THE ADVENTURE

“The Adventure” is a story that looks at the idea of parallel worlds. It asks if there are other
worlds out there that are very different from our own or not.
The story also looks at the ideas of free will and fate. Professor Gaitonde thinks that this
adventure was meant to happen to him. He thinks it helped him learn more about himself and
the world around him.
Professor Gangadharpant Gaitonde is a historian, and the Battle of Panipat is very interesting to
him. He thinks that if one thing had happened differently, the fight could have turned out
differently. Professor Gaitonde is walking home from work one day when a truck hits him. When
he wakes up, he is in a different world.
In this world, the Marathas won the Battle of Panipat. India is now a free and independent
country because of this. This new fact has shocked and confused Professor Gaitonde. He tries to
find a way to get back to his own world, but he can’t. Professor Gaitonde will stay in this new
world for the next two days. He gets to know new people and their customs. He also learns about
this world’s history, which is very different from the past of his own world. Professor Gaitonde is
able to get back to his own world in the end. He is happy to be back home, but sad to leave the
new world behind. He knows he will never forget what happened to him in this other world.

Here are a few more things to think about the story:

• The story makes you wonder if the world we live in is the only one that could be. Could
there be other worlds out there that are very different from ours?
• The story also looks at the ideas of free will and fate. Professor Gaitonde thinks that this
adventure was meant to happen to him. He thinks it helped him learn more about himself
and the world around him.
• The story shows us that we should never take the world we live in for granted. There are
other worlds, and we should be glad to live in the one we do.

QUESTION AND ANSWERS

1. “You neither travelled to the past nor the future. You were in the present experiencing a
different world.”
This statement was said by Rajendra to Professor Gaitonde. As he made a transition from
one world to another, he had a real-life experience for two days in an alternative reality. It
was one at a time experience for him. He neither travelled to the past nor the future. He was
in the present all the time.
2. “You have passed through a fantastic experience: or more correctly, a catastrophic
experience.”
This statement was said by Rajendra to Professor Gaitonde. When he was hit by the truck,
he was thinking about Catastrophe theory and its role in the war. He was unconscious in
the hospital for the next two days but he was in an alternate world having a real-life
experience of many things which were not true in the real world where he actually lives. He
noticed that the scenario was different and facts about history were different. So, he had
passed a catastrophic experience.
3. Gangadharpant could not help comparing the country he knew what he was witnessing
around him.
Gangadharpant Gaitonde had witnessed different facts of history which were the decline of
Marathas and British rule. But here in a different world, the reality was different. Marathas
had won the Battle of Panipat and there was no slavery under the white man. India was free
and here people had self-respect. When he compared two different facts of the same
country, he liked this different version of India more.
4. “The lack of determinism in quantum theory!”
 The lack of determinism means the inability of the scientist to know where the electron
would move. Quantum theory means in physics, it can be measured how the energy is
produced and in what direction electrons may move. This happened when Professor saw
two different sets of history in the case of the Battle of Panipat. In one reality, Marathas had
won the war and in other, they had lost the battle. The same happened in the case of the
Battle of Waterloo.
5. “You need some interaction to cause a transition.”
Professor Gaitonde before the collision with the truck was thinking about catastrophe
theory and its role in the war. He was wondering what might happen if the result was
different in the Battle of Panipat. When he hit the truck, the neurons in his brain made the
transition. This was explained by Rajendra to the professor when he failed to understand
why only he made the transition.
6. Discuss the following statements in groups of two pairs, each pair in a group taking
opposite points of view.
A single event may change the course of the history of a nation.
For: A single event may change the course of the history of a nation. In the case of
the Battle of Panipat, when Marathas won the war. The course of history changed
and it led to a different shape of India. British rule ended and India soon became a
democratic nation. People no longer were slaves under the white man. India was
self-dependent and had self-respect.
Against: It is a matter of perspective that a single event may change the course of
the history of a nation. As explained by Rajendra in the chapter, it is a catastrophic
phenomenon that the Battle of Panipat had two courses of history in different
worlds. Similarly, there may be different worlds having a different history of the
same nation.
