THE ADVENTURE

Understanding the text

I. Tick the statements that are true.

1. The story is an account of real events.

Answer:False

2. The story hinges on a particular historical event.

Answer:True

3. Rajendra Deshpande was a historian.

Answer:False

4. The places mentioned in the story are all imaginary.

Answer:False

5. The story tries to relate history to science.

Answer: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.”

Answer: “You did not travel to the past or the future. You were in the present, but you were in a different world.”
These words were spoken by Rajendra Deshpande while attempting to explain his strange experience to Professor
Gaitonde. When the professor was involved in an accident, he began to reflect on the Battle of Panipat and the
consequences that occurred in his life. His thoughts wandered between what we know about history and what
might have been. The professor was experiencing two worlds at the same time by thinking. According to the same
theory, there must be many more different worlds emerging from unrealistic thoughts.

2. “You have passed through a fantastic experience: or more correctly, a catastrophic experience.”

Answer: “You’ve had a fantastic experience, or, more accurately, a catastrophic experience.” Professor Gaitonde
was told by Rajendra Deshpande that he had an exciting experience. He claimed that we lived in a one-of-a-kind
world with a one-of-a-kind history. Gangadhar Pant’s mind jumped to another world as a result of the accident,
which was unrealistic. History took a different turn in that world after the Marathas won the Battle of Panipat.
Rajendra explained this using the catastrophic theory, which holds that reality is full of misinterpretations.

3. Gangadharpant could not help comparing the country he knew with what he was witnessing around him.

Answer:“Gangadhar Pant couldn’t help but compare his home country to what he was seeing around him.”
Gangadhar Pant witnessed two different perspectives of the same reality, albeit one at a time, during his
extraordinary experience. The India he knew was described in history books as the result of the 1761 Battle of
Panipat, in which the Marathas were defeated. The other India he saw was the result of the Marathas’ victory in
the battle. In this version, he saw India as a prosperous country that could meet its own needs.

4. “The lack of determinism in quantum theory!”

Answer: It talks about quantum theory’s lack of determinism. If a bullet is fired from a gun in a specific direction at
a specific speed, one can predict where it will end up, but the same cannot be said for an electron. When an
electron is emitted by a source, it can come from anywhere. This is due to quantum theory’s lack of determinism.
According to this theory, reality is never one-sided. At the same time, alternate worlds may exist.

5. “You need some interaction to cause a transition.”

Answer: To cause a transition, some interaction is required. According to Rajendra Deshpande, Professor
Gaintonde made a change as a result of the interaction that occurred in the professor’s mind at the time of the
collision. The professor was thinking about catastrophic theory and its role in wars at the time of the collision. He
was thinking about the Battle of Panipat and its aftermath. The transition was caused by the interaction in his
brain.

Thinking about language

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:

Gangadharpant and Khan Sahib communicated in Marathi, and they used a translator to communicate with the
English-speaking receptionist.

2. In which language do you think Bhausahebanchi Bakhar was written?

Answer:

Bhausahebanchi Bakhar was written in Maratha language.

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:When they spoke to each other, they used their traditional slang, but when they spoke to other groups,
they used the language that was understood by people from all three communities.

4. Do you think that the ruled always adopt the language of the ruler?

Write your answer.

Working with words

I. Tick the item that is closest in meaning to the following phrases.

1. to take issue with

(i) to accept

(ii) to discuss

(iii) to disagree

(iv) to add

Answer: (iii) to disagree

2. to give vent to
(i) to express

(ii) to emphasise

(iii) suppress

(iv) dismiss

Answer: (i) to express

3. to stand on one’s feet

(i) to be physically strong

(ii) to be independent

(iii) to stand erect

(iv) to be successful

Answer: (ii) to be independent

4. to be wound up

(i) to become active

(ii) to stop operating

(iii) to be transformed

(iv) to be destroyed

Answer: (ii) to stop operating

5. to meet one’s match

(i) to meet a partner who has similar tastes

(ii) to meet an opponent

(iii) to meet someone who is equally able as oneself

(iv) to meet defeat

Answer: (iii) to meet someone who is equally able as oneself

II. Distinguish between the following pairs of sentences.

1. (i) He was visibly moved.

(ii) He was visually impaired.

Answer: i. In a way that can be noticed.

ii. Related to one’s seeing or appearance

2. (i) Green and black stripes were used alternately.

(ii) Green stripes could be used or alternatively black ones.

Answer: i. Occur in turn repeatedly

ii. As an option or possibility

3. (i) The team played the two matches successfully.

(ii) The team played two matches successively.

Answer: i. Achieving aim or result

ii. Immediately, one after another

4. (i) The librarian spoke respectfully to the learned scholar.

(ii) You will find the historian and the scientist in the archaeology and natural science sections of the museum
respectively.

Answer: i. With deference and respect

ii. Separately or individually and in the order already mentioned.

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.
Ans:
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.
Ans: 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.
(iii) The methods of inquiry of history, science and philosophy are similar.
Ans:
For: 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.
2. (i) The story is called ‘The Adventure’. Compare it with the adventure described in ‘We’re Not Afraid to Die…’
Ans: ‘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.
(ii) Why do you think Professor Gaitonde decided never to preside over meetings again?
Ans: 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.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1. What sort of ‘Adventure’ has been narrated by Jayant Narlikar?

Ans. Professor Gangadharpant’s adventure wasn’t tangible or real. He studied history. He was interested in what
would have happened if Marathas had lost the Battle of Panipat. He visited the new Bombay during his two-day
coma and had a traumatic experience on Azad Maidan.
Q2. Who was Professor Gaitonde? What was his plan in Bombay?
Ans. Professor Gaitonde, also known as Gangadharpant, was a historian. He had penned five volumes on history.
Yet, he was still conducting research. He was travelling to Bombay. He intended to visit a large library and review
the history books there to learn how the current situation came to be.
Q3. What was Gangadharpant’s experience on the way to Bombay?
Ans. Gangadharpant took the Jijamata express to get from Pune to Mumbai. His objective was to study some
history books at the library. At Sarhad station, an Anglo-Indian checked the permits. The British Raj was
established there. On the train, he was joined by a man named Khan Sahib. He observed that the city was very
dissimilar from what he had imagined it to be.

