurich and has written a number of literary pieces depicting the contemporary problems and issues. In the present story ‘Going Places’ Barton emphasizes that fantasy and imagination end up in being illusions and empty mirages.

Going Places Introduction to the Chapter

The chapter ‘Going Places’, written by A.R. Barton, discusses about the teenagers and their dreams, f The author says that teen age period is all about aspirations. They believe to achieve the impossible f things in life. Most of the teenagers have a role model, whom they worship as their hero.

Going Places Theme

In this chapter, the author stresses on the fact that it is quite natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams, especially when their families are not well off. If the fantasies are beyond our approach, it may lead to miseries. Youngsters usually idiolise successful people and dreams of following their footsteps. Their dreams drive them away from the harsh realities of life. This makes it difficult for them to come in terms with life.

Going Places Summary in English

The story revolves around the life of Sophie, a teenager, who like others of her age, is filled with fantasies and desires. She comes from a poor financial background, but hopes to be sophisticated in the future. Sophie dreams of owning a boutique one day or being an actress or fashion designer, but her friend Jansie believes that both of them were earmarked to work for the biscuit factory. Jansie, who is more realistic, tries to make Sophie see reality, but in vain.

Sophie lives in a small house with her parents and brothers, Geoff and little Derek. Though she voices her feelings and desires, her parents ridicule her because they, unlike her, are more mature and know the truths of life.

Sophie finds a sort of fascination for her elder brother Geoff, who is tall, strong, handsome and reserved. She envies his silence and often wonders about his thoughts and areas of his life that she doesn’t know about.

The centre of this story is that Sophie fantasises about Danny Casey, an Irish football player, whom she had seen playing in innumerable matches. She makes up a story about how she met him in the streets and tells this to Geoff. Geoff, who is more sensible than Sophie, does not really believe her, even if she wants to. It seems an unlikely incident for Sophie to meet the prodigy in their street, but when Sophie describes the meeting in detail, he begins to hope that it could be true. She tells him that Danny has promised to meet her somewhere again.

Sophie gets so pulled into the story she made that she herself begins to believe that it’s true. She waits for the Irish player, but obviously, he never arrives. Then, she makes her way home, wondering how her brother would be disappointed on knowing that Danny Casey never showed up. However, Sophie still fantasises about her hero, unperturbed.

The whole story is about unrealistic dreams and how we love to indulge in them knowing all the while that they have little possibility of coming true. The story seems to hint at dreaming within limits. Unless you are impossibly ambitious, hardworking, and have loads of patience and perseverance, such dreams are best kept under lock and key unless you like the taste of bitter disappointment.

Going Places Main Characters in the Chapter

Jansie

Jansie belonged to a middle class family. She was a sensible and a practical girl. She did not have high ambitions in life as she is aware of the realities of her life. She does not believe in fantasies, unlike Sophie. She already knew that she has to work in a biscuit factory after completing school.

Geoff

Geoff was a soft-spoken person and an introvert. He preferred to live in reality and was very hardworking.

Sophie

Sophie was an outspoken and a daydreamer. She had various dreams and fantasies. She refused to accept the realities of life. Belonging to a middle class family, her fantasies were very far away from her reach.

Going Places Summary Reference-to-Context Questions

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

1. Jansie, knowing they are both earmarked for the biscuit factory, became melancholy. She wished Sophie wouldn’t say these things. When they reached Sophie’s street Jansie said, “It’s only a few months away now, Soaf, you really should be sensible.

a. Who became sad?
Answer:
Jansie became sad.

b. What does Jansie know?
Answer:
Janise knows that they both are earmarked for the biscuit factory.

c. What are ‘these things’ referred to here?
Answer:
Here, ‘these things’ are referred to the fantasies of Sophie.

d. “You really should be sensible”. Why did she say so?
Answer:
Jansie says so because Sophie has been daydreaming and fantasising those things which can never happen in real life.

2. He was kneeling on the floor in the next room tinkering with a part of his motorcycle over some newspaper spread on the carpet. He was three years out of school, an apprentice mechanic, travelling to his work each day to the far side of the city.

a. Who is ‘he’ here?
Answer:
Here, ‘he’ is Geoff, Sophie’s brother.

b. What was he doing in the next room?
Answer:
He was kneeling on the floor on the next room tinkering with a part of his motorcycle over some newspaper spread on the carpet.

c. For how long had Geoff been out of school?
Answer:
He had been out of school for three years.

d. What was Geoff’s profession?
Answer:
Geoff was an apprentice mechanic. He travelled every day to the far side of the city.

