,,,·
. fly explain the following statements from
erie
Ir· e teJd.
tb "You neither travelled to the past nor the
1 Pa~1pat and its consequences. The interaction in his
future . You were in the present experiencing
a different world."
"You have passed through a fantastic
2 experience: or more correctly, a catastrophic
experience."
Gangadharpant could not help comparing the
3
country he knew with what he was witnessing
around him.
"The Jack of determinism in Quantum
4 history of a nation.
Theory!"
5 "You need some interaction to cause a
transition."
1. This statement was made by Rajendra _Deshpande to
AIIS Professor Gaitonde and meant that Ga1tonde had
made a transition from one world to another and
has come back again. Thus, he was able to
experience two worlds, but only one at a time. He
did not travel either to the past or the future. He
was in the present, experiencing another world for
two days. _
2. This statement was made by Rajendra Deshpande to
Professor Gaitonde and meant that Gaitonde had
passed through a strange experience of living
successively in two worlds, one in which he was
now and the other in which he had spent two days.
3. Professor Gaitonde knew the India in which the
power of the Peshwas declined and the_British
colonised the country. But the India he had seen
during the two days was completely different. This
country had not been colonised by the British.
Instead, it was self-dependent and enjoyed
self-respect. He compared the two states of the
country with each other.
4. This means that if a bullet is fired from a gun in a
given direction at a given speed, one will know
where it will be at any time after this, but such an
assertion cannot be made for an electron, where
Quantum Theory applies. When an electron is fired
from a source, it may be here, there or anywhere
else. This is called lack of determinism in Quantum
Theory. This theory asserts that reality is never
one- sided. Alternative worlds may exist at the same
time.
5. Professor Gaitonde made a transition, which,
according to Rajendra Deshpande,_ ha~ happened
because of the interaction happemng m th e
professor 's mind at the time of his collision.
When the collision took place, Gaitonde was thinkin
about the Catastrophe Theory and its rol em . wars Heg
was_ probabl~ wondering about the Third Battle of
bram acted as a trigger to cause a transition.
TALKIN G ABOUT THE TEXT
1 Discuss the following statements in groups of
two pairs, each pair in a group taking opposite
points of view.
(i) A single event may change the course of the
(ii) Reality is what is directly experienced through
the senses.
(iii) The methods of inquiry of history, science and
philosophy are similar.
Ans Do it yourself.
2 (i) The story is called 'The Adventure'.
Compare it with the adventure described in
'We Are Not Afraid to Die ...'
Ans The underlying theme of both the stories, 'The
Adventure' and 'We Are Not Afraid to Die' is the
same. However, the application of the theme to events
is different in both. One deals with the adventure in a
real life situation and the other one is about the
adventure that was mentally experienced. In the story,
'We Are Not Afraid to Die', the characters take a
hazardous sea voyage, overcome the odds and survive.
Whatever the dangers were, they were very real.
In the story, 'The Adventure', the protagonist
(Gaitonde) does not embark upon an adventurous
journey. His collision with the truck triggers his mind
to travel to a world which is different from the world
that he lives in.
(ii) Why do you think Professor Gaitonde decided
never to preside over meetings again?
Ans Professor Gaitonde had recently ~d a harrowing
experience in the parallel world which was contrary
to the conventions in the normal world, where a
lecture session always has a chairperson. In this
experience, he was pelted with various objects
because he tried to occupy the Chairperson's chair,
which he felt was rightly his. Due to this attack by the
public, Gaitonde realised that such a speech would not
be welcome at the seminar and so decided to never
preside over such meetings again.
THIN KIN G ABOUT LAN GUAGE
t In which language do yoµ think . ..
Gangadharpant and Khan Sahib talked to
each other? Which language did
Gangadharpant use to talk to the English }

receptionist?
Ans Gangadharpant and Khan Sahib would have talked in
Hindi or Hindustani, as both of them are educated
and speaking fluently to each ·other. Gangadharpant
must have used English to talk to the English
receptionist.
2 In which language do you think
Bhausahebanchi Bakharwas written?
Ans Bhausahebanchi Bakhar was written iri the Marathi
language, as the words are Marathi words and Bakhar
is a form of historical narrative written in Marathi
prose.
