Class XI English Core [Hornbill] Unit - 8: The Adventure by Jayant Narlikar

The Adventure by Jayant Narlikar

Word Meanings

1.     Amok – to behave uncontrollably
2.      Armour – shell
3.      Assertion – a confident statement of a fact
4.      Astute – smartness; quick-witted
5.      Avidly – with great interest
6.      Bifurcation – division
7.      Blow – by – blow account – a detailed account
8.      Catastrophe theory – it is a branch of mathematics concerned with systems displaying discontinuous changes
9.      Converged – met
10.   De facto – existing in fact with or without any lawful authority
11.   Determinism – a doctrine that all the events are caused by the external will
12.   Dismay – shock
13.   Disparity – difference
14.   Doctored accounts – manipulated accounts related to history
15.  Dumbfounded – amazed
16.  Emerged – developed; begin
17.  Expansionist – a follower of the policy of territorial or economic expansion
18.  Figurehead – a carving; image
19.  Flourishing – to grow successfully
20.   Frugal – less costly and simple
21.   Gave vent to – to express one’s feelings
22.   Grave – serious
23.  Hostile – unfriendly
24.  Ignoramus – an ignorant person
25.   Impetus – the force with which body moves
26.  Imposing – Impressive
27.  Inadvertently – unintentionally
28.   Manifestation – the action of showing something; demonstration
29.  Marshall – to gather something
30.  Melee – a confused fight
31.  Morale booster – anything which boosts self- confidence
32.  Outpost – a small military camp used as a guard
33.  Permits – authorize to do something
34.  Political acumen – political smartness
35.   Precise – error-free; correct
36.   Precise – exact; accurate
37.   Proclaimed – to announce something officially
38.   Quantum theory – a theory of matter and energy based on quantum mechanics.
39.  Relegated to – assigned to a lower rank
40.   Riddle – mystery or puzzle
41.   Roared – to move at a high speed while making a loud noise
42.   Rout – a defeat
43.   Sacrilege – disrespect
44.   Seldom – not often
45.   Shoved – to push someone roughly
46.  Smugly – to show excess satisfaction  
47.  Speculating – wondering
48.  Startling – surprising
49.  Stroll – to wander
50.  Suburban – residential area
51.  Supremacy – the condition of being superior to others
52.  Swarmed – move somewhere in a large number
53.  Throng – a large pack of crowd
54. Townships – Towns or villages
55.  Trajectory – the path followed by a projectile flying
56.  Triumphant – Successful
57.   Triumphantly – to win a battle
58.  Valiantly – bravely
59.  Valour – great courage in battle
60.   Ventured – to say something that might be considered an apology
61.   Viable – practical

Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.

1. Blow-by-blow account: A blow-by-blow account means a detailed account. In the text, this expression is used when Prof. Gangadharpant tries to understand the consequences of the Battle of Panipat by reading the book on this topic.
2. De facto: De facto refers to the existence of something, whether with lawful authority or not. In the text, Peshwas is referred to as the de facto ruler because the Mughal regime in Delhi was kept alive by them.
3. Morale booster: A morale booster indicates anything that increases confidence or morale. In the text, this expression occurs when it is told that the Battle of Panipat was won by the Marathas due to which their morale increased and gave them the confidence to exert their supremacy all over the country.
4. Astute: Astute means practical, hard-headed intelligence. The text uses this word to show Peshwas's intelligence in recognizing the importance of the technological age arising in Europe.
5. Relegated to: 'Relegated to' refers to when someone is assigned to a lower position or rank. In the text, it is shown that after the Battle of Panipat, Dadasaheb who was a Maratha chieftain, was assigned to a lower position.
6. Doctored accounts: Doctored accounts mean manipulating the accounts. The expression in the text is used to convey that the Bakhars were providing manipulated accounts of history and not the original historical facts.
7. Political acumen: Political acumen means political shrewdness (clear understanding and good judgement of a situation) with sharp insight. In the text, it is used to show how Madhavrao and Vishwasrao spread their influence all over the country with their shrewdness.
8. Gave vent to: Give vent to means to express one’s ideas or feelings. In the text, Professor Gaitonde expresses his ideas on the Battle of Panipat in the public lecture.