Q4. What was Gangadhar’s experience when he reached a small station Sarhad?
Ans. Gangadhar was touring the new Bombay for the first time. The words “Greater Bombay Metropolitan
Railway” and a miniature Union Jack were painted on each blue carriage. That gently prompted him to remember
that he was now on British territory. An Anglo-Indian verified the passengers’ railway tickets.
Q5. What had Professor Gaitonde not expected in Bombay?
Ans. Although Professor Gaitonde had anticipated many surprises, he had not anticipated to witness the
dominance of the East India Company in Bombay. According to history texts, the corporation was dissolved after
1857. But it seemed to be still be alive and flourishing in Bombay. He discovered a distinct array of shops, retail
stores, and large bank structures than in England.
Q6. What for did Professor Gaitonde enter the Forbes building? What was his experience there?
Ans. The professor met his son, Vinaya Gaines, at the Forbes building. The front desk agent looked through the
staff directory and telephone book. That name didn’t belong to anyone. It was a significant setback. He believed
that everything up to this point had been sudden and unexpected, so the blow of his son’s absence wasn’t entirely
unexpected.
Q7. What did the professor do in the Town Hall library?
Ans. The professor requested the history books he himself had written. The circumstances up till Aurangzeb’s
death remained unchanged. The modification had been made in the prior volume. He read the account of the
Panipat Battle. The Maratha army under the command of Sadashiv Rao Bhau and his nephew Vishwas Rao
destroyed Abdali. Hence, there was a power struggle. It confirmed the Marathas’ dominance. The British company
was downsized to a few influential enclaves close to Mumbai. The Marathas built their institutions for scientific
research. They agreed to have English experts help them.
Q8. What is the professor’s opinion that was the cause of expanding British influence in India?
Ans. Professor Gangadhar was happy to find that the white men could not have increased their influence if the
Marathas had not permitted them to remain in Bombay for commercial purposes. The 1908 deal stated that the
lease would end in 2001.
Q9. What did the professor wish to find out in history books?
Ans. He was looking for an answer to how the Marathas had won the Battle of Panipat. In Bakhars, a history book,
he discovered a clue. A bullet that missed Vishwasrao’s ear caused him to narrowly avoid death. The Maratha
army’s spirit was raised by this, and they fought gallantly.
Q10. What two things did the professor put into his pockets at the Town Hall?
Ans. He slid the book, “Bakhar,” into his left pocket and placed some notes in his right pocket.
Q11. What bitter experience did the professor have at the meeting in Azad Maidan?
Ans. A lecture was in process when the professor reached Azad Maidan. When he noticed that the presidential
chair was empty, he quickly sat on it. The crowd objected. They claimed the chair had symbolic meaning. The
professor was violently escorted from the dais as soon as he started speaking to the audience.
Q12. How did Bakhar’s account of the Battle of Panipat differ from what other history books said?
Ans. In every history book the Maratha army was stated to have lost the battle. A bullet struck Vishwasrao, causing
him to fall. As a result, t he army’s morale was damaged. The professor’s own copy of the Bakhar did not say that.
According to the report, Vishwas Rao narrowly avoided being hit as the bullet missed his ear. The professor was
delighted to learn the truth.
Q13. How did Rajendra rationalise the professor’s experience?
Ans. Rajendra made an effort to use two scientific theories to explain the professor’s experience. The professor
had just gone through a terrible ordeal. The Abdali force was evenly matched with the Maratha army. Hence, a lot
rested on the leadership and troop morale. The killing of Vishwas Rao turned out to be the decisive moment. They
became discouraged and lost their will to win. But, Bakhar’s page offered a different perspective. According to the
report, Vishwas Rao was not hit by the bullet, which helped the soldiers’ morale. The professor was thinking of this
aspect when he was hit by the truck.
Q14. How did Rajendra try to explain the mystery of reality?
Ans. Normally, our senses allow us to directly experience reality. However, what we see is not entirely accurate.
The professor, said Rajendra, had made a transition from one world that he knew to another that could have
been. Alternative realities exist in addition to the reality that the observer can experience. When the professor fell
unconscious after being struck by a truck, he also had a physical experience of another world.
Q15. ‘But why did I make the transition?’ What explanation did Rajendra give to the professor?
Ans. Rajendra surmised that some sort of contact must have brought about the transformation. Perhaps the
catastrophic theory and its application to wars were on the professor’s mind at the moment of the collision. The
professor acknowledged that he had been considering the direction history might have taken at the time if the
Marathas had prevailed in the Battle of Panipat.
Q1. Who is Khan sahib?
Ans. 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.
Q2. Why did the professor want to go through History books?
Ans. 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.
Q3. Where was the Jijamata express heading to?
Ans. The Jijamata was heading towards Bombay from Pune.
Q4. As the train entered the British Raj territory, what did Gaitonde notice?
Ans. 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.
Q5. What did the professor do at the Town Hall library?
Ans. 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.
Question 1.
‘That is, assuming that in this world there existed someone called Rajendra Deshpande!’ Why does Professor
Gaitonde feel so?
Answer:
Professor Gaitonde had gone through a strange and a harrowing experience. He had been literally transported into
an alternative universe. In the alternative world the reality was very different. History had altered its course. Now
back into the real world Professor Gaitonde, as a historian felt he would go to a big library and browse through
history books and would return to Pune and have a long talk with Rajendra Deshpande, to help him understand
what had happened. After the queer happening, he was unsure about the reality and wondered if Rajendra
Deshpande existed.

Question 2.
What were the things that Professor Gaitonde noticed as the train entered the British Raj territory?
Answer:
As the train touched Sarhad, from where the British Raj began, an Anglo-Indian in uniform went through the train
checking permits. The blue carriages of the train carried the letters GBMR on the side an acronym for ‘Greater
Bombay Metropolitan Railway’. There was the tiny Union Jack painted on each carriage as a . reminder that they
were in British territory. As the train stopped at its destination, Victoria Terminus, the station looked remarkably
neat and clean. The staff was mostly made up of Anglo-Indians and Parsees along with a handful of British officers.

Question 3.
Where was Khan Sahib going? How did he intend to reach there?
Answer:
Khan Sahib was going to Peshawar. After the train reached Victoria Terminus he would take the Frontier Mail out
of Central,-the same night. From Bombay he would go to Delhi, then to Lahore and then Peshawar. It would be a
long journey and he would reach Peshawar two days later.

Question 4.
What was the strange reality that Professor Gaitonde saw as he stepped out of the station?
Answer:
As Professor Gaitonde came out of the station, he saw an impressive building. The letters on it revealed that it was
the East India headquarters of the East India Company. He was shocked as it was supposed to have had stopped
operating soon after the events of 1857 but here it was flourishing.
Question 5.
What came as the biggest blow to Professor Gaitonde?
Answer:
Professor Gaitonde was shocked to see the East India Company flourishing, a different set of shops and office
buildings at Hornby Road. But when he turned right along Home Street and entered Forbes building, a greater
shock awaited him. He asked for his son Mr Vinay Gaitonde but the English receptionist, looked through the
telephone list, the staff list and then through the directory of employees of all the branches of the firm but could
not find anyone of that name.

Question 6.
What did Professor Gaitonde decide to do when the reality that he was living seemed very strange?
Answer:
When Professor Gaitoride saw unfamiliar sights and felt that he was reliving history he was very surprised but not
finding his son as an employee in Forbes baffled him completely. He decided to go to the library of the Asiatic
Society to solve the riddle of history. So he made his way to the Town Hall.