A
3 There is mention of three communities in the
story: the Marathas, the Mughals, the
Anglo-Indians. Which language do you think
they used within their communities and while
speaking to the other groups?
Ans Within their communities, the Marathas would have A
spoken in Marathi, the Mughals in Urdu and the
Anglo-Indians in English. While speaking to the
other groups, they would have used the services of
interpreters who were fluent in both languages to
translate what was said into the language of the
listener.
4 Do you think that the ruled always adopt the
language of the ruler? A
Ans No, they do not because a new language would be
difficult to learn, especially if it is written in a
different script. This is the case here, as Marathi,
English and Urdu are written in three different
scripts. A
 Jt;,CJl.tnre
f)
~of{f AN S~R Type Questions
Wl1ich were the railway stations that the
l ··arnata Express stopped at or passed .
~ay from Pune to Bombay? . on its
,..,, JiJ·amata Express stopped at Lonavala K .
11,c . f p , arJat and
~ns sarhad on its whaKy lromb une. to Bombay. The train
pas sed throug a yan ut did not stop there.
;j{owwas Professor Gangadharpant Gait d wit t e English receptionist in the building about
f Janning to find out how the 'present sta~~0 ~
Pffairs'had been reached?
~rofessor Gangadharpant Gaitonde had been mystifi d
~ns realise that Bombay was British territory whe ie
Io di . d d reas
the rest of In a was m epen ent. He planned to fmd
ut how the 'present state of affairs' had been
~eached by visiting a big library in Bombay and going
through history books on the subject. Then, he would
go back to Pune and consult Rajendra Deshpande to
help him ·understand what had happened.
Why was a permit required to enter Bombay
3 for the passengers in the train?
Ans In this story, Bombay is s~o":'11 as Brit!sh territory
while the areas surrounding 1t are Indian territory. In
a normal situation, a passport and a visa are required
to enter another country's territory. Here, it has been
assumed that only a permit is required due to the
frequent journeys Indian citizens make to Bombay.
H,,9.wifid the train passengers understand that
4Abey were in British territory when the train
was passing through the suburbs ofBombay?
Ans When the train was passing through the suburbs of
Bombay, the train passengers observed that the
suburban trains had the English flag (Union Jack)
painted on each carriage, which indicated that they
were in British territory.
~ hy was Gaitonde shocked to see East India
House just outside the Victoria Terminus
railway station?
Ans Gaitonde was shocked to see East India House just
outside the Victoria Terminus railway station
because, in his reality, the East India Company had
stopped its operations in India after the events of
185 7, according to the history books. This made
Gaitonde conclude that, in this world, India's history
was different from what he knew.
6 What names of buildings or offices did
Gaitonde see while walking along Hornby
Road which made it look~s ifhe was on a
typical high street in an English town?
Ans The names of buildings which Gaitonde saw while
walking along Hornby Road were Boots and
Woolworth departmental stores, imposing offices of
Lloyds, Barclays and other British banks, and Forbes
231
building Toes E Ii h
Gaitond . th eh ng s_ names made it appear to
e at e was in an English town.
~ddhi~ Ganga~harpant conclude that in this
is son did not exist?
Ans In !he world that Gangadharpant kn v·
Grutonde hi ew, may
. , s son, worked in the Forbes building .
Mumbru. Howeve h G
·h h . r, w en angadharpant enquired
m
his son, the receptionist informed him, after checkin
the telepho~e extension list, the staff list and g
employees hst in other branches of Forbes that
such person wo_rked_there. Thus, Gangadh an~o
concluded that m this world his son did no~xist.
8 To solve his riddle, what books did he consult
and where? In which building was this place
located?
Ans To solve his mystery, Gaitonde consulted the five
books he _had ~self written on Indian history which
were available m the library of the Asiatic Society
located in the Town Hall building.
9 ~ d Gaitonde find in the history book he
~ suited about the exact time when history
had changed from what he knew?