3. And she was jealous of his silence. When he wasn’t speaking it was as though he was away somewhere, out there in the world in those places she had never been.

a. Who is ‘she’ here?
Answer:
Here, ‘she’ is Sophie.

b. Whom was she jealous of?
Answer:
She was jealous of her brother, Geoff.

c. What was the reason of her jealousy?
Answer:
She was jealous of her brother’s silent nature.

d. What did Sophie feel about her brother when he does not speak?
Answer:
According to Sophie, when Geoff does not speak, his mind is travelling some other places where she had never been.

4. And I knew it must be him because he had the accent, you know, like when they interviewed him oh the television. So I asked him for an autograph for little Derek, but neither of us had any paper or a pen.

a. Who is ‘I’ here?
Answer:
Here, ‘I’ is Sophie.

b. About whom is the speaker speaking?
Answer:
The speaker is speaking about Danny Casey, the footballer.

c. How did she know that he was him?
Answer:
She knew that he must be Danny because she recognised his accent which was familiar with the one, she heard on a television interview.

d. Why did they need paper or pen?
Answer:
They needed paper or pen for an autograph.

We have decided to create the most comprehensive English Summary that will help students with learning and understanding. in This article, we are discussed The Interview Summary

The Interview Summary in English by Christopher Silvester

The Interview by Christopher Silvester About the Author

Christopher Silvester (1959) was educated at Lancing College Sussex, and Peter House, Cambridge, where he read history. From 1983 to 1994, he worked for Private Eye, initially writing the ‘New Boys’ column. He has written for several newspapers and magazines. He is also the Editor of The Penguin Book of Interviews: An Anthology from 1859 to the Present Day and the author of The Pimlico Companion to Parliament. He currently writes obituaries for the Times (of London) and book reviews. He is writing a three-volume social history of Hollywood for Pantheon Books.

The Interview Introduction to the Chapter

‘The Interview’ is an extract from an interview of Umberto Eco. The interviewer is Mukund Padmanabhan : from the ‘The HINDU’. Thousands of celebrities have been interviewed over the years. Our most vivid impressions about contemporary celebrities are through interviews. But for some of them, interviews , are ‘unwarranted intrusion in their lives’.

In the second part of the chapter, the interviewer highlights how Umberto Eco considers himself as an . academician first and a novelist later on. He considers himself a university professor who writes novels : on Sundays – occasionally. The possible reasons of the huge success of Eco’s novel, ‘The Name of the i Rose’ are also highlighted in the interview.

The Interview Theme

‘The Interview’ written by Christopher Silvester briefs the new invention ‘Interview’ in the field of journalism. Interview that was invented over 130 years has become a commonplace journalism. Today, every literate or illiterate will have to experience interview at some points of their life. It is surprising to notice that as an interviewer, each one is comfortable, whereas as an interviewee, they feel it much disturbing and diminishing.

The Interview Summary in English

The narration, “The Interview”, written by Christopher Silvester is a very interesting lesson speaking about the invention of the interview about 130 years ago. We face interviews throughout our journey of life and several thousand celebrities are the part and parcel of this process. Yh e opinions of the interview—its functions, methods and merits—vary considerably. Some people believe that they are able to recall the truth while there are those who have a great despise from the word ‘interview’. They believe it to be a kind of direct encounter into the lives of the celebrities. In this context, some of the world fame writers had varied opinion. According to V.S. Naipaul, a cosmopolitan writer, “Some people are wounded by interviews and lose a part of themselves.”

Given below is an extract from an interview of Umberto Eco. He is interviewed by Mukund Padmanabhan from The Hindu.

Mukund : Once an English novelist, David Lodge remarked that he was unable to understand how Eco could do so many things.

Umberto Eco : People might feel, ‘I am doing many things but in the end I have found that I am always doing the same thing.’

Mukund : Which is that thing?

Umberto Eco : It is very difficult to explain. I have got some philosophical interests which are pursued by my novels and academic work. There are my books for children. They are about peace and non-violence and this is all philosophical interest. Even then there is a secret. All of us have a lot of empty spaces in our lives and I call them interstices.