Question 7.
What books did he browse through in the library? What did he discover?
Answer:
In the Town Hall library, he asked for a list of history books including his own. When he got the five volumes, he
started looking through them from the beginning. Volume one dealt with the history up to the period of Ashoka,
volume two up to Samudragupta, volume three up to Mohammad Ghori, and volume four up to the death of
Aurangzeb. This was history as he had known. However in the last (fifth) volume, history had taken a different turn
during the Battle of Panipat. The book mentioned that the Marathas won it handsomely and Abdali was chased
back to Kabul by the triumphant Maratha army led by Sadashivrao Bhau and his nephew, the young Vishwasrao.

Question 8.
How did the victory of the Peshwas in the Battle of Panipat help them?
Answer:
The victory in the battle was not only successful in building their confidence tremendously but it also established
the supremacy of the Marathas in northern India. The East India Company, watching these events temporarily
deferred its plan to spread out further. For the Peshwas the immediate result was that the influence of Bhausaheb
and Vishwasrao increased and Vishwarao succeeded his father in 1780 A.D. The rabble-rouser, Dadasaheb, had to
retire from state politics.

Question 9.
What was the effect of the victory of the Peshwas on the East India Company?
Answer:
The East India Company was alarmed when the new Maratha ruler, Vishwasrao, and his brother, Madhavrao,
expanded their influence all over India. The Company was limited to pockets of influence near Bombay, Calcutta
and Madras. However, in the nineteenth century the Marathas were aware of the importance of the technological
age starting in Europe. Hence when they set up their own centres for science and technology, the East India
Company saw another chance to extend its influence, it offered support and experts. But they were accepted only
to make the local centres self-sufficient.

Question 10.
What was the final outcome of the Peshwas?
Answer:
During the twentieth century, inspired by the West, India moved towards a democracy. By then, the Peshwas had
lost their enterprise and democratically elected bodies slowly but surely replaced them. The Sultanate at Delhi
survived even this change because it exerted no real influence. The Shahenshah of Delhi was a nominal head to
rubber-stamp the ‘recommendations’ made by the central parliament.

Question 11.
Gangadharpant began to appreciate the India he had seen. Why was it so?
Answer:
After reading this new history, Gangadharpant was pleased at the India he had seen, it was a country that had not
been subjected to slavery of the white man; it had leamt to stand on its feet and knew what self-respect was.
From a position of strength and for purely commercial reasons, it had allowed the British to retain Bombay as the
sole outpost on the subcontinent.

Question 12.
How had the Marathas won the battle?
Answer:
After reading about the consequences of the battle Gangadharpant felt that his investigations were incomplete.
To find the answer he went through the books and journals before him. At last, among the books he found one
that gave him the clue. It was ‘Bhausahebanchi Bakhar’. He found a three-line account of how close Vishwasrao
had come to being killed. However God had been merciful. The bullet brushed past his ear and he was saved by
inches.

Question 13.
What did he take with him absentmindedly from the library? How did it help him?
Answer:
At eight o’clock the librarian politely reminded the Professor that the library was closing for the day. Before
Gangadharpant left he shoved some notes into his right pocket. Absentmindedly, he also shoved the ‘Bakhar’ into
his left pocket. It helped the Professor convince Rajendra that the story was not a figment of his imagination. He
produced this as a very important piece of evidence.

Question 14.
What happened did Professor Gaitonde see in the Azad Maidan?
Answer:
In the Azad Maidan, the Professor found a multitude of people moving towards a pandal to listen to a lecture. As
the lecture was in progress, people kept coming and going. But Professor Gaitonde stared at the platform, he
noticed that the presidential chair was empty. Like a piece of iron attracted to a magnet, he swiftly moved towards
the chair.

Question 15.
What happened when Professor Gaitonde went ahead to occupy the chair on the dais?
Answer:
When Professor Gaitonde went ahead to occupy the chair on the dais, the audience protested vehemently.
Professor Gaitonde went to the mike to give his views but the audience was in no mood to listen. However, he
kept on talking and soon became a target for a shower of tomatoes, eggs and other objects. Finally, the audience
rushed to throw him out bodily but he was nowhere to be seen.

Question 16.
‘… facts can be stranger than fantasies, as I am beginning to realise.’ Why did Rajendra say this?
Answer:
Rajendra had thought that Professor’s mind was playing tricks on him till Gangadharpant produced his own copy
of ‘Bhausahebanchi Bakhar’, where the account of the war stated that Vishwasrao was hit by the bullet. He then
produced the other evidence in the form of a document that he had inadvertently picked up from the Professor
Gaitonde’s library.

Rajendra was confused when he saw this material evidence. He then admitted that his experience had not been
just a fantasy. He realized that facts could be stranger than fiction.

Question 17.
How did Rajendra explain ‘reality’?
Answer:
Rajendra said that reality was what we experience directly with our senses or indirectly via instruments. It may not
be unique as has been found from experiments on atoms and their constituent particles. Physicists discovered that
the behaviour of these systems couldn’t be predicted definitively even if all the physical laws governing those
systems are known.

Question 18.
How did Rajendra relate the lack of determinism in quantum theory to the Professor’s experience?
Answer:
Rajendra said that the path of an electron fired from a source cannot be determined as in one world the electron
is found here, in another it is over there. Once the observer finds where it is, we know which world we are talking
about. But all those alternative worlds could exist just the same. Similarly, catastrophic situations offer radically
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.

Question 19.
How did Professor Gaitonde make the transition from one reality to the other?
Answer:
Rajendra admitted that there are many unsolved questions in science and this Professor Gaitonde’s transition was
one of them. But he guessed that since one needs some interaction to cause a transition, at the time of the
collision he must have been thinking about the catastrophe theory and its role in wars. Perhaps he was wondering
about the Battle of Panipat and the neurons in his brain acted as a trigger.

Question 1. Write the word’s meaning

Acumen

Answer 1: Awareness

Question 2. Write the word’s meaning

Frugal

Answer 2: Economical

Question 3. What was the name of Professor Gaitonde’s son?

Answer 3: The name of Professor Gaitonde’s son was Vinay Gaitonde.

Question 4. What did GBMR stand for?

Answer 4: GBMR stands for “Greater Bombay Metropolitan Railway”.

Question 5. Whom did Professor Gaitonde want to meet?

Answer 5: Professor Gaitonde wanted to meet Rajendra Deshpande.

Question 6. What is Professor Gaitonde’s plan to do in Bombay?

Answer 6: Professor Gaitonde made a plan of action in Bombay. He decided to go to the big library in Town Hall
and study history to understand how that reality was different from the one he knew. He also thought that after
finding out the historical course of events, he would meet Rajendra Deshpande in Pune, who might explain his
experience.

Question 7. Why did Professor Gaitonde go to the Forbes building? What did he find out there?

Answer 7: Professor Gaitonde went to the Forbes building to see if someone named Vinay Gaitonde worked there.
The receptionist searched the name and informed them that they didn’t have any employees by that name. Vinay
Gaitonde was Professor Gaitonde’s son, and he realised that his son might not exist in the other reality.