Ans In the fifth book which he himself had written, Gaitonde
found the exact event which resulted differently from
what he _knew. This was the Third Battle of Panipat
m 1761, m which the history book mentioned that the
Maratha forces had defeated the invader Ahmed Shah
Abdali. However, Gaitonde had known that the
Marathas had lost this battle. So, this was the event
that changed all future historical events in India.
10 \Yha~ action did the East India Company take
this parallel world when it observed the
victory of the Marathas in the third battle of
Panipat?
Ans Witl1 the victory of the Marathas in the Third Battle of
Panipat, their supremacy in northern India was
established When the East India Company observed
this, it temporarily shelved its expansionist programme.
11 What happened to the fortunes of the East India
Company after the Peshwas systematically
expanded their influence all over India?
Ans With the systematic expansion of the Peshwas ·
influence all over India, the East india Company was
reauced to pockets of influence near Bombay,
Calcutta and Madras, just like its European rivals, the
Portuguese and the French.
12 }'.Yhaivere the two Maratha brothers who
/ expanded the influence of the Marathas after
1780 AD? What qualities did they possess that
enabled them to achieve this objective?
Ans The two Maratha brothers were named Vishwasrao
and Mad11avrao. They combined political shrewdness
 lJL
. to restrict the East India
and a keen insight wi th b~a;~: removed their rivals.
n ·s innuence an ' was that the presidential chair on the ~~liar ab;, )
n ~ npa Y . d'd the Peshwa
y w~at prac tical intelhst::e/ use it for
/ rulers have and hoW ?
L.,, benefiting the coundtrYth . actical intelligence to
uJers ha e pr
Ar,s The Pes Iiwa r . 'fi
· al
e of the technolog1c age
undersla11d the s1g:ru ,cahnc t up their own scientific
. . E Je So t ey se
starting UJ uroJ · · - g the aid and expertise
°
a11d tee111101
giral centres, us 111
I di Company to make the loc
offered by the East n a
centres self-sufficient.
14 In this parallel world, why di~ India beco~e a
democracy during the twentieth century.
Ans By the time of the twentieth century, the Peshwas ha~
Jost their resourcefulness. Also, the Sultanate of Delhi
did not actually have any power or infl~ence. It was
· t to 'rubber stamp' the recommendations made by
JUS h .
the government. Thus, inspired by _c anges occurnng
in the West, India moved to becommg a democracy.
15 Jrµhis parallel world, how is India described, as
/ seen by Gangadharpant Gaitonde?
Ans Gangadharpant describes India as a country that had
not been colonised by the British. Instead, it had to
remained independent and respected. From a position
of strength and for purely commercial reasons, it had
allowed the British to retain Bombay as an outpost on
lease till 2001.
16 When Gaitonde was reading the fifth history
in the parallel world, why did he feel that
would remain incomplete?
Reading which document completed his
investigation?
Ans The fifth history book Gaitonde was reading did not
give details of the Third Battle of Panipat to enable
Gaitonde to understand how the Marathas had won
that battle, thus, making Gaitonde's investigations
incomplete. The Bhausahebanchi Bakhar, a form of
historical narrative written in Marathi prose, gave him
the answer to how the Marathas had won this battle.
17 What was described in the document that
Gaitonde read to find out how the Marathas
had won the battle?
Ans Bhausahebanchi Bakhar, the document that Gaitonde
read, mentioned that during the battle, a bullet
brushe? pas_t Vishwasrao's ear. He could easily have
been killed if he was just a fraction of an inch towards
the path of the bullet. Then the Marathas would have
lost the bat_tle. In the real world, Vishwasrao
!" ~:: ~k,ll,d by' bullet and th, Mamthas lost
~ a5_wa_s peculiar about the event going on at
Azad Ma1dan when Gaitonde reached there?
Ans When Gaitonde reached Azad Maida
people moving towards a panda[ whe~'e sa11, :e
was going on. However, what was pe . le%\
unoccupied althoug~ the ~peaker Was s atforlli nt it
Gaitonde felt that this chair was kept v Peakin 11,,~
acant t g,
0
t9 What was the audi~nce'~ reaction to r\
sitting on the presidential chair? WbGaito~
Ans. The audience reacted by strongly prot . 'fl de
.
al
f·
Gaitonde sitting on the presidential che~ting ag .
reason was that, in this world, the peo l'he illtis1
become sick of hearing long introducti~ e had
thanks and remarks of the chair. They ns, Vote
. h th ak Wer of
interested m w at e spe er was say· e only
abolished the custom of having a chair:g i¼lld hc1d
The chair kept on the platform was on! an long a
y sYniboj· go.