Overview of the Story: This is an extract of the later half of the story "The Adventure" by Jayant Narlikar. It is a science fiction story in which two theories, the Catastrophe theory and the lack of determinism in Quantum theory, are explained through an imaginary set of events which would have occurred in the life of a professor of history if the result of a battle more than 200 years earlier would have been different.

The Story is based on Two Scientific Theories:

Catastrophe Theory: Catastrophe theory states that a small change in any situation can result in a shift in behaviour. Catastrophe theory, in mathematics, is a set of methods used to study and classify how a system can undergo sudden large changes in behaviour as one or more of the variables that control it are changed continuously.

The Lack of Determinism in Quantum Theory: The behaviour of an electron orbiting a nucleus of an atom can not be predicted. There are different energy states within an atom varying from lower to higher. An electron can jump from a lower energy state to a higher energy state or vice-versa. Similarly, Professor Gaitonde made a transition from this world into another world. In other words, this theory relates to an atom which is a structure consisting of a nucleus, composed of protons and neutrons. and electrons orbiting around the nucleus. Protons, neutrons and electrons are considered to be 'fundamental particles.'

 Character's Description

 1. Professor Gangadharpant Gaitonde - He is an eminent professor of history working in Pune. He has a catastrophic accident which causes him to transition to a parallel world for 60 hours.

 2. Rajendra Deshpande - He is a mathematical and scientific expert who tries to rationalise Professor Gaitonde's experience by applying the Catastrophe theory and the lack of determinism in Quantum theory.

Story Analysis 

Central Idea: The story revolves around the concept of time travel and its implications on human understanding and existence.

Themes

1. Time and Space: The narrative explores the fluidity of time and how it can be manipulated.
2. Curiosity and Exploration: It highlights the human desire to explore the unknown and the consequences of such exploration.
3. Reality vs. Illusion: The story questions what is real and what merely a construct of human perception is.

Message: The pursuit of knowledge and understanding can lead to unexpected consequences, and the quest for answers can sometimes alter the very fabric of reality.

Underlying Message: Human curiosity is a double-edged sword; while it drives innovation and discovery, it can also lead to ethical dilemmas and unforeseen challenges. The importance of responsibility in exploration is emphasized.These elements together create a thought-provoking narrative that invites readers to ponder the complexities of time and existence.

Synopsis of the Story

 Earlier Part of the Story (Not mentioned in the text):  Professor Gangadharpant Gaitonde was an eminent historian and a leading public figure in Pune. He was much in demand for presiding over public functions. He had just completed his 999th occasion for presiding at a function. He had decided that his thousandth appearance on the stage would be for history. That occasion was to come two weeks later at a seminar devoted to the Third Battle of Panipat.

 While he was walking home, a truck on the road hit him. He lost consciousness. When he regained consciousness, he had transited to a parallel world (although he was not aware of this). He was in hospital. After recovering, he was discharged from the hospital the next morning. He tried to reach his home, but he found that it did not exist in the parallel world. He decided to go to Bombay because his son was working in a British company there. He went to Pune railway station and took a train to Bombay. The extract starts from here.

 Gaitonde's Journey to Bombay:  When Gaitonde had to get a permit to visit Bombay, he was told that Bombay was a British territory while the rest of India was independent. On the journey in a first class compartment of the Jijamata Express, he sat beside Khan Sahib, who would be going on to Peshawar from Delhi on business. Then he realised that there had been no partition of India (in this parallel world). On the route, the train stopped only at Lonavala, Karjat and the border town of Sarhad, where the permits were checked. It did not stop at Kalyan, but finally terminated at Victoria Terminus in Bombay. While going through Bombay's suburbs, he observed that the carriages of the local trains had the British flag painted on them, indicating that they were passing through British territory.

 Gaitonde Fails to Find his Son: Gaitonde had planned out his activities while on his visit to Bombay. He would try to meet his son and then go to a big library to solve the mystery of his transition. When Gaitonde stepped out of the railway station, he saw 'East go to India House', which indicated that the East India Company still existed in Bombay. Further, he found various British companies and buildings on the road. He visited his son's office to meet him, but found that no such person worked there, although the company was the same one. This made Gaitonde realise the truth of what Rajendra Deshpande had told him earlier about the Catastrophe Theory. He had really made the transition to a parallel world.