Question 8. How was Bombay in the other reality?

Answer 8: Bombay was under the rule of the East India Company in that reality. So, Professor Gaitonde saw a
great difference in the city. He saw that Victoria Terminus was remarkably clean and most of the workers were
Anglo-Indian or British. While we walked down the alley, he did not find the handloom house buildings. Rather, he
found different sets of houses and shops. He discovered the Forbes building and Town Hall, as well as the large
library.

Question 9. What was the impact of the East India Company in the other reality?

Answer 9: Unlike in our history, the East India Company was unable to colonise India.In reality, the Maratha
Empire was India’s strongest ruler, and the Company’s influence remained around big cities like Calcutta, Bombay,
and Chennai. The company stayed primarily for commercial reasons, assisting Indian rulers in development.The
British kept Bombay as their outpost in the Indian subcontinent.However, the lease would expire in 2001.

Question 10. What was the bifurcation of history that resulted in the other reality?

Answer 10: Historical events play a major role in the existing environment. Professor Gaitonde found that the
course of history was almost the same in that alternate reality until the battle of Panipat. In Professor Gaitonde’s
reality, the Maratha army was defeated in the battle of Panipat, but in the other reality, they won the battle. This
bifurcation of history created two different realities with different outcomes.

Question 11. Why was the chair empty?

Answer 11: The general public was not interested in having presidents while attending lectures. They changed the
rule because they didn’t want to listen to long introductions or votes of thanks. Their sole interests were the
lectures. So, the president’s chair was kept there but empty, symbolising that no one could preside over a lecture
or speech given to the general public.

Question 12. What, according to Rajendra, triggered Professor Gaitonde’s travel to another reality?
Answer 12: According to Rajendra, Professor Gaitonde must be thinking about catastrophic theory and the battle
of Panipat. Professor Gaitonde agreed, saying he was thinking about these when he came before the truck. Then,
Rajendra remarked that his thoughts might trigger his neurons, which could transport him to an alternative reality.

Question 13. How did Professor Gaitonde spend his day in Bombay?

Answer 13: Professor Gaitonde roamed the streets of Bombay. He went to the Forbes building to search for his
son but couldn’t find his name in the employee list. Then, he went to the library in the Town Hall and read Indian
history until eight o’clock in the evening. Then he found a guest house to stay in and had dinner. He went for a
walk in Azad Maidan after dinner.

1.What sort of ‘Adventure’ has been narrated by Jayant Narlikar?

Ans. The adventure of Professor Gangadharpant was not real or physical. He was a historian.He wanted to know
what would have happened if the Marathas had lost the Battle of Panipat.For two days during his
unconsciousness, he visited the new Bombay and had a bitterexperience in Azad Maidan.

2. Who was Professor Gaitonde? What was his plan in Bombay?

Ans. Professor Gaitonde or Gangadharpant was a historian. He had written five volumes onhistory. But his
research work was still going on. He was on his way to Bombay. He plannedto go to a big library and consult the
history books there to find out how the present state ofaffairs was reached.

3. What was Gangadharpant’s experience on way to Bombay?

Ans. Gangadharpant travelled by the Jijamata express along the Pune-Bombay route. Hisplan was to consult some
history books at the library. At Sarhad station, an Anglo-Indianchecked the permits. That was the place where the
British Raj began. He got the company ofone Khan Sahib on the train. He noticed that the city was quite different
from what he hadknown about it.

4. What was Gangadhar’s experience when he reached a small station Sarhad?

Ans. It was Gangadhar’s first visit to this new Bombay. Every blue carriage carried the wordsGreater Bombay
metropolitan railway’ and also a small Union Jack painted on it. It gentlyreminded him that he had entered the
British territory. An Anglo-Indian checked the trainpermits of the passengers.

5. What had Professor Gaitonde not expected in Bombay?

Ans. Professor Gaitonde was prepared for many shocks but he had not expected to see thedomination of East
India Company in Bombay. History books said that the company hadbeen wound up after 1857. But here in
Bombay it still seemed to be alive and flourishing. Hefound a different set of shops and departmental stores and
big bank buildings as in England.

6. What for did Professor Gaitonde enter the Forbes building? What was his experiencethere?
Ans. The professor went to Forbes building to meet Vinaya Gaitonde, his own son. Thereceptionist searched
through the telephone list and directory of employees. There was no onebearing that name. It was a big blow. He
felt that so far everything had been shocking andsurprising so the blow of non-existence of his son was not totally
unexpected.

7. What did the professor do in the Town Hall library?

Ans. The professor asked for the history books he himself had written. There was no changein the events up to the
death of Aurangzeb. The change had occurred in the last volume. Heread the description of the Battle of Panipat.
Abdali was defeated by the Maratha army led bySadashiv Rao Bhau and his nephew Vishwas Rao. This event led to
a power struggle. Itestablished the supremacy of the Marathas. The British company was reduced to pockets
ofInfluence near Bombay. The Marathas set up their science research centres. They acceptedthe help of English
experts

8. What is the professor’s opinion was the cause of expanding British influence in India?

Ans. Professor Gangadhar felt glad to learn that the white men could not have expanded theirhold if the Marathas
had not allowed them for commercial reasons to stay on in Bombay.That lease was to expire in 2001 according to
the treaty of 1908.

9. What did the professor wish to find out in history books?

Ans. He wanted to find the answer to his question about how the Marathas had won theBattle of Panipat. He
found a clue in the book on history titled Bakhars. Vishwasrao had anarrow escape from being killed by a bullet
that brushed past his ear. This boosted the moraleof the Maratha army and they fought bravely.

10. What two things did the professor put into his pockets at the Town Hall?

Ans. He put some notes in his right pocket and the book, the ‘Bakhar’, into his left pocket.

11. What bitter experience did the professor have at the meeting in Azad Maidan?

Ans. A lecture was in progress when the professor reached Azad Maidan. Seeing thepresidential
chair vacant, he occupied it swiftly. The audience protested. They said the chairwas symbolic. But when the
professor began to address the gathering, he was physicallyremoved from the dais.

12. How did Bakhar’s account of the Battle of Panipat differ from what other historybooks said?Ans. All the history
books said that the Maratha army had lost the battle. Vishwasrao was hitby a bullet and he fell. That broke the
morale of the army. That was not what the professor’sown copy of the Bakhar said. It said that Vishwas Rao had a
narrow escape as the bulletbrushed past his ear. The professor was dying to know the facts.

13. How did Rajendra rationalise the professor’s experience?

Ans. Rajendra tried to explain the professor’s experience on the basis of two scientifictheories. The
professor had passed through a catastrophic experience. The Maratha and theAbdali army were well matched. So
a lot depended on the morale of the troops and theleadership. The point at which Vishwas Rao was killed, proved
to be the turning point. Theylost their morale and suffered defeat. But the Bakhar’s page presented an opposite
view. Itsaid that the bullet missed Vishwas Rao, and that boosted the morale of the soldiers. Theprofessor was
thinking of this aspect when he was hit by the truck.