? 0 What finally happened to Gaitonde ic.
Azad Maidan lecture? at the
Ans When Gaitonde insisted on continuing hi 5
the audience pelted him with tomatoes es Peec~
other objects. When he still did not sto~, andft:
audience swarmed on to the stage to remo .
During the commotion, Gaitonde disappe;;dhirn.
21 WJrat evidence did Gaitonde show to ·
~ Deshpande to convince him that he wa
speaking the truth about his experienc:s.
another world? Ill
Ans The evidence Gaitonde showed to Deshpande 1
convince him that he was speaking the truth aboo
his experiences in another world was a page to UI
out of the Bhausahebanchi Bakhar which ment ed
that the bullet missed Vishwasrao, although in :
actual book which Gaitonde had written e
Vishwasrao was hit by the bullet. '
22 What are the two theories Rajendra Deshpande
talks about when he tries to rationalise
Gaitonde's experience? Which of these theories
is applicable to Gaitonde's experience?
Ans The two theories Rajendra Deshpande talks aboullo
rationalise Gaitonde's experience are the
Catastrophe Theory and the Quantum Theory. The
Catastrophe Theory is the one that is applicable lo
Gaitonde's experience.
23 What actions does the Catastrophe Theory
explain?
Ans The Catastrophe Theory models the mechanisms of
sudden and discontinuous changes of state in very
different types of systems like freezing of a liqui~
buckling of metal under pressure, fall of a .
government, or riot by a mob. It explains that a sene:
of gradual changes (such as frustration of people iJI
nation) trigger rapid and large-scale (catastrophic)
changes such as the collapse of an empire.
lM'ji/1' '
, rnples does Rajendra Deshpande
! ,.t» t ~i,strate his contention that reality
11
I v• 11
9
° .·
I~,1se 10 ot be on1que 7
y11 peshpande us~s the exan:iples of atoms and
1118 6
,Je11dr ic particles t? illustrate his contention that
ii Fb.a101ll y not be unique. He says that if an electr
I s~ . 1na
rtihlYfrorn a source, we canno t pr_e d'ict exactly theon
[Ired of the electron. after a specified period of
15
, 81!0° . . explained m the Quantum Theory as
10 'fhlS 15 . . I
tiflle• f d terrn1nism .
o e
'18' d'd Rajendra Deshpande conclude
Wl1~1 ;rofessor Gaitonde's experience?
P3bO 1 peshpande concluded that Professor
., R8iendrda had made a transition from one world to
1~Gal'!On eat the time of hi s acc1.dent and returned to
8Jlother world due to the scuffie with the audience t
the~
1
dMaidan, as bthth ·
. o . ese expenences were a 2 What shocks did Gangadharpant Gaitonde
Pfl phes in his hfe.
catastro
W)lat was Rajendra Deshpande_'s second
l~ c1usion about Professor Ga1tonde's
con ? Company still existed and was flourishing. Another
experience. , shock was the sign of British rule everywhere in
. ndra Deshpande s second conclusion about
,., RaJe . d, .
,II" Professor Gatton e s expenence was that the
bifurcation between the two worlds occurred at the
Third Battle of Panip~t, but ~ere could be many such
worlds arising from bifurcations which may occur at
different points in time.
~ w.as Rajendra's conclusion about why
11 taj~~nde made the transition to another
world at that period in its history?
JJs Rajendra explained that Gaitonde made the transition
toanother world at that period in history because
probably he was thinking about the Third Battle of
Panipat at the time of his collision, as he had been
asked to chair a seminar on what would have
happened if the battle had gone the other way.
IB Di~ofessor Gaitonde ultimately make his
tfesidential address at the seminar he had
been invited to chair? Why or why not?