 Gaitonde Finds the Information he Needed: He visited the Town Hall building in which the library of the Asiatic Society was located. Luckily for him, it also existed in the parallel world. In the library, he also found the five books on Indian history which he had written. On going through the fifth volume, which gave India's history after the death of Aurangzeb, he found that the result of the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761 was different from what he knew.

 It said that the Marathas had won the battle, whereas in his reality they had lost it. From here onwards, the history of India changed, which explained what Gaitonde had been experiencing for the last few hours. He found confirmation in a Marathi journal about how exactly the Marathas had won the battle. The Marathi journal stated that a bullet fired by the Afghans in the battle just brushed the ear of the leader of the Marathas, Vishwasrao. Gaitonde in the real world had written in his fifth volume that Vishwasrao had been killed by a bullet in the battle and the Marathas lost their morale and the battle subsequently because that was what earlier historians had written. In the parallel world, Vishwasrao survived, rallied his troops and won this battle.

 India's Remaining History in the Parallel World: The remaining history of India, as recounted in the fifth volume that Gaitonde was reading, can be summarised by saying that India never went under British rule. The Marathas did not allow the East India Company to expand its influence in India. In fact, its influence was limited to a few places like Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. India gradually became a democracy but allowed the British to carry on in Bombay on a lease for commercial reasons. The lease was due to expire in the year 2001, 15 years after the time of this story.

 Gaitonde Returns to the Real World:  Gaitonde left the library when it closed in the evening, indicating to the librarian that he would come back the next morning. After taking a meal, he went for a stroll to Azad Maidan. There was a lecture going on there. When Gaitonde saw a vacant presidential chair on the stage, he went and sat on it, thinking that it was for him, because in the real world, he had been invited for such a seminar. The audience reacted by strongly protesting against Gaitonde sitting on the presidential chair.

 The reason was that, in this world, the people had become sick of hearing long introductions, votes of thanks and remarks from the chair. They were only interested in what the speaker was saying and had abolished the custom of having a chairman long ago. The chair kept on the platform was only symbolic. Gaitonde got up and started speaking, but the audience pelted him with tomatoes, eggs and other objects as they did not want any remarks from him. When Gaitonde still did not stop speaking, the audience swarmed onto the stage to remove him.

 During the commotion, Gaitonde disappeared. Actually, he had suffered another catastrophe by being knocked unconscious by the mob and returned to the real world, as he was found on the Azad Maidan the next morning with his clothes torn. He had no idea what had happened and so he returned to Pune.

 Rajendra Deshpande Explains What Happened to Gaitonde: Gaitonde narrated his adventure to his friend Rajendra Deshpande, a mathematical and scientific expert. Rajendra tried to explain to him what had happened by explaining how the Catastrophe Theory and the lack of determinism in Quantum theory applied to his adventure.

 When Rajendra felt that Gaitonde had imagined things because he may have been thinking about the third battle of Panipat at the time the truck hit him, Gaitonde showed Rajendra the torn-off page of the history book from the other world, about Vishwasrao escaping death. In the book in the real world, the account was given as Vishwasrao being hit by a bullet and dying. So in the real world, the Marathas had not won, the East India Company had flourished and so on.

 At first, Rajendra was perplexed by this new evidence. But, after further discussion with Gaitonde, Rajendra Deshpande explained that he had come to the conclusion that there could be many 'different worlds existing at different points of time'. They could all have a different history. Professor Gaitonde had been to another parallel world. The time was the present but its history was quite different.

 Gaitonde Refuses to Chair any More Seminars: When Rajendra suggested that Gaitonde could recount his adventure at the thousandth seminar he was presiding over after a few days, Gaitonde told him that he had already declined the invitation, as he did not want to chair any more seminars. Probably, he remembered the treatment he had received from the audience in the parallel world when he tried to chair a seminar.

 Signposting (Plot Development) - provide (a route or area) and show clearly how something is going to develop

•  Professor Gaitonde had a collision with a truck. At that time, he was thinking of the Catastrophe Theory and its implications for history.
  
• He found himself in another Bombay, which looked more like England as it was much cleaner and had many big English shops). The East India Company was flourishing there.
  
•   In this Bombay, he went to the Asiatic Society library in the Town Hall to read some history books, including the ones he had himself written.
  