Suppose you are coming over in an elevator to my place and I am waiting for you. This is an interstice—an empty space. I work in empty spaces. Your elevator will come up from the first to the third floor, and I am waiting for it. I have already written an article.

Mukund : It must be your non-fictioiial writing. Your work has a certain playful and personal quality about it. This is a departure from a regular academic style. You must have adopted an informal approach.

Umberto Eco : While presenting my first doctoral dissertation in Italy, one of the professors said “Scholars learn a lot of certain subjects, then they make a lot of false hypotheses, correct them and give the conclusions. But you told the story of your research.”

At the age of 22,1 understood that the scholarly books should be written the way I had done—by telling the story of the research. So, my essays have a narrative aspect. At the age of 50, I started writing novels. I remember that my friend Roland Barthes was always frustrated that he was an essayist and not a novelist. He wanted to do some creative writing but he died. In my case, I started writing novels by accident. The novels satisfied my taste for narration.

Mukund : Thus, you became famous after the publication of The Name of the Rose. You have written five novels and many more on non-fiction. Among them a seminal piece of work on semiotics. If we ask people about Umberto Eco, they will say that he is a novelist. Does it trouble you?

Umberto Eco : Of course, it troubles me. I consider myself a University Professor who writes novels on Sundays. It is not a joke. I always participate in academic conferences. I do not attend the meetings of Pen Clubs and writers. I identify myself with the academic community. By writing novels, I am in a position to reach to the large number of people. I cannot expect to have one million readers with stuff on semiotics.

Mukund : I ask you another question. Your novel The Name of the Rose is very serious novel. At one level, it is a detective tale, and then it goes deep into metaphysics, theology and medieval history. It is being enjoyed by a large number of audience. Were you puzzled at all by this?

Umberto Eco : No, the journalists are puzzled. We can even see that sometimes publishers also get puzzled because both believe that people like trash and do not like difficult reading experiences. Suppose there are six billion people in this planet and the novel is sold to 10 and 15 millions. Thus, I am getting only a small percentage of readers. Thus, these readers do not always want easy experiences. After dinner at 9.00 p.m., I watch television, and see ‘Miami Vice’, or Emergency Room. I enjoy it and I need it but not all day.

Mukund : Can you tell that how your novel has got a good success even if it deals with the medieval history?

Umberto Eco : That is possible. But I can tell you another story. My American publisher told she did not expect to sell more than 3000 copies in a country where some has seen a cathedral or studied Latin. So, I was given an advance for 3000 copies but in the end it sold two or three million in the U.S. So many books have been written about the medieval past but the book has a mysterious success. Nobody can predict it. If I had written it ten years earlier or later, it would not have been the same. Why it worked is a mystery? Thus, the novel The Name of the Rose has got a good success.

The Interview Main Characters in the Chapter

Mukund Padmanabhan

He is an interviewer from ‘The Hindu’ who interviews Umberto Eco after his huge success of the book he wrote.

Umberto Eco

He is the author of the popular novel, ‘Name of the Rose’. He is a University Professor. Writing novel is his hobby which he does only on Sundays. He had written 40 scholarly works of non-fiction and 5 novels. He always identified himself with the academic community, and never with writers or novelists.

The Interview Summary Reference-to-Context Questions

Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow.

1. Some might make quite extravagant claims for it as being, in its highest form, a source of truth, and, in its practice, an art. Others, usually celebrities who see themselves as its victims, might despise the interview as an unwanted intrusion into their lives, or feel that it somehow diminishes them, just as in some primitive cultures it is believed that if one takes a photographic portrait of somebody then one is stealing that person’s soul.

a. What is ‘it’ referred here?
Answer:
Here, ‘it’ is referred to interview.

b. How is ‘it’ described in the above lines?
Answer:
The interview is described as the highest form, a source of truth and an art in its practice.

c. Who might despise the interview?
Answer:
Celebrities who see themselves as its victim despise the interview.

d. Why do they despise?
Answer:
Celebrities despise interview because they consider it as an unwanted intrusion into their lives.

