ADVENTURE

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. What was the difference in the actual events of the Battle of Panipat
and the ones reported in the alternative universe?

Professor Gaitonde wanted to look for accounts of the battle itself, so

he went through the books and journals before him. At last, he found
Bhausahebanchi Bakhar'. There he found one now in a three-line account
of how close Vishwasrao had come to being killed but the 'merciful God
had saved him. A shot had brushed past his ear and he had missed death
by inches. However, in this world in which Gaitonde had written his
volumes of history, Bhausahebanchi Bakhar' reported that Vishwasrao
had died fighting. God had 'expressed His displeasure. He was hit by the
bullet'. The entire history seemed to have changed radically.

2. But we live in a unique world which has a unique history. Why did
Professor say so?

Rajendra tried to rationalize Professor Gaitonde's experience on the basis

of two scientific theories known today. He had passed through a
catastrophic experience. He applied it to the Battle of Panipat. The
Maratha army was facing Abdali's troops on the field of Panipat. There was
no great disparity between the latter's troops and the opposing forces. So,
a lot depended on the leadership and the morale of the troops. In the
history known to us Vishwasrao, the son of and heir to the Peshwa, was
killed. This proved to be the turning pointing in the battle.
Whether Bhausaheb was killed in battle or survived is not known. The
soldiers lost their morale and fighting spirit and were defeated.
However, in the alternative universe the bullet missed Vishwasrao,
and it boosted the morale of the army and provided just that extra
force that made all the difference. But, Professor Gaitonde felt
comparable statements are made about the Battle of Waterloo, which
Napoleon could have won. But all this is assumption. we live in a
inimitable world which has a distinctive history. This idea of "it might
have been' is not acceptable for reality.

3. You have passed through a fantastic experience: or more correctly, a

catastrophic experience. Explain
Gaitonde had passed through a devastating experience. In the Battle of
Panipat, war was fought face to face on open grounds. The Maratha army
was facing Abdali's troops. There was no big disparity between them, so a
 lot depended on the leadership and the morale of the troops. Hence the
death of Vishwasrao, the son of and heir to the Peshwa, proved to be the
turning point. His uncle, Bhausaheb, rushed into the encounter and was
never seen again. For the troops it was a great set-
back to lose their leaders and they lost the battle because of lack of
confidence and fighting spirit. However, in the alternative world, the
bullet missed Vishwasrao by a whisker. The Marathas went on to win
the battle. The Maratha confederacy did not go into a decline. Professor
Gaitonde had experienced this alternative reality

4. ‘You neither travelled to the past nor the future. You were in the present
experiencing a different world. Explain
Rajendra Deshpande explains his theory to Professor Gangadharpant
who has had a strange experience. According to Rajendra, he had not
been transported but was merely experiencing a different reality and
that reality cannot be calculated. He explains this giving the example
of an atom or a bullet. If a bullet is fired from a gun in a given direction
at a given speed, we know where it will be at a later time. But such a
claim cannot be made for the electron. This is the lack of determinism
in the quantum theory. In one world the electron may be found at one
place and in the other at a different one. But all those alternative worlds
could exist just the same. The electron could be orbiting in any of a
large number of specific states. These states may be used to identify
the world. In state no. 1 we have the electron in a state of higher energy.
In state no. 2 it is in a state of lower energy. It can make a jump from
high to low energy and send out a pulse of radiation. Or a pulse of
radiation can knock it out of state no. 2 into state no. 1. Such transitions
are common in microscopic systems. But this time it had happened on
a macroscopic level. Disastrous situations offer very different
alternatives for the world to proceed. It seems that so far as reality is
concerned all alternatives are viable but the observer can experience only one of
them at a time. Gaintonde hadjust been in an alternative universe by making a
transition. He had experienced two worlds one at a time.

5. How does Rajendra apply the lack of determinism in quantum

theory to Gangadharpant’s experience?
Rajendra said according to the lack of determinism in quantum theory
that reality may not be unique has been found from experiments on
very small systems-of atoms and their constituent particles. The
behaviour of these systems cannot be predicted definitively even if all
the physical laws governing those systems are known. An electron fired
from a source may be found anywhere. The electron could be orbiting
in any of a large number of specified states. These states may be used
to identify the world the electron was in. In the first state we have the
electron in a state of higher energy. In the second it is in a state of
lower energy. It can make a jump from high to low energy and send
out a pulse of radiation. Or a pulse of radiation can knock it out of
second into the first. Such transitions are common in microscopic
systems
6. Why do you think Professor Gaitonde decided never to preside over
meetings again?
In his address Professor Gaitonde was to discuss what course history
would have taken if the result of the battle had gone the other way. It
would have been his thousandth presidential address. Yet, when
Rajendra joked that the next time he would be in a position to recount
his real life experience rather than just hypothesizing, Professor
Gaitonde decided never to preside over meetings again. His experience
in his thousandth address was made on the Azad Maidan when he was
so rudely interrupted. It was an experience that was horrifying and
bewildering