(ii) Reality is what is directly experienced through the senses.
For: As Gangadharpant experienced a different reality in the different world for
two days, he even brought back a torn-off page of Bakhar book. He was
experiencing different realities one at a time. It happened due to the lack of
determinism in quantum theory and catastrophic theory. We sense our reality with
our taste buds, hearing, seeing, smelling and a sense of touch.
Against: Reality is not entitled to the senses. Electrons can move to any direction at
any point in time. They don’t have a definite path to travel. When we can predict
the direction of the fired bullet, we cannot predict the same thing about electrons.
The methods of inquiry of history, science and philosophy are similar.
The methods of inquiry of history, science and philosophy are similar. In the
chapter, history, philosophy, and science converge and Professor Gaitonde
experienced a different set of events and reality in two different worlds. In one
world, the Battle of Panipat was won by Marathas and in other, it was won by the
Mughals. Later, Rajendra explained to him the catastrophe theory and lack of
determinism. This explained to us how history and science converged. Similarly, in
Philosophy, truth is relative.
Against: It is inaccurate to say that the methods of inquiry of history, science, and
philosophy are similar. In the chapter, Rajendra tried to explain the events with a
catastrophic theory which surely convinced Professor but not us. Philosophy is
speculative, while science is about the exact fact which is tested. History is based on
a set of events and how they shaped the existing reality. The chapter is a science
fiction where the writer tries to show the convergence of the three different subjects
but in reality, it employs different methodologies.
 7. The story is called ‘The Adventure’. Compare it with the adventure described in ‘We’re
Not Afraid to Die…’
‘We’re Not Afraid to Die…’ is a story about a family who went on a seafaring trip with their
two children and two crewmen. The challenge was to keep them alive and reach the shore
safely when the Storm hit the sea and affected their boat. Their experience was real and
painful. On the other hand, Professor Gaitonde’s experience was imaginative. After his
collision, he travelled the world through his mind when he was unconscious for two days.
8. Why do you think Professor Gaitonde decided never to preside over meetings again?
When in a different world, the professor noticed the empty presidential chair on the stage in
the ongoing lecture. He tried to sit on it as it should not remain empty. He was asked to
move away by the speaker. Later when he started talking on the mic, the audience was not
ready to listen to him. They threw many objects at him and asked him to move aside. They
physically lifted him from the stage.
Such experiences prompted Professor to never preside over meetings again.
9. Who is Khan sahib?
Khan Sahib was a passenger in the Jijamata Express. He was travelling to Peshawar. He told
endless stories of life in India that were so different from India as was known to Professor
Gaitonde.
10. Why did the professor want to go through History books?
The professor went through history books for the details of the battle of Panipat. He found
that a shot brushed past Vishwasrao’s ear and he escaped his death.
11. Where was the Jijamata express heading to?
The Jijamata was heading towards Bombay from Pune.
12. What did Gaitonde notice when he got at the Victoria Terminus?
When he got down at the Victoria Terminus and saw the headquarters of The East India
Company. The professor was shocked because the East India Company had closed down
after the events of 1857, but he saw the company functioning well right in front of his eyes.
He concluded that history had taken a different turn. While walking down the Hornby Road,
he found offices of Lloyds, Barclays and other British banks, instead of Boots and Woolworth
departmental stores.
13. What did the professor do at the Town Hall library?
The professor made his way to the library of the Asiatic Society to understand this alternate
version of history. He asked for a list of History books including his own. He went through
all the five volumes and noticed that the change had occurred in the last one which took
place in the Battle of Panipat.
He looked into a book, Bhausahebanchi Bakhar, for the details of the battle and found that a
shot brushed past Vishwasrao’s ear and he escaped his death. As Gangadharpant was
leaving the library, he absentmindedly tore and put a few pages into his left pocket.
14. How was Professor Gangadharpant Gaitonde planning to find out how the ‘present state
of affairs’ had been reached?