14. How did Rajendra try to explain the mystery of reality?

Ans. We normally experience reality directly with our senses. But what we see is not thewhole truth. That is
proved if we take the example of an electron. Fired from a source, it cango in any direction, breaking all laws of
physics. This is called lack of determination inquantum theory. The professor, said Rajendra, had made a
transition from one world that heknew to another that could have been. The observer can experience
one reality, butalternative realities also exist. The professor had also experienced a different world withoutany
physical movement when he became unconscious after being hit by a truck.
15. ‘But why did I make the transition?’ What explanation did Rajendra give to theprofessor?

Ans. Rajendra guessed that the transition must have been caused by some interaction.Perhaps the
professor had been thinking at the time of collision about the catastrophic theoryand its role in wars. The
professor admitted that he had been wondering at that time whatcourse history would have taken if the Marathas
had won the Battle of Panipat.

16. Why did Gangadhar decide to cancel his thousandth address?

Ans. Gangadhar informed the organizers of the Panipat seminar that he won’t be able to keephis commitment.
The reason was his bitter experience at the Azad Maidan meeting when thehostile crowd refused to listen to him
and threw eggs and tomatoes at him.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1. ‘Gangadharpant had not been to this Bombay before.’ Show how this Bombay is different from the one he
knew.
Ans.Gangadharpant found Bombay entirely different. The Bombay he now toured had the trains that now paned
through the suburban rail traffic. The Union Jack and the G.B.M.R marking were printed on the blue carriages. The
station appeared incredibly organised and tidy. The majority of the staff members were Anglo-Indians and
Parsees, with a small number of British officers. There was an impressive East India Company building.
Gangadharpant could locate a variety of stores and corporate buildings as he strolled down Hornby Road. The only
place under British rule was Bombay. The British did not rule over any other regions of the country.
Q2. Gangadharpant was able to find the precise moment ‘where history had taken a different turn for India’. What
was this moment? How did it affect India and the Indian people?
Ans. When Gangadharpant discovered that the Marathas had won the Third Battle of Panipat, that is the precise
moment when Indian history changed. The Marathas’ success in the battle not only gave them a huge morale
boost, but it also secured their dominance in northern India. It was also obvious that Vishwasrao survived the
conflict. To its dismay, Vishwasrao, the new Maratha ruler, proved to be the East India Company’s equivalent.
With the help of their combined political acumen, he and his brother Madhavrao increased their influence
throughout India. The East India Company, like its European rivals the Portuguese and the French, was confined to
small areas of control surrounding Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras.
Q3. How did Rajendra Deshpande explain Gangadhar Pant’s experience? Write in detail.
Ans. Using catastrophe theory and the quantum theory’s lack of determinism, Prof. Rajendra provided an
explanation for Prof. Gaitonde’s theory. He examined the Battle of Panipat using catastrophe theory. While both
armies were well-equipped, much hinged on the leadership and troop morale. He claimed that the killing of
Vishwasrao served as a pivotal moment. At the time, it was unknown if he perished in the battle or lived. But the
fear of losing their important leaders kept the army under constant pressure. They lost their morale and will to
fight. As soon as the bullet missed Vishwarao, the battle shifted, giving the soldiers hope. Their spirits were raised,
and they put in a lot of effort to win the battle.
This occurred because quantum theory lacks determinism, which means that no behaviour can be predicted. In
the alternate India where the Marathas had won in the Battle of Panipat, Prof. Gaitonde was able to enter a new
world. The shift occurred because, at the time of the collision, Prof. Gaitonde was thinking of the catastrophe
Theory and the Battle of Panipat.
Q4. Gangadharpant could not help comparing the country he knew with what he was witnessing around him.
Explain briefly.
Ans. When the train stopped outside the lengthy tunnel, at a small station named Sarhad, Gangadharpant was
stunned to see an Anglo-Indian in uniform verifying permits. Mumbai, as Gangadharpant knew it, was very
different. He learned that this was the starting point of British rule.
This was the new Mumbai, according to Gandadharpant. He spotted blue carriages with the markings GBMR and
the little Union Jack painted on each vehicle as the train passed through the Suburban rail traffic. The station
appeared to be pristine. Anglo-Indians, Parsees, and a few British officers made up the staff. Together with a few
other shops and office buildings, he also saw the East India Company building. The Britishers had now fully taken
over control of Bombay.

Question 1.
Describe the observations made by the Professor as he entered the alternative universe.
Answer:
Professor Gaitonde was shocked when the train stopped beyond the long tunnel at a small station called Sarhad.
An Anglo-Indian in uniform was checking the train permits.

Then the train passed through the suburban rail traffic. The blue carriages carried the letters, GBMR, on the side
that stood for ‘Greater Bombay Metropolitan Railway’. There was a tiny Union Jack painted on each carriage as a
gentle reminder that they were in British territory. The station at Victoria Terminus looked impeccably neat and
clean. The staff comprised mostly of Anglo-Indians and Parsees along with a handful of British officers.

Coming out of the station, he found himself facing an imposing building. It was the office of the East India
Company. As he walked along Homby Road, as it was called, he found a different set of shops and office buildings.
There was no Handloom House building. Instead, there were Boots and Woolworth departmental stores, imposing
offices of Lloyds, Barclays and other British banks, as in a typical high street of a town in England.

The greatest shock that awaited was when he entered Forbes building and wished to meet his son, Mr Vinay
Gaitonde. The receptionist searched through the telephone list, the staff list and then through the directory of
employees of all the branches of the firm and finally shook her head and said, that nobody of that name was
either there or any of their branches.

Question 2.
Write a detailed account of the different history that Professor Gaitonde read in the fifth volume of the book in
the library.
Answer:
The book mentioned that the Marathas won Battle of Panipat. Abdali was chased back to Kabul by the victorious
.Maratha army led by Sadashivrao Bhau and his nephew, the young Vishwasrao. As a consequence the Marathas
gained a great deal of confidence and established their supremacy in northern India. The East India Company,
watching these developments, temporarily postponed its expansionist programme. This increased the influence of
Bhausaheb and Vishwasrao who succeeded his father to the throne in 1780 A.D.

The troublemaker, Dadasaheb, was pushed to the background and he ultimately left state politics. Vishwasrao and
his brother, Madhavrao, combined political insight with courage and expanded their influence all over India. The
Company’s influence was limited only to areas near Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. For political reasons, the
Peshwas kept the puppet Mughal regime alive in Delhi.

In the nineteenth century the Peshwas realized the importance of the technological age and set up their own
centres for science and technology. They accepted East India Company’s help only to make the local centres self-
sufficient. In the twentieth century India moved towards a democracy. The Peshwas had lost their enterprise and
democratically elected bodies gradually replaced them. The Sultanate at Delhi was just a nominal head to
rubberstamp recommendations made by the central parliament.
Question 3.
What was the difference in the actual events of the Battle of Panipat and the ones reported in the alternative
universe?
Answer:
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 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.

