M.E.

S INDIAN SCHOOL
ABU HAMOUR BRANCH, DOHA – QATAR
NOTES [2023-2024]

Class & Div.: XI (All Divisions) Subject: English

Lesson/Topic: The Adventure Date: 05/10/2023
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

REF. NO. ENG-N-18

GLOSSARY
browse through–read for enjoyment
assuming—taken for granted
tunnel—passage built underground
permits—permission slips
presume—think, guess
ventured—asked
Union Jack—the British flag
proclaimed—announced, told
wound up—finished, packed up
flourishing—prospering
riddle—puzzle
converged—reached a point
precise—exactly
routed—defeated
triumphant—victorious
blow by blow account—systematic description
avidly—eagerly, keenly
Morale booster—promoter
shelved—put aside
relegated—pushed down
dismay—despair
met its match—found its strong opponent
acumen—mental keenness
valour—bravery
regime—rule
de facto–virtual, real
astute—crafty. Shrewd
figurehead—a nominal head, rubber stamp
lease—license
journals—magazines

ACD-105, REV 0, 27.03.2021

doctored accounts—manipulated, untrue
melee–confused light
shoved—thrust
frugal—economical
throng—crowd
mesmerized—hypnotized
valiantly—bravely
sacrilege—spoiling a holy place
dumbfounded—speechless, confused
collision—accident
Catastrophe theory-pertaining to a sudden ruin of calamity
implication–hidden meaning
smugly–In a self satisfied manner
running amok–going mad
triumphantly–with a sense of victory
Inadvertently–unknowingly
omen–presage
Catastrophe-theory, a turning point, the point at which the tables were turned and the rain
set in
disparity–difference, inequality
armor–a defensive covering
juncture–the point of time
melee–confusion, disorderly state of troops
rout–defeat
impetus–encouragement, momentum
speculation–mental view, guess
expectantly–anxiously
manifestations–revelations
constituent–composing
Assertion–claim, affirmation
quote odds–give stray examples
quantum–the required amount or portion
Ignoramus–Ignorant
marshal–arrange suitably
Interjected–Intervened
radiation–throwing of rays
transitions–change
pulse–throbbing
macroscopic–visible to naked eyes
microscopic–very small, not visible to naked eye
radically–basically

ACD-105, REV 0, 27.03.2021

viable–capable of living, practicable
bifurcation–split in two parts
neurons—nerve cells

INTRODUCTION
The story of ‘The Adventure’ hinges on a particular historical event. It is the story of a
historian Gangadharpant who wonders what might have happened if the Marathas had not
granted a concession to the East India Company to stay on in Bombay and not sought their
help in running their research wing of science and technology. These steps cost the country
and the Maratha ruler, dear. The British expanded their influence and dominance in India. A
little error of the Maratha soldiers in the Battle of Panipat also would have turned the course
of history. Mr Gaitonde reads an extract from Bakhar about the narrow escape of the
Vishwas Rao in the battle against Abdali. This sets him thinking. He meets with a collision and
for two days he travelled in the past and future. He clarifies certain points when he discussed
them with Rajendra Deshpande. Rajendra gave a scientific explanation of how and why the
transition took place from the present to past and future. The lesson is a wonderful
combination of history and science.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jayant Narlikar was born in Kolhapur in India in 1930. He has written many novels, science
fiction, and many short stories in Hindi, English, and Marathi. He also works as a consultant
for NCERT. Through this lesson, he portrays Gaitonde and his way of thinking.

MAIN CHARACTERS
Professor Gangadharpant Gaitonde: A character, Professor Gangadharpant Gaitonde talks
about what he does and why. He is a well-known history professor in Pune, and he has a
terrible accident that sends him into a different world for 60 hours.
Rajendra Deshpande: The second central character in the adventure. Using the Catastrophe
theory and Quantum theory, he explains what happened to Professor Gaitonde by describing
no determinism in Quantum theory.

MAIN POINTS
1. Professor Gaitonde, a historian, is seen time-travelling into the past. When he travels
through time, he discovers himself in Mumbai, in a parallel world, a place he has never
seen before. We see him in the real world, conversing with his friend Rajendra.
2. The Mumbai he is now in is far different from what it is in reality. He arrives at the
Victoria Terminus Station, which he finds to be very clean. ‘Greater Bombay Metropolitan
Railway’ was written on the train’s carriages. The staff was also made up of Anglo-Indians
and a few British commanders.
3. Gaitonde noticed the East India Company Headquarters as soon as he exited the station.
Likewise, there were primarily British-branded buildings and British banks. In reality, his