Professor Gangadharpant Gaitonde had been mystified to realise that Bombay was British
territory whereas the rest of India was independent. He planned to find out how the ‘present
state of affairs’ had been reached 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.
15. Why was a permit required to enter Bombay for the passengers in the train?
In this story, Bombay is shown as British territory while the areas surrounding it are Indian
territory. In a normal situation, a passport and 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.
16. How did the train passengers understand that they were in British territory when the train
was passing through the suburbs of Bombay?
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.
17. Why was Gaitonde shocked to see East India House just outside the Victoria Terminus
railway station?
Gaitonde was shocked to see East India House just outside the Victoria Terminus railway
station because the East India Company had • stopped its operations in India after the events
of 1857, according to the history books. This made Gaitonde conclude that India’s history
was different from what he knew.
18. How did Gangadharpant conclude that in this world his son did not exist?
In the world that Gangadharpant knew, Vinay Gaitonde, his son, worked in the Forbes
building in Mumbai. However, when Gangadharpant enquired with the English receptionist
in the building about his son, the receptionist informed him, after checking the telephone
extension list, the staff list and employees list in other branches of Forbes, that no such
person worked there. Thus, Gangadharpant concluded that in this world his son did not
exist.
19. To solve his riddle, what books did he consult and where? In which building was this
place located?
To solve his mystery, Gaitonde consulted the five books he had himself written on Indian
history which were available in the library of the Asiatic Society located in the Town Hall
building.
20. What did Gaitonde find in the history book he consulted about the exact time when
history had changed from what he knew?
In the fifth book which he himself had written, Gaitonde found the exact event which was
different from what he knew. This was the third battle of Panipat in 1761, in 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 which had changed all future historical events in India.
21. What action did the East India Company take in this parallel world when it observed the
victory of the Marathas in the third battle of Panipat?
With 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.
22. What happened to the fortunes of the East India Company after the Peshwas
systematically expanded their influence all over India?
With the systematic expansion of the Peshwas’ influence all over India, the East India
Company was reduced to pockets of influence near Bombay, Calcutta and Madras, just like
its European rivals, the Portuguese and the French.

23. Who were 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?
The two Maratha brothers were named Vishwasrao and Madhavrao. They combined political
shrewdness and a keen insight with bravery to restrict the East India Company’s influence
and remove their rivals.
24. What practical intelligence did the Peshwa rulers have and how did they use it for
benefiting the country?
The Peshwa rulers had the practical intelligence to understand the significance of the
technological age starting in Europe. So they set up their own scientific and technological
 centres, using the aid and expertise offered by the East India Company to make the local
centres self-sufficient.
25. In this parallel world, why did India become a democracy during the twentieth century?
By the time of the twentieth century, the Peshwas had lost their resourcefulness. Also, the
Sultanate of Delhi did not actually have any power or influence. It was just to ‘rubber stamp’
the recommendations made by the government. Thus, inspired by changes occurring in the
West, India moved to becoming a democracy.
26. When Gaitonde was reading the fifth history book in the parallel world, why did he feel
that his investigations would remain incomplete? Reading which document completed his
investigation?
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.
27. What was described in the document that Gaitonde read to find out how the Marathas had
won the battle?
Bhausahebanchi Bakhar, the document that Gaitonde read, mentioned that during the battle,
a bullet brushed past 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
battle. In the real world, Vishwasrao had been killed by a cannon shell and the Marathas lost
the battle.
28. What was peculiar about the event going on at Azad Maidan when Gaitonde reached
there?
When Gaitonde reached Azad Maidan, he saw many people moving towards a pandal where
a lecture was going on. However, what was peculiar about it was that the presidential chair
on the platform was unoccupied although the speaker was speaking. Gaitonde felt that this
chair was kept vacant for him.
29. What was the audience’s reaction to Gaitonde sitting on the presidential chair? Why?
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, vote of thanks and remarks of the chair. They were only interested in what the
speaker was speaking and had abolished the custom of having a chairman long ago. The
chair kept on the platform was only symbolic.