•  Most of the history was as he knew it in his world, but the point where the history had changed was the Third Battle of Panipat. In this different world, the Marathas had won this battle. 
  
• The Marathas did not allow the East India Company to expand its influence in India. In fact, its influence was limited to a few places like Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. India had become a democracy but allowed the British to carry on in Bombay for commercial reasons.
  
• Gaitonde wanted to find out how the Marathas had won the battle According to one history book in the library, the Maratha army's morale was boosted when Vishwasrao managed to escape death narrowly.
  
• After leaving the library in the evening, he went for a stroll to Azad Maidan. There was a lecture going on. When Gaitonde saw a vacant presidential chair on the stage, he went and sat on it, thinking that it was for him, because in the real world, he had been invited for such a seminar. But in this world, people were fed up with long speeches and had abolished the 'chairing' custom. They got angry because Gaitonde would not stop talking. They threw various things at him and then got onto the stage to throw him out. But suddenly Gaitonde vanished.
  
• He was found in the Azad Maidan, in his own familiar world. Where had he been for two days?He went back to Pune and showed Rajendra Deshpande the proof that he had been somewhere else and was not imagining things. It was the torn-off page of the history book from the other world, about Vishwasrao escaping death. In the book in his own world, the account was given as Vishwasrao being hit by a bullet and dying. So in our world, the Marathas had not won, the East India Company had flourished and so on.
  
• Through discussions, Professor Gaitonde and Rajendra Deshpande came to the conclusion that there could be many 'different worlds at different points in time. They could all have a different history. Professor Gaitonde had been to another world. The time was the present but its history was quite different.

  Question and Answers

Q1. Describe Professor Gaitonde's fantastic Town Hall experience in the library.

Ans. As Professor Gaitonde emerged from Victoria Terminus Station, he found himself facing an imposing building. It was the headquarters of The East India Company. The East India Company had been wound up after the uprising of 1857. But it was still there alive and flourishing. He had to find out why and how it was still there. Professor Gaitonde went to the Town Hall library. He asked for a list of history books including his own. His five volumes were on the table. In the four history was as he knew it. But in the fifth volume history had taken a different turn. The book mentioned that the Battle of Panipat was won by the Marathas. Abdali was routed and chased back to Kabul. After the Battle, the Marathas established their supremacy in the north. It was mentioned that Vishwasrao missed the bullet. The Mughal Emperor was just a puppet of the Marathas. The Britishers gave up their expansionist programme. They offered aid and help to the Peshwa. In return, Bombay was leased to them till 2001. Then he went through Bhausahebanchi Bakhar. It also wrote that 'a shot brushed past Vishwasrao and he survived. Professor Gaitonde was surprised how his fifth volume and the Bakhar presented a distorted view of history. Absent-mindedly, he shoved the Bakhar into his left pocket and came out.

 Q2. How did Rajendra Deshpande try to rationalise Professor Gaitonde's fantastic or catastrophic experience?

Ans. Professor Gaitonde had slipped the Bakhar in his pocket as he left the library. He lost the book but only a torn page remained with him. Luckily for him, the page contained vital evidence. Rajendra read the page. It described how Vishwasrao narrowly missed the bullet and the Marathas won the battle. Then Gangadharpant produced his own copy of BhausahebanchiBakhar. It read how Vishwasrao 'was hit by the bullet'. There were two different accounts of the same battle. In one account Vishwasrao was hit by a bullet and killed. In the other he escaped the bullet and survived and Marathas won the battle of Panipat.

Rajendra tried to explain this fantastic experience on two scientific theories. If the catastrophe theory was applied to the Battle of Panipat, the murder of Vishwasrao was the turning point. It led to the defeat of the Marathas. Losing their leader was crucial for the army. But on the torn page history had taken a different turn. Vishwasrao survived. The battle had gone the Marathas' way. Rajendra Deshpande explained that reality is never unique. But it is limited to what we see. The behaviour of electrons can't be predicted. They may be here, there, anywhere. Alternative worlds can exist but the observer can see only one at a time. He remained unconscious for two days after his collision with a truck. He experienced two worlds at a time. The one he lived in now and the other where he spent two days. One world presents history as we know it. But the other presents a different version of history. The Battle of Panipat separates the two worlds.