Question 4.
What was the outcome of the Battle of Panipat in the alternative universe?
Answer:
Their victory increased the morale of the Marathas. The East India Company temporarily shelved its expansionist
programme. The Peshwas expanded their influence all over India. The Company was reduced to pockets of
influence near Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. The Peshwas kept the puppet Mughal regime alive in Delhi. With the
dawn of the technological age in Europe, they set up their own centres for science and technology.

The East India Company saw another opportunity to extend its influence but its aid and experts were accepted
only to make the local centres self-sufficient. The twentieth century brought about further changes inspired by the
West, India moved towards a democracy and democratically elected bodies replaced the Peshwas. After reading
this, Professor Gaitonde began to appreciate that India because it had not been subjected to slavery of the white
man; it had learnt to stand on its feet and knew what self-respect was. From a position of strength and for purely
commercial reasons, it had allowed the British to remain.

Question 5.
Describe the scene that transported Professor Gaitonde to the alternative universe.
Answer:
Professor Gaitonde, after a frugal meal, set out for a stroll towards the Azad Maidan. There he saw a pandal where
a lecture was to take place. Professor Gaitonde walked towards the pandal and noticed that on the platform the
presidential chair was unoccupied. Drawn to the stage like a magnet, he quickly moved towards the chair.

The speaker stopped in mid-sentence, too shocked to continue. But the audience shouted at him. When he
insisted on talking he became a target for a shower of tomatoes, eggs and other objects. But he kept on trying
bravely to correct this blasphemy. Finally, the audience crowded on the stage to throw him out. And, in the crowd
Gangadharpant was nowhere to be seen.

Question 6.
‘But we live in a unique world which has a unique history.’ Why did the Professor say so?
Answer:
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. 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.

Question 7.
How did Rajendra explain Professor Gaitonde’s experience by linking it to ‘the lack of determinism in quantum
theory’?
Answer:
Rajendra felt that reality might not be unique as has been found from experiments on 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. The course taken by an electron fired from a source cannot be asserted. This is the
theory of the lack of determinism in the quantum theory. Similarly, in one world the electron is found here, in
another it is over there.

In yet another world it could be in a completely different location. Once the observer finds where it is, we know
which world we are talking about. But all those alternative worlds could exist just the same. The electron could be
orbiting in any of a large number of specified states. These states may be used to identify the world. In state no. 1
we have the electron in a state of higher energy.

Instate no. 2 it is in a state of lower energy. It could make a jump from high to low energy and send out a pulse of
radiation. Or a pulse of radiation could knock it out of state no. 2 into state no. 1. Such transitions are common in
microscopic systems. If it happened on a macroscopic level people could make a transition from one world to
another and back again.

Question 14. Why could Gangadhar Pant not help but compare the country he knew with what he witnessed
around him?

Answer 14: Gangadhar Pant Gaitonde was a professor of history. He was teleported to another reality by
transitioning from reality to an alternate one. In the other reality, the Marathas won the battle of Panipat, which
changed the course of subsequent historical events and resulted in a different India. So, Professor Gaitonde could
not recognise the new country in which he was wandering, and he did not find any similarity between what he was
experiencing and what he had been living in. In that reality, India was never colonised by British forces. Rather, the
East India Company remained a business body influencing large cities like Bombay or Calcutta. India was never
divided into two countries, and people could travel to Peshawar by train. Bombay was under the governance of
the Company, and the city was different in the professor’s eyes. He found Victoria Terminus remarkably neat and
clean, while the employees were only Anglo-Indian or British. When he wandered along a road, he found a
different set of houses and shops reflecting the Aglow culture. So, he could not compare the two countries with
their two different realities.

Question 15. Briefly explain the following statements from the text.

“You have passed through a fantastic experience: or more correctly, a catastrophic experience.”

Answer 15: Professor Gaitonde had an unusual experience. He claimed that he visited an alternative world where
the course of history differed from the known world. He shared his experience with Rajendra Deshpande and
asked for an explanation. Rajendra first thought it to be an image of professor Gaitonde. But after seeing
Gaitonde’s proof, Rajendra took the matter seriously and told him that he could think of two theories. His second
theory was that the professor had gone through a catastrophic experience. He explained the quantum theory to
the professor and stated that one could not determine where a free electron would be at the micro level. The
professor said there is a ‘lack of determinism in quantum theory. Rajendra further explained that such a transition
might take place at the macro level. According to him, the professor was in the same world and in the same
timeline, but he experienced two different realities. Though he could not explain how he was teleported from one
reality to another. So, he called the professor’s experience a ‘catastrophic experience’.

Question 16. In an alternate reality, what was the significance of the Maratha victory at Panipat?

Answer 16: The battle of Panipat, which created a schism in Indian history and two distinct realities, was
Maratha’s victory.The books the Professor studied in the Town Hall library explained the impact of the Maratha
Empire’s victory on India’s politics, economy, and society. The Maratha Empire got more important all over India.
That reduced the influence of the East India Company, and they continued to have an impact in large urban
centres like Bombay or Calcutta. Maratha rulers or Peshwas became the de facto or actual rulers.They understood
the importance of science and technology and took help from the East India Company to develop India. Slowly,
India started to get influenced by the ideologies of the West, and the country was inclined toward democracy.
Peshwas lost their enterprises, and most of their governance was replaced by democratic bodies. Though, the
Shahenshah of Delhi survived the transition to democracy. His chair remained as the de jure ruler. The central
parliament did the actual work, and Shahenshah of Delhi supported these activities by giving his stamps to them.

Question 17. How did Professor Gaitonde come back to the world he knew?

Answer 17: Professor Gaitonde spent his whole day in a library and then stayed in a guest house. He went for a
walk in the nearby Azad Maidan after dinner.The professor noticed a crowd and the sound of a lecture coming
from the ground. He understood a speech was being given to people and came closer to watch it. He found out
that a chair on the stage was unoccupied. It was the president’s chair. In that reality, people have abolished the
rule of having a president in a meeting. It is because they did not like to hear the vote of thanks or long
introductions. Professor Gaikonde protested it and said the meeting remains incomplete without a president. So,
he came to the stage and started to give a speech. The listeners became agitated and soon began to throw eggs
and raw bananas. But the professor continued his speech, and the general public forcibly expelled him from the
stage. Then, the professor vanished into the crowd. The next day, he was found in Azad maidan, in reality, he
knew, and he rushed to Rajendra Deshpande to share his experience after he returned to his actual reality.