30. What finally happened to Gaitonde at the Azad Maidan lecture?
When Gaitonde insisted on continuing his speech, the audience pelted him with tomatoes,
eggs and other objects. When Gaitonde still did not stop speaking, the audience swarmed on
to the stage to remove him. During the commotion, Gaitonde disappeared.
31. What evidence did Gaitonde show to Deshpande to convince him that he was speaking
the truth about his experiences in another world?
The evidence Gaitonde showed to Deshpande to convince him that he was speaking the truth
about his experiences in another world was a page torn out of the Bhausahebanchi Bakhar
which mentioned that the bullet missed Vishwasrao, although in the actual book which
Gaitonde had written, Vishwasrao was hit by the bullet.
32. 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?
Answer:
The two theories Rajendra Deshpande talks about to rationalise Gaitonde’s experience are the
catastrophe theory and the Quantum theory. The Catastrophe theory is the one that is
applicable to Gaitonde’s experience.
33. What actions does the Catastrophe theory explain?
The Catastrophe theory models the mechanisms of sudden and discontinuous changes of
state in very different types of systems like freezing of a liquid, bucking of metal under
pressure, fall of a government, or riot by a mob. It explains that a series of gradual changes
(such as frustration of people in a nation) trigger rapid and large-scale (catastrophic) changes
such as the collapse of an empire.
34. What examples does Rajendra Deshpande use to illustrate his contention that reality may
not be unique?
Rajendra Deshpande uses the examples of atoms and sub-atomic particles to illustrate his
contention that reality may not be unique. He says that if an electron is fired from a source,
we cannot predict exactly the location of the electron after a specified period of time. This is
explained in Quantum theory as ‘lack of determinism’.
35. What did Rajendra Deshpande conclude about Professor Gaitonde’s experience?
Rajendra Deshpande concluded that Professor Gaitonde had made a transition from one
world to another at the time of his accident and returned to the first world due to the scuffle
with the audience at Azad Maidan, as both these experiences were catastrophes in his life.
36. What was Rajendra Deshpande’s second conclusion about Professor Gaitonde’s
experience?
Rajendra Deshpande’s second conclusion about Professor Gaitonde’s experience was that the
bifurcation between the two worlds occurred at the third battle of Panipat, but there could be
many such worlds arising from bifurcations which may occur at different points in time.
37. What was Rajendra’s conclusion about why Gaitonde made the transition to another
world at that period in its history?
Rajendra explained that Gaitonde made the transition to another 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.
38. Did Professor Gaitonde ultimately make his presidential address at the seminar he had
been invited to chair? Why or why not?
No, Professor Gaitonde ultimately did not make his presidential address at the seminar he
had been invited to chair, as he had already conveyed his regrets to the organisers of the
seminar. The reason was that, due to his experience in the parallel world, he had realised that
such a speech would not be welcome at the seminar.
39. What was the purpose of Professor Gaitonde’s visit to Bombay? Was his purpose fulfilled?
Why or why not?
The purpose of Professor Gaitonde’s visit to Bombay was to find out what exactly had
happened to him and also 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.
40. What shocks did Gangadharpant Gaitonde get in the Bombay in the parallel world?
One shock Gangadharpant Gaitonde got in Bombay in the parallel world was that the East
India Company still existed and was flourishing. Another shock was the sign of British rule
 everywhere in 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.
41. 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?
The method that Professor Gaitonde adopted to find the information he wanted in the library
of the Asiatic Society was to go through reliable history books. As he had himself written a
history of India in five volumes, he felt that these would 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 the fifth volume, he found that the third battle of Panipat was described
differently from what he had actually written. Thus, he understood that the result of the
battle was written differently. From that point onwards, the history of India in the parallel
world had changed from that in the real world. This explained all what he had witnessed in
Pune and Bombay during the last few hours. However, he could not still find an explanation
for the reason of his transition to a parallel world with a different history. He resolved to
return to Pune and ask Rajendra Deshpande, a mathematical and scientific expert, to solve
this mystery for him, provided that Rajehdra Deshpande existed in this parallel world.