.wNo,Professor Gaitonde ultimately did not make his
presidential address at the seminar he had been
IDl'lted to chair, as he had already conveyed his
regrets to the organisers of the seminar. The reason
:et~t, d~e to his experience in the parallel world,
w realised that such a speech would not be
e1come at the seminar.
~ONG AN SWER Type Questions
l~ wa~ th~ ~urpose of Professor
~.,., .. des VJ.sit to Bombay? Was his purpose
1. ' "1.IUJed? Wb
"l 1bt · yorwhynot? ·
i-as f:?iose of Professor Gaitonde's visit to Bombay
ind out what exactly had happened to him
and also to try to get back to his home and family. As
he could not find his home where it had existed in
the real world and also he could not find anybody in
Pune who knew him, he thought that his son, who
worked in Bombay in the real world, would be able to
help him. However, when he reached his son's
organisation's office in Bombay, he found that
nobody having his son's name worked there. Thus,
the second purpose was not fulfilled. To solve the
first matter, he visited the library of the Asiatic
Society. Here, he was able to read the history of India
in the parallel world and understand from which
point the history had changed. Thus, his first purpose
was partially fulfilled, as he still did not know what
had triggered his transition to a parallel world and
also how he could go back to his original world.
get in the Bombay in the parallel world?
Ans One shock Gangadharpant Gaitonde got in Bombay
in the parallel world was that the East India
Bombay, from the suburban railway carriages having
a British flag painted on them to the British road
names and building names.
The third shock occurred when he found that nobody
with his son's name worked in the company in which
he had been working in the real world. Gaitonde got
another shock when, in the library of the Asiatic Society,
he read a history book written by him which described
the Third Battle of Panipat ending in a different way
from what he had actually written in his book in the
real world. The final shock which Gaitonde got, which
enabled him to return to the real world, was when he
tried to chair a seminar at the Azad Maidan. He was
vociferously opposed by the audience, but when he
stood his ground, the audience stormed the stage. He
was concussed in the melee and found himself in the
.'real world when he regained consciousness.
3 What method did Professor Gaitonde adopt
to find the information he wanted in the
library of the Asiatic Society? Did he find the
required information?
Ans The. method ~at Professor Gaitonde adopted to find
th~ ~orm~tlon he wanted in the library of the
Asiatic Society was to go through reliable history
?ooks. As he had himself written the history of India
m fi~e volumes, he felt them to be a reliable source.
He did not find any difference from what he knew in
the first four volumes, which covered India's history
up to the death of Aurangzeb.
However, in ~e fifth volume, he found that. the Third
Battle of Parupat was described differently from wh t
he had actually written. Thus, he understood that ;e
result of the ba~e was different. From that point
onw~ds, the history of India in the parallel world
was different from that of the real world. This
 . d to sub-atomic particles and
nlY be apphTeh s it cannot explain what not to
~Xplained all th can
.
d1scre
° ·
te obJec ts · ud ' Even th e Ca t astrophe 'h
Gaiton e. . f . •ne
~?Jlbay durin he had witnessed in Fune and happened to Jain the behav1_our o various sysi°ry
not Still find g e last few hours. However, he could onlY tries to ex:p o catastroph1c stress. It cannot ellis
transition to :°explanation for the reason of his
wh
en theY under_g_ n to a parallel world. Thus
t ans1t10 •bl c , We
lie resolved parallel world with a different history.
x:pJain the r ·t is not possi e 1or such a
Deshpande to return to Fune and ask Rajendra e I de that I
solve this ~; ~a th ema~ical and scientific expert, to c
an cone u
. . n to occur.
. 4 "'11<.1
~
Deshpande e s_ery ~or hun, provided that Rajendra

~~WdidRa·e d
Professor
x1sted m this parallel world.
d _n ra Deshpande initially explain
.
•

based
~ !:: .
tr~ ;•o r sketch of Professor Gait
a chara~~c events mentioned in the :nde
on spec d had a collision with a truck /t'-f.
·ton e .,,_t
Gaitond nd
aito e's experience? Was Ans professor Gat thinkiilg of the Catastrophe lb
e convinc d . . that ti.rJle he wa_s When he regained eory
How did R . e with the explanation?
nd
P~sed on n~e ~a change his explanation and its irnplication;~und hiJllself in another para11
Ans hlje dr w evidence given by Gaitonde? conscious~essi!~ed totally different from the on:!
n a Deshpand . . .