2. Rudyard Kipling expressed an even more condemnatory attitude towards the interviewer. His wife, Caroline, writes in her diary for 14 October 1892 that their day was ‘wrecked by two reporters from Boston’. She reports her husband as saying to the reporters, “Why do I refuse to be interviewed? Because it is immoral!

a. What was the attitude of Rudyard Kipling towards the interviewer?
Answer:
Rudyard Kipling expressed a condemnatory attitude towards the interviewer.

b. What happened on 14 October 1892?
Answer:
On 14 October 1892, Rudyard Kipling and his wife’s day was wrecked by two reporters from Boston.

c. Where were the two reporters from?
Answer:
The two reporters were from Boston.

d. Why did Rudyard Kipling refuse to be interviewed?
Answer:
Rudyard Kipling refused to be interviewed because he considers it to be immoral.

3. H.G. Wells in ah interview in 1894 referred to ‘the interviewing ordeal’ but was a fairly frequent interviewee and forty years later found himself interviewing Joseph Stalin. Saul Bellow, who has consented to be interviewed on several occasions, nevertheless once described interviews as being like thumbprints in his windpipe.

a. What did H.G. Wells refer to in an interview in 1894?
Answer:
In an interview in 1894, H.G. Wells referred to ‘the interviewing ordeal’.

b. Who was a frequent interviewee?
Answer:
H.G. Wells was a frequent interviewee.

c. Who was H.G. Wells interviewing to after forty years?
Answer:
After forty years, H.G. Wells was interviewing Joseph Stalin.

d. How did Saul Bellow once describe interviews?
Answer:
Saul Bellow once described interviews as being like thumbprints in his windpipe.

4. Aah, now that is more difficult to explain. I have some philosophical interests and I pursue them through my academic work and my novels. Even my books for children are about non-violence and peace…you see, the same bunch of ethical, philosophical interests.

a. Who is the speaker of the above lines?
Answer:
Umberto Eco is the speaker of the above lines.

b. Whom is the speaker speaking to?
Answer:
The speaker is speaking to Mukund Padmanabhan, the interviewer.

c. How does the speaker pursue his philosophical interests?
Answer:
He pursues his philosophical interests through his academic work and his novels.

d. What are his books for children about?
Answer:
His books for children are about non-violence and peace.

5. This is why my essays always have a narrative aspect. And this is why probably I started writing narratives (novels) so late – at the age of 50, more or less. I remember that my friend Roland Barthes was always frustrated that he was an essayist and not a novelist. He wanted to do creative writing one day or another, but he died before he could do so.

a. Why did his essays have a narrative aspect?
Answer:
His essays have a narrative aspect because he used to write in a way of telling stories.

b. When did Umberto Eco start writing novels?
Answer:
He started writing novels at the age of 50, more or less.

c. Why was his friend Roland Barthes always frustrated?
Answer:
Roland Barthes was always frustrated that he was an essayist and not a novelist.

d. What did his friend want to do?
Answer:
His friend wanted to do creative writing.

We have decided to create the most comprehensive English Summary that will help students with learning and understanding.

Poets and Pancakes Summary in English by Asokamitran

Poets and Pancakes by Asokamitran About the Author

Asokamitran (22 September 1931-23 March 2017) was a famous Tamil writer and Sahitya Akademi, winner. He was one of the few writers who wrote fluently in both Tamil and English. In a career spanning over six decades, he wrote 8 novels, 20 novellas and hundreds of short stories, on a wide range of issues.

He spent the initial years of his career in the famous Gemini Studios of Chennai. Although he was entrusted with the clerical task of cutting and pasting newspaper articles, he learned a lot about the functioning of Gemini Studios, which he humorously depicted in his autobiographical book My Years with Boss.

Poets and Pancakes Introduction to the Chapter

Set up in 1940, for almost thirty years, Gemini Studios of Madras (Chennai) was one of India’s pioneering and influential film-producing organisations of India. Founded by the brilliant and talented S.S. Vasan, it had a staff of over 600 people and made movies for Tamil Nadu and other southern Indian states. Pancake was the make-up material used by Gemini Studios. Sahitya Akademi award winning Tamil writer Asokamitran worked for the Gemini Studios from 1952 to 1966. He later recorded his reminiscences in the book, ‘My Years with Boss’.

Poets and Pancakes Theme

This chapter has been taken from “My Years with Boss’ written by Asokamitran. Through this write up, Asokamitran brings up a lot of topics pertaining to film industry in particular and India in general, and provides the reader a glimpse of independent India in its infancy. Asokamitran also tells about the manner in which the legal advisor ruins the career of a talented actress unwittingly.