1. Describe Gangadharpant’s journey by train from Pune to Bombay.

Ans. Professor Gaitonde (Gangadharpant) travelled from Pune to Bombay by train. TheJijamata express
had its first stop at Lonavala. The ghat section was quite familiar to him.The train passed through Kalyan.He made
a plan of action in Bombay. He was a historian. He had written five volumes. Heplanned to go to a big library and
read history books to find out how the present state ofaffairs had been reached. Thereafter, he would discuss his
findings with Rajendra Deshpande.The train stopped beyond the long tunnel at a small station, Sarhad. An Anglo-
Indian checkedthe permits. This was the place where the British Raj began. Pant had not been to
thisBombay before. He talked with his fellow passenger Khan sahib. The professor got someinformation on life in
British India. He also noticed the words written and the Union Jackpainted on the carriage. He had not expected all
that.

2. Give a brief account of Professor Gaitonde’s stay and study of history books at TownHall library. What riddle
was he keen to solve?

Ans. In Bombay, the professor went to the Town Hall library. He asked for the five volume she had written. Up to
the death of Aurangzeb, there was no change in history. The change had taken place in the last volume. Turning
over the pages, he reached the exact point wherehistory had taken a different turn. It was the Battle of Panipat in
which the Maratha army haddefeated Abdali. The victorious army was led by the young Vishwasrao. Thereafter
began thepower struggle in India. It was his own style of writing.The Maratha victory dampened the spirit and
plans of the East India Company. Its influencewas reduced to Bombay region. In the 19th century, the Peshwas
needed the help of theBritish at their centres for science and technology. They gave an opportunity to the
companyto extend its influence. Then came democracy. The professor could not help comparing thecountry he
knew with what he was witnessing around him.

3. How did Rajendra Deshpande apply his theory of catastrophic experience regardingthe Battle of Panipat?

Ans. Gangadharpant narrated to Rajendra his experience at the Azad Maidan meeting. Fortwo days he was in a
coma. He had met with an accident. He had now returned to the worldhe was familiar with. He asked Rajendra to
explain where he had spent those days.He admitted that just before the collision he had been thinking of the
catastrophic theory andhow it could change the course of history. He produced a page from the Bakhar to prove
thathis mind was working normally. The page described that Vishwasrao had not escaped thebullet, he had rather
been hit and killed by the bullet. It was just contrary to what his ownhistory book said. And he wanted to know the
facts.

4. How did Rajendra explain the concept of reality with the example of movement of anelectron?

Ans. Rajendra Deshpande tried to rationalise the professor’s experience on the basis of twoscientific theories. It
was true that Gangadharpant had passed through a strange catastrophicexperience. The juncture at which
Vishwas Rao was killed in the Battle of Panipat proved tobe the turning point. The Maratha soldiers lost their
morale and fighting spirit. They lost thebattle.Rajendra then moved to his second point about reality.
Reality is not exactly what weexperience directly with our senses. Reality can have other manifestations also.
For example,the electron does not follow the laws of science when it moves. It is called the lack ofdeterminism
in quantum theory. The electron can be found in different places, and each isreal. It happens by making a
transition. The professor had also experienced two worlds—onethat was present, the other that might have been

EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS.

A. Meanwhile, the racing fund of Professor Gaitonde had arrived at a plan of action in Bombay* Indeed, as a
historian he’felt he should have thought of it sooner. He would go to a big library and brow-fee through history
books. That was the surest way of finding out how the present state of affairs was reached.
He also planned eventually to return to Pune and have a long talk with Rajendra Deshpande, who would surely help
him understand what had happened. That is, assuming that in this world there existed someone called Rajendra
Deshpande ! The train stopped beyond the long tunnel. It was a small station called Sarhad. An Anglo-Indian in
uniform went through the train checking permits.
Q1. Who was Professor Gaitonde and where did he hail from?
Ans- The historian Professor Gaitonde was a native of Pune.
Q2. What was his destination and what was his purpose of visit?
Ans-. He was travelling to Bombay. He desired to visit the large library and examine the history sections in order to
learn how the current situation came to be.
Q3. What did he feel about his duty as a historian?
Ans- Professor Gaitonde felt it was his responsibility as a historian to have considered long ago how to determine
the cause of the changed state of affairs.
Q4. Could you guess the period when the story might have been written?
Ans- According to the paragraph, “An Anglo-Indian” entered the carriage to look at the permits. He was obviously
a government official. It could only happen when Britain was in power.
Q5. Give the synonyms of the following :
(a) ultimately/in due course
(b) underpass
Ans-. (a) eventually
(b) tunnels

B. He thanked the girl politely and came out. It was characteristic of him jot to worry about where he would stay.
His main concern was to make his way to the library of the Asiatic Society to solve the riddle of history. Grabbing a
quick lunch at a restaurant, he made his way to the Town Hall. Yes, to his relief, the Town Hall was there, and it did
house the library. He entered the reading room and asked for a list of history books including his own.
His five volumes duly arrived on his table. He started from the beginning. Volume one took the history up to the
period of Ashoka, volume two up to Samudragupta, volume three up to Mohammad Ghori and volume four up to
the death of Aurangzeb. Up to this period history was as he knew it. The change evidently had occurred in the last
volume.Reading volume five from both ends inwards, Gangadharpant finally converged on the precise moment
where history had taken a different turn.
Q1. Who is ‘he’ here? Do you know who is the ‘girl’ he thanked?
Ans- ‘He’ here is Professor Gangadharpant Gaitonde. Yes. The ‘girl’ he thanked is the English receptionist at Forbes
Building.
Q2. What was his main concern?
Ans- His major focus was getting to the Asiatic Society library so he could figure out the historical riddle.
Q3. Which characteristic of the subject being talked about here, is mentioned here?
What does it show?
Ans- Professor Gaitonde is the subject being talked about here. He’s never given his housing much thought. It was
his personality. It demonstrates that he cared more about his value than his own bodily comforts.
Q4. Did he find what he wanted to do?
Ans- Yes, he did find what he was seeking. He had travelled there to unravel a historical puzzle. He discovered the
hint or point that solved the riddle while reading the fifth volume of the history book.
Q5. Give synonyms of:
(a) worry
(b) intersect/merge/coincide
Ans- (a) worry – concern
(b) intersect/merge/coincide – converged

C. Their victory in the battle was not only a great morale booster to the Marathas hut it also established their
supremacy in northern India. The East India Company, which had been watching these developments from the
sidelines, got the message and temporarily shelved its expansionist programme. For the Peshwas the immediate
result was an increase in the influence of Bhausaheb and Vishwasrao who eventually succeeded his father in 1780
AD. The trouble-maker, Dadasaheb, was relegated to the background and he eventually retired from state politics.
To its dismay, the East India Company met its match in the new Maratha ruler, Vishwasrao. He and his brother,
Madhavrao, combined political acumen with valour and systematically expanded their influence all over India. The
Company was reduced to pockets of influence near Bombay, Calcutta and Madras, just like its European rivals, the
Portu guese and the French.
Q1. What was the effect of the battle? What was its result?
Ans- The Marathas’ win in the battle gave them more confidence. As a result, they established their dominance in
Northern India.
Q2. How did this change in situation affect the British /East India Company?
Ans-. As Maratha dominance was established in Northern India, the East India Company was forced to temporarily
postpone its imperialism plan. It remained confined to certain areas in nearby Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras.
Q3. What impact did it have on Dadasaheb?
Ans- The Marathas viewed Dadasaheb as a troublemaker. As a result, he was sent to the shadows and eventually
left state politics.
Q4. How did Vishwasrao act as a ruler?
Ans- Vishwasrao and his brother Madhavrao very methodically increased their power throughout India. The East
India Company was only able to exert influence in the areas close to Madras, Calcutta, and Bombay.
Q5. Give one word for the following-
(a) given less important place/rank
(b) ability to understand and judge things quickly and clearly.
Ans- (a) relegated
(b) acumen