42. How did Rajendra Deshpande initially explain Professor Gaitonde’s experience? Was
Gaitonde convinced with the explanation? How did Rajendra change his explanation
based on new evidence given by Gaitonde?
Rajendra Deshpande initially explained Professor Gaitonde’s experience by applying two
theories known to him, the Catastrophe theory and the lack of determinism in Quantum
theory. 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. But Gaitonde was not
convinced with the explanation, as his adventure was too real to be imagined. Further, he
had evidence to prove this. He showed Rajendra the tom off page of the Bhaiisahebanchi
Bakhar in which the description of the third battle of Panipat was different from what he had
actually written.
At first, Rajendra was puzzled by this new evidence. But, after further discussion with
Gaitonde, Rajendra 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 different histories.
Professor Gaitonde had been to another parallel world. The time was the present but its
history was quite different. This explanation was more likely to be correct due to the
application of the Quantum theory to Gaitonde’s experience.
43. What has the author been trying to tell the reader in the story, ‘The Adventure’? Is it
possible for such a transition to occur?
The author has tried to explain two theories of science, the Catastrophe theory and the lack of
determinism in Quantum theory, through an imaginary set of events which occurred in the
life of a professor of history. The author wanted to show what would have happened if the
Marathas had won the third battle of Panipat.
 India (in 1986, when this story was written) would have differed from the India which we
know due to the catastrophe of the Marathas losing the third battle of Panipat. Our lifestyle
would not have been that much influenced by the West, there would have been no partition
of the country and so on. The author has tried to show how a single but small turning point
in history would have resulted in a completely different set of events later on.
From what we know at present about the Quantum theory, it can only be applied to sub-
atomic particles and not to discrete objects. Thus, it cannot explain what happened to
Gaitonde. Even the theory of Catastrophe only tries to explain the behaviour of various
systems when they undergo catastrophic stress. It cannot explain the transition to a parallel
world. Thus, we can conclude that it is not possible for such a transition to occur.
44. Draw a character sketch of Professor Gaitonde based on specific events mentioned in the
story.
Professor Gaitonde had a collision with a truck. At that time, he was thinking of the
Catastrophe theory and its implications for history. When he regained consciousness, he
found himself in another parallel world, which looked totally different from what he knew.
However, he was resolute enough to try and resolve the matter. That is why he journeyed to
Bombay.
He was very knowledgeable about Indian history, as he had written a set of five books on it.
However, he was quite vain, as he prided himself on his eloquence by speaking as a
Chairman at various seminars. However, this vanity was punctured and he forgot it after the
hostile reception given to him in the parallel world when he tried to chair a seminar at the
Azad Maidan in Bombay.
He also displayed persistence to know the truth of his adventure when he questioned his
friend Rajendra Deshpande about the explanation that Rajendra gave him about his
transition. All in all, Gaitonde was a vain but persistent historian who was thorough in his
subject as well as reasoning power. He also had some scientific knowledge because he
understood Quantum theory and its implications.
45. Draw a character sketch of Rajendra Deshpande based on what you have read in the
chapter.
Rajendra Deshpande was a mathematical and scientific expert who tried to rationalise
Professor Gaitonde’s experience by applying the Catastrophe theory and the lack of
determinism in Quantum theory. He understood both the theories very well and was able to
apply them also to Gaitonde’s adventure. This shows his knowledge and expertise in his
field of work. In addition, he displayed an attitude of loyalty to his friend, Professor
Gaitonde, because he believed his story completely, despite the story being totally bizarre.
He displayed analytical power also by being initially able to analyse Gaitonde’s story as a
figment of his imagination. But when Gaitonde showed evidence that he had really transited
to a parallel world, Rajendra displayed flexibility by changing his explanation based on his
mathematical and scientific knowledge.
Thus, Rajendra Deshpande was a rational-thinking mathematical and scientific expert in his
profession who was loyal to his friend, had analytical power, and was flexible enough to
modify his explanation based on new evidence.