Communism also finds a place in the musings of Asokamitran. At that time of India, the educated folk took pride in showing their support for communism and Gemini studios was no exception. He also mentions the anti-communism movement run by the West.

Poets and Pancakes Summary in English

The essay, “Poets and Pancakes” is an extract from Asokamitran’s book “My Years with Boss.” The Boss was S.S. Vasan, who founded the Gemini Studios which produced a number of films that influenced every aspect of Indian life.

Asokamitran talks about his days at Gemini Studios. He is known for his humour and gende satire. He explains us about a make-up material. The brand name of this material was Pancake. This material was bought and used up in the studios. He gives name of few actresses who used that material. He suggests that the make-up department was located in a building which was believed to have been Robert Clive’s stable. However, there were several buildings associated with Robert Clive’s residence but this was not true as Clive’s stay in India was very shortlived.

Further, he gives a description of the make-up department as a symbol of national integration and the make-up room as a hair-cutting salon. Pancake and many other lotions made actors ugly as it was necessary to make them presentable in a movie. In the make-up department, there was a forty-year-old office boy with dream of becoming a star-actor or director or lyrics writer. His dreams remained unfulfilled, making him frustrated. For this, he blamed Subbu, who was No. 2 and a favourite of the boss.

The writer tells about poets who used to wear khadi and believed that Communists were monster^. He even tells about legal adviser who had been the member of the story department. He was at odds in the department and lost his job with the closure of story department. The legal adviser had even once brought an abrupt end to the promising career of a talented actress.

The Gemini Studios even hosted a two-hundred strong Moral Rearmament Army (MRA) which showed two plays in the most professional manner. The plays became a good success and left their impression on Tamil drama. Later, the writer however, learnt that MRA was actually a counter-Communist movement.

The writer even tells us about Subbu, a man of many abilities and kind-hearted person. However, the office boys felt jealous of him, and cursed him.

The writer humorously tells of an English poet’s visit to the studios. Though royal preparations were done but the purpose of his arrival was a mystery for long time to come. At the studios, they had never heard the poet’s name before. Further, they did not understand what he spoke. The poet also perhaps felt baffled.

Asokamitran’s duty at the studios was to cut newspaper clippings on several issues and store them in files. However, anyone who saw him tearing newspapers thought he had no work. Thus, everybody wanted to deliver some work to him.

The author saw a notice in The Hindu. A short story contest had been organised by a British periodical called, The Encounter. The writer desired to send an entry. However, he wanted to know status of the periodical. For this, he went to British Council Library. There he found it. He learnt that the editor of the periodical was Stephen Spender, the poet who had come to Gemini Studios.

After his retirement, he came across a book titled, The God That Failed. It had six essays about failure of Communism. One of these essays was written by Spender. The mystery of Spender’s visit to Gemini Studios was cleared. Perhaps it had something to do with his anti-communist perspective.

Poets and Pancakes Main Characters in the Chapter

Asokamitran

The author of the narrative and an employee of Gemini Studio, Asokamitran’s work was to cut newspaper clippings, paste these and maintain a file of the same. The other stafflooked down on his job and believed themselves to be superior to him.

Office Boy

The office boy was not really a boy, but a grown-up man. He was forty years old. He was in charge of the crowd make-up. Though his job was an easy one, he considered himself to be a skilled artist. He had once aspired to be a star actor or a top screen writer. He blamed Subbu for his failure.

Kothamangalam Subbu

Kothamangalam Subbu was the No. 2 at Gemini Studios. Though he definitely came from a less advantaged background than the office boy, being a brahmin by birth had given him better exposure than the office boy. He had the ability to look cheerful at all times and his undivided loyalty was to Vasan, the principal of Gemini Studios. Extremely creative, Subbu directed all his talent to his principal’s advantage.

Though a brilliant actor, he was content playing secondary roles and usually performed better than the lead actors. Without a doubt, Subbu gave direction and definition to Gemini Studios during its golden years. Subbu was an extremely talented poet as well. Though capable of writing complex poetry, he deliberately chose to write in simple Tamil verse to enlighten the masses. Generous to the core, Subbu’s house was a permanent residence for dozens of near and distant relations, whom he fed and supported without a thought. Yet, even Subbu had enemies.

