Class 11: The Adventure by Jayant Narlikar

Meanings of the Expressions 

  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 from the later part of Jayant Narlikar’s story “The Adventure.” It is a science fiction tale that shows how small changes in history can have big effects. The story imagines how a history professor’s life would have been different if the result of a battle 200 years ago had been changed, using ideas from Catastrophe Theory and Quantum Theory.

Summary in Points

1. Professor Gaitonde’s Background:

   • Gangadharpant Gaitonde is a famous historian in Pune.

   • He frequently presides over public functions and was about to attend his 1000th seminar on the Third Battle of Panipat.

2. Accident and Transition:

   • While walking home, he is hit by a truck and loses consciousness.

   • On waking, he finds himself in a parallel world, though he does not realize it immediately.

3. Journey to Bombay:

   • He tries to go home but finds it doesn’t exist in this world.

   • He decides to visit his son in Bombay and takes a train.

   • Learns that India was never partitioned and that most of India is independent, but Bombay is under British control.

   • Notices the British flag on local trains in Bombay, indicating British territory.

4. Unable to Find His Son:

   • Tries to meet his son at his office, but his son does not exist in this world.

   • Realizes he has truly entered a parallel reality, confirming ideas from Catastrophe Theory.

5. Discovering the Alternate History:

   • Visits the Asiatic Society library in Bombay, which exists in both worlds.

   • Finds the five-volume history books he had written, including his volume on post-Aurangzeb India.

   • Learns that in this world, the Marathas won the Third Battle of Panipat, unlike in his world where Vishwasrao died and the Marathas lost.

6. India’s History in the Parallel World:

   • India never came under British rule, except for small regions like Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras.

   • India gradually became a democracy, allowing the British limited commercial control through leases.

7. Gaitonde Attempts to Chair a Seminar:

   • He attends a lecture at Azad Maidan, sees an empty presidential chair, and sits thinking it’s for him.

   • Audience protests violently because the chair is symbolic; long formalities are abolished in this world.

   • Gaitonde is thrown off the stage, loses consciousness, and returns to the real world.

     8.  Explanation by Rajendra Deshpande:

• Gaitonde narrates the adventure to his friend Rajendra Deshpande, a scientist.

• Rajendra explains:
  Catastrophe Theory – small changes in events (like Vishwasrao surviving) can dramatically alter history.
  
  
• Lack of Determinism in Quantum Theory – just as electrons move unpredictably between energy levels, Gaitonde transitioned to a parallel world.

• The torn page of the history book confirms that the events of the parallel world were real.

    9. Gaitonde Refuses Future Seminars:

Due to the unpleasant experience in the parallel world, he decides not to preside over any more seminars, avoiding further trouble.

Setting

• Place: Pune, Bombay (Mumbai), and an alternate version of India

• Time: Present day (20th century) and an imagined historical timeline

• Type: Realistic + speculative (science fiction)

Tone and Mood

• Tone: Intellectual, curious, analytical

• Mood: Thought-provoking, mysterious, imaginative

Perspective

• Third-person narration

• Focused mainly on Professor Gaitonde’s experiences

Central Idea:
The story shows that history could have turned out differently, and using science and imagination, we can explore alternate realities and understand how small events can change the course of the world.

Themes

• Alternate History: History could have unfolded differently.

• Science and Reality: Science explains unusual experiences.

• Cause and Effect: Small events can change the course of history.

• Reason vs Belief: Logical explanation over blind acceptance.

Message of the Lesson

• The story encourages scientific thinking, open-mindedness, and critical analysis of history.

• It shows that imagination and science together help us understand reality better.

Title Justification

• The title “The Adventure” refers to Gaitonde’s mental and scientific journey into an alternate reality.

• It is an adventure of ideas, history, and imagination, not physical travel.

Literary Devices 

• Science Fiction: Use of quantum theory and parallel worlds

• Irony: Gaitonde is rejected in a world where he expects acceptance

• Contrast: British-ruled India vs independent India

• Symbolism: The Battle of Panipat symbolises a turning point in history

The story is based on two theories:

1. Catastrophe Theory: Catastrophe theory says that small changes in a situation can cause sudden big changes in results. In math, it studies how a system can change dramatically when one or more controlling factors are slowly changed.

2. The Lack of Determinism in Quantum Theory: In quantum theory, we cannot predict exactly how an electron moves around the nucleus of an atom.

• Electrons can jump between energy levels unpredictably.

• Similarly, in the story, Professor Gaitonde suddenly moves from one world to another, like an electron changing energy levels.

• An atom has a nucleus (protons + neutrons) with electrons orbiting around it, and these fundamental particles behave unpredictably.

For Reading only- 

Origin: Catastrophe theory was developed in mathematics by René Thom.

Applications: Besides math, it is applied in psychology, biology, economics, and other fields to study situations where small changes lead to sudden shifts in behavior.

In psychology, it is used to explain sudden changes in human behavior or emotions, like panic, decision-making, or stress reactions.

Quantum theory is mainly from physics, because it deals with the behavior of particles like electrons, protons, and neutrons.
Chemistry uses quantum theory to explain chemical reactions, bonding, and electron arrangements, but the theory itself is a physics concept.

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.

3. Supporting characters: Librarians, audience members (minor roles)

Background 

1. Written by Jayant Narlikar, a renowned Indian astrophysicist and writer.
2. It is a science fiction story that blends science with history.
3. Explains scientific concepts like Quantum Theory and Catastrophe Theory through a fictional narrative.
4. Reflects the author’s aim to make complex scientific ideas easy to understand.
5. Shows Narlikar’s interest in imagination, science, and alternate realities.

Flowchart 

1. On his way home, he is hit by a truck and loses consciousness.

2. He wakes up in a parallel world where history is different.

3. India is mostly independent, Bombay is under British control, and the partition never happened.

4. He cannot find his son in Bombay and realizes he is in a different reality.

5. Visits the Asiatic Society library and finds his own history books in this world.

6. Learns that the Marathas won the Third Battle of Panipat, unlike in his world.

7. India in this world never came under full British rule and gradually became a democracy.

8. He attempts to chair a seminar, but the audience protests, and he loses consciousness, returning to his real world.

9. His friend Rajendra Deshpande explains the event using Catastrophe Theory and Quantum Theory.

10. Gaitonde sees evidence (torn page of the book) confirming the parallel world’s history.

11. He decides not to chair any more seminars after the experience.

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.