Gaitonde's . e initially explained Professor world, which fl ever he was resolute enough t
kneW oW ' . . o
experience b l • . that h e 1. e the matter. That is why he Journeyed
kn own to him th Y app ymg two theories
try and reso;e was very )<nowledgeable about Indian
of determini ' . e Catastrophe Theory and the Jack
that Gaitond:~: 9uan_tum Theory. Rajendra felt t~ Bombay. e had written a set of fiv~ books on it.
have been imagmed things because he may history, as h qui·te vain as he pnded himself
he was ' . on
at the tim th g about the Third Battle of Panipat However, aking as a Chamnan at van
. 10 quence by spe ous
convincede -~truck hit him. But Gaitonde was not his~ Th" vanity was punctured and he forgot·t
too real to :: . th~ explanation, as his adventure was semmars is . d . th I
. tile reception he receive m e parallel
prove thi H ~agmed. Further, he had evidence to after th e h oshe tried to chair . a semmar . at the Azad
the Bh s. h 5 o~ed Rajendra the tom off page of worl d w h en al di 1 d .
Maidan in Bombay. fie so sp aye persJ.Stence to
of the ~de anchi Bakh~r in which the description
know the truth of his adventure when he questioned
what h h d Battle of P8?1pat was different from . d RaJ·endra Deshpande about the explanation
e a actually wntten. hi s fnen·endra gave him about hi s transition. ..
At first ' Ra1·en dra was puzzled by this . new eVIdence.
. All in all,
B t R aJ
th ·tonde was a vain but persisten
a . t hi .
stonan who was
utl 8!'ter further discussion with Gaitonde Rajendra Gru ll .
exp amed that he had come to the conclusi~n that thorough in his subject as we as reasonmg power.
~ere could be many 'different worlds existing at He also had some scientific knowledge because he
~er~nt points of time'. They could all have different understood Quantum Theory and its implications.
histones. Professor Gaitonde had been to another ~ w a character sketch of Rajendra Deshpande
p~allel world. The time was the present but its
based on what you have read in the chapter.
history was quite different. This explanation was
more likely to be correct due to the application of the Ans Rajendra Deshpande was a mathematical and
_ Q~ Theory to Gaitonde's experience. scientific expert who tried to rationalise Professor
Gaitonde 's experience by applying the Catastrophe
_?,~s the author been trying to tell the Theory and the lack of determinism in Quantum
reader in the story, 'The Adventure'? Is it Theory. He understood both the theories very well
possible for such a transition to occur? and was able to apply them to Gaitonde's adventure.
4ns The author has tried to explain two theories of This shows his knowledge and expertise in his field
science, the Catastrophe Theory and the lack of of work. In addition, he displayed an attitude of
determinism in Quantum Theory, through an loyalty to his friend, Professor Gaitonde, because he
imaginary set of events which occurred in the life of believed_his story completely, despite the story being
a professor of history. The author wanted to show to~all~ b~~arre. He displayed analytical power too by
what would have happened if the Marathas had won
bemg m1hally able to analyse Gaitonde's story as a
the Third Battle of Panipat. figment of his imagination. But when Gaitonde
India (in 1986, when this story was written) would showed evidence that he had really transited to a
have differed from the-India which we know due to parall~l wo~ld, Rajendra displayed flexibility by
the catastrophe of the Marathas losing the Third changmg his explanation based on his mathematical
Battle of Panipat. Our lifestyle would not have been and scientific knowledge.
that much influenced by the West, there would have
Thuhs, Raj~ ndra Deshpande was a rational-thinking
been no partition. of the country '.111d so on. The mat . ifi1c expert in his profession .
author has tried to show how a smgle but sm'.111 h ematical and scient
turning point in history would have resulted m a :do;::srioy~ to his friend, had analytical power,
completely different set of events later on. From ~hat based eXIble ~nough to modify his explanation
we know at present about the Quantum Theory, it on new eVIdence.