Legal Advisor

Like Subbu, the story department of Gemini Studios also had a lawyer, officially known as legal advisor, though better known for the opposite reasons. While every other member of the story department wore a khadi dhoti and white khadi shirt, the legal advisor wore pants and a tie, and sometimes an oversized coat. He is described as a man of cold logic in a crowd of dreamers. He was responsible for destroying the acting career of a highly talented actress, by his irresponsible behaviour.

Stephen Spender

Stephen Spender, an English poet, editor and a one-time communist, came to Gemini Studios and gave a speech. His lecture was about Communism on one side and about his struggles to establish as a poet on the other. The content of the speech and the accent of the poet left everyone utterly bewildered. The reason for his visit remained an unexplained mystery. Asokamitran later discovered that Stephen Spender was the editor of the British periodical, ‘Encounter’. When he accidentally chanced upon Spender’s essay on Communism in the book, ‘The God that Failed’, Asokamitran understood the connection between the English poet, Stephen Spender and the owner of Gemini Studios, S.S. Vasan.

Poets and Pancakes Summary Reference-to-Context Questions

Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow.

1. They were all incandescent lights, so you can imagine the fiery misery of those subjected to make-up.The make-up department was first headed by a Bengali who became too big for a studio and left. He was succeeded by a Maharashtrian who was assisted by Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an anglo- Burmese and the usual local Tamils. All this shows that there was a great deal of national integration long before A.I.R. and Doordarshan began broadcasting programmes on national integration.

a. Where were all these lights to be found?
Answer:
These lights were to be found in the make-up room of the Gemini Studios.

b. What was the name of the make-up material used by Gemini Studios?
Answer:
‘Pancake’ was the brand name of the make-up material that Gemini Studios used in vast quantities.

c. Explain: “fiery misery”.
Answer:
The heat emanated by all the incandescent lights made the make-up room very hot. Actors who had to put on make-up had to endure the misery of this fiery heat.

d. Why does the author say that there was a great deal of national integration here?
Answer:
People from different states of the country worked in complete harmony in this department. They were a Bengali, succeeded by a Maharashtrian, assisted by an Andhra, and sundry local Tamils.

2. He wasn’t exactly a ‘boy’; he was in his early forties, having entered the studios years ago in the hope of becoming a star actor or a top screen writer, director or lyrics writer. He was a bit of a poet.

a. Who was ‘he’?
Answer:
“He” was the office boy.

b. What had he aspired to become?
Answer:
He had hoped to become a star actor or a top screen writer, director or lyrics writer.

c. What was his role in Gemini Studios?
Answer:
Though a bit of a poet, the office boy’s work was to put make-up on the crowd players on the days that had crowd shooting.

d. Whom did he blame for his failure? Why?
Answer:
He blamed Kothamangalam Subbu.Though both started their careers in Gemini Studios at the same level, Subbu rose to become No. 2 at Gemini Studios while he remained an office boy in the make-up department.

3. Even in the matter of education, specially formal education, Subbu couldn’t have had an appreciable lead over our boy. But by virtue of being bom a Brahmin—a virtue, indeed! he must have had exposure to more affluent situations and people.

a. What was Subbu’s position in Gemini Studios?
Answer:
Subbu held the No.2 position in Gemini Studios.

b. Who does “our boy” refer to?
Answer:
It refers to the office boy, Subbu’s arch-rival.

c. What was Subbu’s advantage over “our boy”?
Answer:
Subbu’s advantage over the boy was by virtue of his birth, since he was born a Brahmin.

d. Name two ways in which Subbu’s ‘birth’ helped him.
Answer:
It gave him a greater exposure to an affluent society, with affluent situations and people.

4. It seemed against Subbu’s nature to be even conscious that he was feeding and supporting so many of them. Such a charitable and improvident man, and yet he had enemies!

a. Who were the people Subbu fed and supported?
Answer:
Subbu was extremely generous and large hearted. His house was apermanent residence for dozens of near and far relations and acquaintances.

b. Why did he do so?
Answer:
Charity and generosity was an integral part of nature. He was not even conscious that he was feeding and supporting so many people all the time.

c. Who do you think was Subhu’s enemy?
Answer:
Subbu’s enemy was the man the office boy who envied Subbu his success and popularity.

d. Why did Subbu have enemies?
Answer:
Subbu’s intimacy with the boss and his eagerness to say nice things in all situations made him appear like a sycophant. This made him enemies.

