THE ADVENTURE

 blow-by-blow account: detailed account. In the text “The Adventure” this expression
occurs in the context of Gangadharpant trying to understand the outcome of the Battle
of Panipat by reading a book on the topic.
 morale booster: anything that serves to increase morale or confidence. The expression
occurs in the text 'Adventure' where it is told that the Marathas emerged victorious in
the Battle of Panipat which increased their morale or confidence in establishing their
supremacy all over the country.
 Relegated to: assigned to a lower rank or position. In the text it is said how Dadasaheb,
a maratha Chieftain was assigned to a lower rank after the Battle of Panipat.
 political acumen: political shrewedness with keen insight. In the text 'The Adventure'
the expression is used to convey how Madhavrao and Vishwasrao because of their
shrewedness could expand their influence all over India.
 de facto: existing in fact whether with lawful authority or not. In the text 'Adventure'
the Peshwas are regarded as de facto rulers as they kept the Mughal regime alive in
Delhi.
 astute: marked by practical hardheaded intelligence. In the text “The Adventure” this
word is used to convey that the Peshwas were very intelligent to recognise the
importance of technological age dawning in Europe.
 doctored accounts: manipulation of accounts. This expression conveys that the Bakhars
were not providing historical facts but manipulated account of history.
 give vent to: to express one's feelings and ideas. Professor Gaitonde expressed his ideas
in the public lecture on the Battle of Panipat.

Briefly explain the following statements from the text.

1. “You neither traveled 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 made by Rajendra Deshpande to Professor Gaitonde and meant that
Gaitonde had made a transition from one world to another and back again. Thus, he was able
to experience two worlds, but only one at a time. He did not travel either to the past or the
future. He was in the present but experiencing another world for two days.

2. This statement was made by Rajendra Deshpande to Professor Gaitonde and meant that
Gaitonde had passed through a strange experience of living successively in two worlds, one in
which he was now and the other in which he had spent two days.

3. Professor Gaitonde knew the India in which the power of the Peshwas declined and the
British colonised the country. But the India he had seen during the last two days was
completely different. The country had not been colonised by the British. Instead, it was self-
dependent and enjoyed self-respect. He compared the two states of the country with each
other.

4. This means that if a bullet is fired from a gun in a given direction at a given speed, one will
know where it will be at any time after this, but such an assertion cannot be made for an
electron, where Quantum theory applies. When an electron is fired from a source, it may be
here, there or anywhere else. This is called lack of determinism in Quantum theory. This theory
asserts that reality is never one-sided. Alternative worlds may exist at the same time.

5. Professor Gaitonde made a transition, which, according to Rajendra Deshpande, had

happened because of the interaction happening in the professor’s mind at the time of his
collision. When the collision took place, Gaitonde was thinking about the Catastrophe theory
and its role in wars. Probably he was wondering about the third battle of Panipat and its
consequences. The interaction in his brain acted as a trigger to cause a transition.

Question 1.
What was Gangadharpant’s experience in the Azad Maidan? Did it have any effect on his life?
Answer:
Gangadharpant was keen to address the people at Azad Maidan. He spoke as if he was
presiding over a public meeting. People did not allow him to speak. This happened in the freak
‘adventure’ that he lived through. As a result, he decided in his real life never to preside over
any public function or to address a gathering.

‘Gangadharpant had not been to this Bombay before.’ Show how this Bombay is different from
the one he knew.
Answer:
Bombay had completely changed for Gangadharpant. The Bombay he now visited had the
trains that now paned through the suburban rail traffic. The blue carriages had the marking of
G.B.M.R with the Union Jack printed on them. The station looked remarkably neat and clean.
The staff included mainly Anglo-Indians and Parsees along with a few British officers. There was
an imposing building of the East India Company. Walking about Hornby Road, Gangadharpant
could find a different set of shops and office buildings. The British rule was prevalent only in
Bombay. All the other parts of the nation were not under the rule of The British.

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?
Answer:
The precise moment where history had taken a different turn for India was the moment when
Gangadharpant learnt that Marathas had won the Third Battle of Panipat. Their victory in the
battle was not only a great morale booster to the Marathas but it also established their
supremacy in northern India.

It was also clear that Vishwasrao was not killed in the battle. To its dismay, the East India
Company met its match in the new Maratha ruler, Vishwasrao. He and his brother, Madhavrao,
combined political acumen and expanded their influence all over India. The East India Company
was reduced to pockets of influence near Bombay, Calcutta and Madras, just like its European
rivals, the Portugese and the French.

How did Rajendra Deshpande explain Gangadhar Pant’s experience? Write in detail.
Answer:
Prof. Rajendra explained Prof. Gaitonde’s theory on the basis of catastrophe theory and the
lack of determinism in the quantum theory. He applied catastrophe theory to the Battle of
Panipat. Both the armies were’well-equipped, so, a lot depended on the leadership and the
morale of the troops. He said that the point at which Vishwasrao was killed proved to be the
turning point. Whether he was killed in the battle or survived was not known that time.

But, the troops were in constant stress of losing their crucial leaders. They lost their morale and
fighting spirit. Now, when the bullet missed Vishwarao, the battle took the other way, and the
troops felt encouraged. It boosted their morale and they applied a lot of efforts to lion the
battle.

This happened due to the lack of determinism in quantum theory which means that you cannot
predict the behavior of anything, even the outcome may be vasthy different. Prof. Gaitonde
was able to experience a different reality because he made a transition to the other India where
the Marathas had won the Battle of Panipat. The transition occurred because at the moment of
the collision, Prof. Gaitonde was thinking of the catastrophe Theory and the Battle of Panipat.