D. He found a guest house to stay in and had a frugal meal. He then set out for a stroll towards the Azad Maidan.
In the maidan he found a throng moving towards a pandal. So, a lecture was to take place. Force of habit took
Professor Gaitonde towards the pandal. The lecture was in progress, although people kept coming and going. But
Professor Gaitonde was not looking at the audience.
He was staring at the platform as if mesmerised. There was a table and a chair but the latter was unoccupied. The
presidential chair unoccupied! The sight stirred him to the depths. Like a piece of iron attracted to a magnet, he
swiftly moved towards the chair. The speaker stopped in mid-sentence, too shocked to continue. But the audience
soon found voice.
“Vacate the chair !”
“This lecture series has no chairperson…”
“Away from the platform, mister !”
“The chair is symbolic, don’t you know ?”
What nonsense! Whoever heard of a public lecture without a presiding dignitary ? Professor Gaitonde went to the
mike and gave vent to his views. “Ladies and gentlemen, an unchaired lecture is like Shakespeare’s Hamlet without
the Prince of Denmark. Let me tell you.”
Q1. Where did he go for a stroll? What did he find there?
Ans- He took a stroll towards the Azad Maidan. He discovered a crowd approaching on a pandal.
Q2. How did he feel after going there?
Ans-. He was mesmerised as he observed the platform. The presidential chair was vacant when he arrived. He was
incredibly impressed by that. Like an iron rod being drawn to a magnet, he felt drawn to the chair.
Q3. What was the general reaction at his arrIval?
Ans-. Gangadharpant was approaching the presidential chair, and the speaker was too frightened to continue.
Mid-sentence, he paused. When this happened, the audience responded angrily and demanded that Professor
Gaitonde leave the chair. They didn’t seem interested in paying attention to the chairperson.
Q4. How did he try to explain- himself or his position?
Ans-. Professor Gaitonde had expertise speaking in front of large crowds. Seeing that the chairperson’s seat was
vacant, he moved to the microphone. A lecture without a chair, according to him, is similar to Shakespeare’s
“Hamlet” without the Prince of Denmark.
Q5. Give the meaning of:
(a) Spellbound
(b) congregation
Ans- (a) mesmerised
(b) throng
E. “Don’t smile smugly. In case you think that it was just my mind playing tricks and my imagination running amok,
look at this.” And, triumphantly, Professor Gaitonde produced his vital piece of evidence : a page tom out of a
book. Rajendra read the text on the printed page and his face underwent a change. Gone was the smile and in its
place came a grave expression. He was visibly moved.Gangadharpant pressed home his advantage. “I had
inadvertently slipped the Bakhar in my pocket as I left the library. I discovered my error when I was paying for my
meal. I had intended to return it the next morning.
But it seems that in the melee of Azad Maidan, the book was lost; only this tom-off page remained. And, luckily for
me, the page contains vital evidence.” Rajendra again read the page. It described how Vishwasrao narrowly missed
the bul¬let; and howr that event, taken as an omen by the Maratha army, turned the tide in their favour.“Now look
at this.” Gangadharpant produced his own copy of Bhausahebanchi Bakhar, opened at the relevant page. The
account ran thus :‘… And then Vishwasrao guided his horse to the melee where the elite troops were fighting, and
he attacked them. And God expressed His displeasure. He was hit by the bullet ’
Q1. Why did Gangadharpant produce a piece of paper?
Ans-. In order to demonstrate that Iris’ mind was not playing tricks on him and that his imagination was not
running wild, Gangadhar produced the piece of paper as evidence. He was speaking from actual experience.
Q2. What influence did the evidence have on Rajendra?
Ans- The proof really shook Rajendra. He had previously dismissed it as Gangadharpant’s imagination. But when
he saw the proof, he became serious and began reading the page (evidence).
Q3. How did that evidence come in the pocket of Professor Gaitonde?
Ans- Gangadharpant had visited the large library. While reading Bakhar there, he unintentionally put it in his
pocket as he was leaving the library. As a result, the proof was in his pocket.
Q4. What is the point of discussion between Gangadharpant and Rajendra?
Ans- Rajendra and Gangadharpant had been talking about the mystery of where Gangadharpant had been during
the two days during which he’d been away from Bombay.
Q5. Give one word for the following-
(a) pleasantly for having achieved something.
(b) just accidently, unintentionally.
Ans- (a) pleasantly for having achieved something – smugly
(b) just accidently, unintentionally – inadvertently

F. “A good guess. I was indeed wondering what course history would have taken if the result of the battle had gone
the other way,” Professor Gaitonde said. “That was going to be the topic of my thousandth presidential
address.”“Now you are in the happy position of recounting your real life experience rather than just speculating,”
Rajehdra laughed. But Gangadharpant was grave. “No, Rajendra, my thousandth address was made on the Azad
Maidan when I was so rudely interrupted. No. the Professor Gaitonde who disappeared while defending his chair
on the platform will now never be seen presiding at another meeting—‘I have conveyed my regrets to the
organisers of the Panipat seminar.
Q1. What was going to be the topic of Professor Gaitonde’s thousandth Presidential address? Could he deliver it?
Ans- ‘What direction history would have taken if the result of the fight had gone the other way,’ was going to be
the subject of Gangadharpant Gaitonde’s thousandth lecture.
Q2. Why could he not deliver his thousandth presidential address?
Ans- Professor Gangadharpant Gaitonde was violently interrupted by the audience and the speaker there,
preventing him from delivering his thousandth presidential speech. He was actually forcefully dragged off the
stage.
Q3. What did Gangadharpant resolve as a result?
Ans- Gangadharpant resolved never to be seen presiding over a gathering again after being so insulted (and
surprised) by the harsh interruption of the public at Azad Maidan in Pune.
Q4. Why did Professor Gaitonde convey his regrets to the organisers of the Panipat Seminar?
Ans- Professor Gaitonde expressed his regrets to the Panipat seminar organisers since he had resolved to never
speak at or attend/address as President of any of the meetings in future. It happened as a result of his unpleasant
experience in Pune.
Q5. Give one word for the following-
(a) telling something about your personal experience
(b) forming an opinion that you don’t know in detail
Ans-
(a) recounting
(b) speculating