5. While every other member of the Department wore a kind of uniform- 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—a neutral man in an assembly of Gandhiites and khadiites.

a. Which is the department referred to in the above passage?
Answer:
The department referred to is the story department.

b. How was the lawyer differently dressed?
Answer:
Unlike all other members of the department who khadi, the lawyer wore pants, a tie and an oversized coat.

c. What did it say about him?
Answer:
The lawyer’s attire isolated him from the others. He looked like a man of cold logic in a crowd of dreamers.

d. Why was the lawyer, a legal adviser, also known as the opposite?
Answer:
The lawyer was responsible for wrecking the career of brilliant actress when he recorded her outburst in the studios and played it back.The girl was so shocked that she could never overcome the trauma she experienced.

6. Most of them wore khadi and worshipped Gandhiji but beyond that they had not the faintest appreciation for political thought of any kind. Naturally they were all averse to the term ‘Communism’.

a. Who are “them”?
Answer:
Some of them were poets like Harindranath Chattopadhyaya and sundry other members of the Gemini Studios.

b. What was the role of the poets in Gemini Studios?
Answer:
Most of the time they radiated leisure, ie., were idling, which was an apparent pre¬requisite for poetry.

c. Why did they wear khadi and worship Gandhiji?
Answer:
Most of these people had no political awareness or ideology they expressed their nationalism by wearing khadi and worshipping Gandhiji.

d. Why were they averse to communism?
Answer:
For them, a Communist was a godless man with no love for parents or wife. He was ruthless and did not hesitate to kill his parents or children. His aim was to spread violence and unrest in society among innocent and ignorant people.

7. ………. they couldn’t have found a warmer host in India than the Gemini Studios. Someone called the group an international circus. They weren’t very good on the trapeze and their acquaintance with animals was only at the dinner table, but they presented two plays in a most professional manner.

a. Who were “they”?
Answer:
‘They’ were Frank Buchman’s Moral Rearmament army, a group of two hundred people, that visited Gemini Studios.

b. Why had they come to India?
Answer:
They presented two plays to counter-act the rising spread of international Communism.

c. Name the two plays they presented.
Answer:
The two plays were, jotham Valley’ and ‘The Forgotten Factor’.

d. How did they impact the Tamil drama community?
Answer:
The Tamil drama community was very impressed by their sets and costumes. For years, thereafter, all Tamil plays imitated their scenes of sunrise and sunset with a bare stage, a white background curtain and a tune played on the flute.

8. Then the poet spoke. He couldn’t have addressed a more dazed and silent audience— no one knew what he was talking about and his accent defeated any attempt to understand what he was saying. The whole thing lasted about an hour; then the poet left and we all dispersed in utter bafflement—what were we doing?

a. Who was the poet who spoke ?
Answer:
The speaker was Stephen Spender, English poet and editor.

b. Whom did the poet address?
Answer:
He addressed a dazed and silent audience consisting of the members of the Gemini Studios.

c. What caused the lack of communication between the poet and his audience?
Answer:
No one knew what he talked about and his accent was so heavy that as no one could understand what he said.

d. Why was the audience baffled?
Answer:
The poet spoke for an hour and left, leaving everyone utterly bewildered. No one had followed a word of what he spoke.They wondered why he had been brought to Gemini Studios at all.

We have decided to create the most comprehensive English Summary that will help students with learning and understanding.

Indigo Summary in English by Louis Fischer

Indigo by Louis Fischer About the Author

Louis Fischer (29 February 1896 – 15 January 1970) was an American journalist. He wrote the biography of Mahatma Gandhi entitled The Life of Mahatma Gandhi. ‘Indigo’ is an excerpt from this book widely acknowledged as one of the best books written on Gandhi.

Indigo Introduction to the Chapter

In the chapter’Indigo’, the author describes the struggle of Gandhi for the poor peasants of Champaran, who had to share their crops with the British planters. This made their life miserable as they were forced to grow indigo according to an agreement.

Indigo Theme

In the chapter ‘Indigo’, the main theme covered by the author is that how an effective leadership can overcome any problem. The chapter tells us about the leadership shown by Mahatma Gandhi to secure justice for the oppressed people through convincing argumentation and negotiation.