ACD-105, REV 0, 27.03.2021

 son’s Forbes office was nowhere to be seen. To tackle the puzzle, he visited the library
and read about the Battle of Panipat. After reading, he discovers that the specifics differ
from what actually occurred in his world. In fact, he learns that British rule never reached
India, which he finds surprising. And from here, the climax of The Adventure starts.
4. After visiting the library, he went to the Azad Maidan and got into a confrontation with
the crowd there. Gaitonde came out of his time-travel experience after being kicked off
the stage and was found comatose in Azad Maidan. As a result, he seeks clarification from
Professor Deshpande. During his tour, he discovers that reality differs from what we see
with our senses. Professor Despande, although reluctant initially to believe Gaitonde’s
account, finds it hard to reject the possibilities of a parallel world upon seeing the piece of
evidence from the book Gaitonde was carrying in his pocket. He explains the Catastrophe
theory and the lack of determinism in Quantum Theory to elaborate that the reality we
live in can take on different forms or aspects.
5. Physicists feel that there are more universes other than the one we can perceive with our
eyes. He further reveals that Gaitonde went to a parallel reality and saw things based on
his last thoughts before hitting the coma. Since he was in a coma as a result of an
accident, he found himself in a world where catastrophe theory was applied in the
context of the third battle of Panipat, the very last thought he was having before he hit
the comatose stage.

THEME
It deals with the story where the protagonist Professor Gaitonde travels through time and
experiences very different events and is in a state of shock. He imagines the state of India
where Britishers have never ruled and this lesson is a complete juxtaposition of facts and
historical events.

CENTRAL IDEA
In the story ‘The Adventure’, we discover that there may be alternate realities other than the
one we perceive, and while they may appear realistic, they are all in our heads and a result of
our thoughts. ‘The Adventure’ was written by Jayant Narlikar in a way that was both
instructive and entertaining. It transports us to a parallel world where we get to see a
different India. The story is an ideal blend of history and science.

JUSTIFICATION OF THE TITLE

In The Adventure, we see that there is a professor named Gaitonde who goes into a coma
after he meets with an accident. While comatose, he reaches another world in the Indian
history where the Marathas become victorious as Viswas Rao escapes narrowly from the
bullet. The victory of Marathas brings about diverse changes and reforms in the country. This
leads to an intermixing of fantasy with reality as the actual course of events in the real world
were very different. It is a thoroughly adventurous story.
Thus it would be apt to say that the title of the chapter is justified.

ACD-105, REV 0, 27.03.2021

 UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
I.Tick the statements that are true.
1. The story is an account of real events.
2. The story hinges on a particular historical event.
3. Rajendra Deshpande was a historian.
4. The places mentioned in the story are all imaginary.
5. The story tries to relate history to science.
Answer
1. False
2. True
3. False
4. False
5. True
II. Briefly explain the following statements from the text.
1.“You neither travelled to the past nor the future. You were in the present experiencing a
different world.”
2. “You have passed through a fantastic experience: or more correctly, a catastrophic
experience.”
3. Gangadharpant could not help comparing the country he knew with what he was
witnessing around him.
4. “The lack of determinism in quantum theory!”
5. “You need some interaction to cause a transition.”
Answer
1. This statement was said by Rajendra to Professor Gaitonde. He made a transistion from
one world to another and back again. By making a transistion, he was able to experience two
worlds although one at a time. He neither travelled to the pas nor to the future. He was in
the present but experiencing a different world.
2. This statement was made by Rajendra to Prof. Gaitonde in the text The Adventure by
Jayant Vishnu Narlikar. Gangadhar had passed through a strange experience. He had the
experience of living in two world, one he lived in now and other where he had spent two
days.
3. Gangadharpant knew India which had seen the decline of Peshwas and experienced the
slavery of the British. But the India he had seen in two days was completely different. It had
not been subjected to slavery for the whiteman. It was self dependent and enjoyed self
respect. He compared the two countries the one that he knew already and other that he was
witnessing around him. Both had different histories.
4. Professor Gaitonde had decided to go to a big library at Bombay and browse through
history books. Then he would find out how the present state of affairs was reached. On his
return to Pune, he would have a lonk talk with Rajendra Deshpande. He hoped that Rajendra
would help him undertand what had happened.

ACD-105, REV 0, 27.03.2021

5. This bombay was under the British Raj. An Anglo-Indian in unform checked permits. Each
of the blue carriages of GBMR had the tiny Union Jack painted on it. The Victoria Terminus
station looked very neat and clean. The staff was mostly of Anglo-Indians and Parsee
alongwith a handful fo british Officers.