Indigo Summary in English

The story ‘Indigo’, written by Louis Fischer narrates Gandhiji’s struggle for the poor peasants of Champaran. The peasants were sharecroppers with the British planters. According to an old agreement, the peasants had to produce indigo on 15 per cent of the land and give it as rent to the landlords. Around 1917, it was told that Germany had developed synthetic indigo. So the British planters now no longer desired the indigo crop. To release the peasants from the old 15 per cent agreement, they demanded compensation from them. Most of the illiterate peasants agreed to it.

However, others refused. Lawyers were engaged to go to the court. At that time, on the request of Rajkumar Shukla a sharecropper, Gandhiji appeared in Champaran. He fought for the poor peasants a long battle for one year and managed to get justice for them. The peasants now got courage and became aware of their rights. Along with the political and economic struggle, Gandhiji worked on the social level also. He made arrangements for the education, health and hygiene of the families of poor peasants by teaching the lesson of self¬reliance. It was one of the ways to forward the struggle for Indian independence.

Indigo Main Characters in the Chapter

Rajkumar Shukla

Rajkumar Shukla was a poor sharecropper who was a victim of British landlords. Though he was illiterate, he was determined to fight against the injustice of the British landlords, and to fight them, he goes to meet Gandhiji to seek his help. It was because of Rajkumar Shukla that Gandhiji came to Champaran village in Bihar. Later, this struggle with British landlords became a turning point in the fight for the independence of India.

Charles Freer Andrews

Charles Freer Andrews was an English pacifist who became a devoted follower of Gandhi. He came to bid farewell to Gandhi before going on a tour to Fizi islands. Gandhi’s lawyer friends insisted him to stay and help them in the battle, but Gandhiji strongly opposed saying that they must not rely on an Englishman but on themselves to win the battle.

Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, known as Mahatma Gandhi was a highly intelligent and perceptive man. His fundamental principles were non-violence and self-reliance. His entire political campaign for the development of the country was based on these two principles.

Indigo Summary Reference-to-Context Questions

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

1. He had gone to the December 1916 annual convention of the Indian National Congress party in Lucknow. There were 2, 301 delegates and many visitors. During the proceedings, Gandhi recounted, “a peasant came up to me looking like any other peasant in India, poor and emaciated, and said, ‘I am Rajkumar Shukla. I am from Champaran, and I want you to come to my district’!”

a. Who is ‘he’ here?
Answer:
Here, ‘he’ is Gandhiji.

b. What was ‘he’ doing in Lucknow?
Answer:
He was attending the annual convention of the Indian National Congress Party.

c. What did Gandhi recount?
Answer:
He recounted about a poor looking peasant who came up to him and asked him to visit Champaran.

d. What did Rajkumar Shukla want from Gandhiji?
Answer:
Rajkumar Shukla wanted Gandhiji to visit Champaran to look after the problems faced by the poor peasants there.

2. Then the two of them boarded a train for the city of Patna in Bihar. There Shukla led him to the house of a lawyer named Rajendra Prasad who later became President of the Congress party and of India.

a. Who are ‘them’ here?
Answer:
Here, ‘them’ are Mahatma Gandhi and Rajkumar Shukla.

b. Where are they going?
Answer:
They were going to the city of Patna in Bihar.

c. Who was Rajendra Prasad?
Answer:
Rajendra Prasad was a lawyer who later became the President of the Congress party of India.

d. Was Rajendra Prasad available at home?
Answer:
Rajendra Prasad was not at home, he was out of town.

3. Gandhi decided to go first to Muzaffarpur, which was en route to Champaran, to obtain more complete information about conditions than Shukla was capable of imparting. He accordingly sent a telegram to Professor J.B. Kriplani, of the Arts College in Muzaffarpur, whom he had seen at Tagore’s Shantiniketan school.

a. Why did Gandhi go to Muzaffarpur?
Answer:
Gandhi went to Muzaffarpur as he wanted to collect more information about the issue addressed by Rajkumar Shukla.

b. Whom did he contact in Muzaffarpur?
Answer:
He sent a telegram to Professor J.B. Kriplani, of the Arts College in Muzaffarpur.

c. Where did Gandhi first meet J.B. Kriplani?
Answer:
Gandhi first met J.B. Kriplani at Tagore’s Shantiniketan school.