TALKING 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 history of a nation.
(ii) Reality is what is directly experienced through the senses.
(iii) The methods of inquiry of history, science and philosophy are similar.
Answer
(i) For
A single event may change the course of the history of a nation. The battle of Panipat for
example is said to be the turning point in the history of India. In the Battle of Panipat, the
Marathas gave in to the forces of Ahmed Shah Abdali. After this event the history of India
took another turn. Gradually, the country was was overtaken by the foreign forces. In the
story The Adventure it is mentioned how in the beginning Prof. Gaitonde was preparing a
speech on what course the history would have taken if the Marathas had won the Battle of
Panipat. This shows the importance of a single event in the history of a nation.
Against
The motion that A single event may change the course of the history of a nation is a matter of
perspective only. It is a relative truth. If we apply the catastrophic theory in understanding
history then we will find that there may be alternative outcomes of a single event so that we
cannot proclaim that any one course of event is the reality. Since there may be alternative
courses of history so debating on a single course is not fruitful. In the story the Adventure
due to catastrophic phenomenon the Battle of Panipat is revealed in a different version to
Prof Gaitonde. According to this version, the Marathas emerged victorious in the Battle of
Panipat. After the event the Marathas extended influence over the entire country. India
never fell to the alien forces. So, to argue that a single course of event may change the
course of history is not tenable. There may be alternative effects following an event.
(ii)
For
Our senses , that is the senses of touch, sight, taste and hearing and smell provide us facts
about the world we live in. Knowledge from experience come through these senses. The
reality is what we directly experience through these senses. No other reality exists which is
not revealed to the senses.
Against
Reality is not what is directly revealed to the senses. We cannot experience so many entities
like atoms and molecules but these are real. We cannot even predict the behaviour of these
entities accurately. This point is mooted by Rajendra in the story Adventure when he points

ACD-105, REV 0, 27.03.2021

to the discoveries made by the physicists regarding the behaviour of the atoms. We can
predict the position of a bullet fired in a particular direction from a gun but we cannot predict
the position of a an electron fired from a source. This proves that reality is not what is
directly revealed to the senses, there can be alternative realities existing side by side.
(iii)
For
The methods of inquiry of History, Science and Philosophy are similar. In the story The
Adventure one can find the perspectives of History, Philosophy and Science converging
towards a focal point.
History employs the methods of observation, analysis and rationalism in understanding the
course of past events. Science is based on observation, experimentation and analysis.
Rationalism is the most fundamental principle that Science follows. Philosophy is thoroughly
critical in methodology.
Philosophy examines everything including the assumptions and methodology of Science and
other disciplines like History. In the story The Adventure History, Science and Philosophy
converge. Prof. Gaitonde experienced an altogether different version of the out come of the
Battle of Panipat. Contrary to the version as provided in History text books,the Marathas
emerged as victorious in this battle. Prof. Gaitonde tried to understand this rationally but he
failed to get any clue. In this context, Rajendra intervened to explain this phenomenon in the
light of the Catastrophic theory which is being employed by Physicists in understanding the
behaviour of atoms. Here we find Science and History converging. The similar perspective is
seen in Philosophy that truth is relative and not absolute. In fact, the philosophical
movement of post Modernism is based on this.
In other words, the methods of inquiry of History, Science and Philosophy are similar.
Against
It is a misnomer that the methods of inquiry of History,Science and Philosophy are similar.
The similarity is at superficial level and not at the core. In the story The Adventure Rajendra
tried to rationalise the experience of Prof Gaitonde by applying the Catastrophic theory. But
this explanation is not convincing though it convinced the professor. Catastrophic theory can
best explain phenomenon of the physical world but History deals with behavioural world. It is
concerned with the behaviour of society and individuals. The methods of inquiry will also
vary accordingly.
The method of inquiry of Philosophy is speculative. Philosophy even questions rationalism.
Philosophy is highly critical of the methods of Science and History. In other words, the
methods of History, Science and Philosophy are not similar. The story The Adventure by
Jayant Vishnu Narlikar is, in fact, a science fiction which is trying to show the convergence of
Science History and Philosophy. In reality the three disciplines, namely, Science, History and
Philosophy have to employ different methodology of inquiry vis-a-vis the subject matter.
2.
(i) The story is called‘The Adventure’. Compare it with the adventure described in ‘We’re
Not Afraid to Die…’

ACD-105, REV 0, 27.03.2021

Answer
“We’re Not Afraid to Die…” narrates a family’s adventures on a boat at sea facing a terrible
storm. It describes various efforts made by the parents to guide their boat to safety and
presents the courage of their children while the parents panicked. “The Adventure”
constructs an alternate version of reality, which is what would have happened had the
Marathas defeated the British. How the Indian nation would have appeared under the
influence of Indian rulers instead of the British. While the events of “We’re Not Afraid to Die..
.’’are realistic and depict encounters that may have happened around the world, the events
in “The Adventure” are fictional and speculative.
(ii) Why do you think Professor Gaitonde decided never to preside over meetings again?
Answer
(ii) Professor Gaitonde was experiencing a different version of the Battle of Panipat.
According to this version, the Marathas emerged victorious in the Battle and started
extending influence over the entire country. His mind was actually witnessing a different
version of the historical reality. Interestingly, he was also witnessing an event that was not
conforming to the conventions. The event was a lecture session on the outcomes of the
Battle of Panipat. In this lecture session Prof. Gaitonde observed that the chair of the
President was vacant. This again was contrary to the conventions. Prof. Gaitonde rushed to
occupy the chair and started explaining the need of a President in a lecture session like this.
The public got angry on this point and started throwing objects on him. He had a harrowing
experience. This led him to decide not to preside over meetings again.

THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE

Question 1.
In which language do you think Gangadharpant and Khan Sahib talked to each other?
Which language did Gangadharpant use to talk to the English receptionist?
Answer:
Since Khan Sahib is from Peshawar, he may have spoken to Gangadharpant in Hindi or Urdu.
However, since Gangadharpant was speaking to the English receptionist in territory
controlled by the British, one can assume he spoke to her in the English language.
Question 2.
In which language do you think Bhausahebanchi Bakhar was written?
Answer:
Since the Bhausahebanchi Bakhar describes the victory of the Marathas over the British, and
appears to be a seminal book in a library in Maharashtra, the language used may have been
Marathi.
Question 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?
Answer:

ACD-105, REV 0, 27.03.2021

Within the community, the Marathas would have used Marathi, the Mughals Urdu, and the
Anglo-Indians would’ve used English. While speaking to other groups, considering that the
British had little influence over India in the alternate version of history, Marathi may have
been the common language because of the influence that Marathi rulers had on the outcome
of India. Urdu could also have been the common language since the Mughal rule continued in
Delhi or Hindi because of the historical association of the nation with the language.
Question 4.
Do you think that the ruled always adopt the language of the ruler?
Answer:
While the ruled may be inclined to learn the language of the ruler, history has shown us
through the diversity of languages that exists across the nation that not all people solely
adopt a single language being promoted. While people across the nation use a common
language to speak to one another, which is the ruler or administration’s language, they also
retain association with local languages used in smaller spaces like the household.

WORKING WITH WORDS

I. Tick the item that is closest in meaning to the following phrases.
1. to take issue with—iii) to disagree .
2. to give vent to—(i) to express
3. to stand on one’s feet—(ii) to be independent
4. to be wound up—(ii) to stop operating
5. to meet one’s match—(iii) to meet someone who is equally able as oneself
II. Distinguish between the following pairs of sentences.
Question 1.
(i) He was visibly moved.
Answer:
The features on his face showed how he was emotionally affected,
(ii) He was visually impaired.
Answer:
He had trouble seeing things because of loss of vision.
Question 2.
(i) Green and black stripes were used alternately.
Answer:
Green stripes and black stripes were both used, one after the other.
(ii) Green stripes could be used or alternatively black ones.
Answer:
Either green stripes could be used everywhere or black ones in its place.
Question 3.
(i) The team played the two matches successfully.
Answer:
The team performed well in two specific matches they played

ACD-105, REV 0, 27.03.2021

(ii) The team played two matches successively.
Answer:
The team played two consecutive matches, one followed by the other.
Question 4.
(i) The librarian spoke respectfully to the learned scholar.
Answer:
The librarian showed a sense of respect for the scholar while speaking to him.
(ii) You will find the historian and the scientist in the archaeology and natural science
sections of the museum respectively.
Answer:
You will find the historian in the archaeology section and the scientist in the science section
of the museum.

THINGS TO DO
II. Look up the Internet or an encyclopedia for information on the following theories.
(i) Quantum theory
Quantum theory in physics is the study of the smallest particles in the universe found in
atomic and subatomic particles. It observes the energy produced by particles like protons,
neutrons and electrons where one unit is referred to as quanta, which led to the name
Quantum theory. This theory was put together by the physicist Max Planck in 1900, who was
later awarded the Nobel Prize.
(ii) Theory of relativity
This was established by the famous scientist Albert Einstein first in 1905. Einstein drew
connections between space and time, arguing that these concepts were not fixed as
previously understood by physics but fluid with possibilities of change. In the absence of a
gravitational field, it was possible to convert matter into huge quantities of energy, and
different bodies could experience time differently.
(iii) Big Bang theory
The Big Bang theory is a scientific explanation to the beginning of the world. According to
this, the universe that we know began with a small singularity, a small and dense source of
energy, which gradually expanded over time. This expanded into the stars and planets that
we know of in the universe today.
(iv) Theory of evolution
The theory of evolution was given by Charles Darwin in his book On the Origin of Species in
1859. Darwin believed that all life on earth was connected to each other, and that humans
evolved through a process of natural selection. Natural selection states that through a
process of evolution from previous animal forms in different centuries, the human form has
evolved by learning to adapt to natural habitat on the planet.

***************

ACD-105, REV 0, 27.03.2021