NCERT Textbook - The Adventure | English Class 11 PDF Download

 Page 1


60 HORNBILL
???? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ?? ????
??? ??? ? ? ?? ? ?? ??
Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text.
Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context.
? blow-by-blow account ? de facto
? morale booster ? astute
? relegated to ? doctored accounts
? political acumen ? gave vent to
THE Jijamata Express sped along the Pune-Bombay* route
considerably faster than the Deccan Queen. There were no
industrial townships outside Pune. The first stop, Lonavala, came
in 40 minutes. The ghat section that followed was no different
from what he knew. The train stopped at Karjat only briefly and
went on at even greater speed. It roared through Kalyan.
Meanwhile, the racing mind 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 browse 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.
The present story is an adapted version. The original text of the story can be
consulted on the NCERT website : www.ncert.nic.in
* Now known as Mumbai
2022-23
Page 2


60 HORNBILL
???? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ?? ????
??? ??? ? ? ?? ? ?? ??
Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text.
Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context.
? blow-by-blow account ? de facto
? morale booster ? astute
? relegated to ? doctored accounts
? political acumen ? gave vent to
THE Jijamata Express sped along the Pune-Bombay* route
considerably faster than the Deccan Queen. There were no
industrial townships outside Pune. The first stop, Lonavala, came
in 40 minutes. The ghat section that followed was no different
from what he knew. The train stopped at Karjat only briefly and
went on at even greater speed. It roared through Kalyan.
Meanwhile, the racing mind 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 browse 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.
The present story is an adapted version. The original text of the story can be
consulted on the NCERT website : www.ncert.nic.in
* Now known as Mumbai
2022-23
THE ADVENTURE 61
“This is where the British Raj begins. You are going for the
first time, I presume?” Khan Sahib asked.
“Yes.” The reply was factually correct. Gangadharpant had
not been to this Bombay before. He ventured a question: “And,
Khan Sahib, how will you go to Peshawar?”
“This train goes to the Victoria Terminus*. I will take the
Frontier Mail tonight out of Central.”
“How far does it go? By what route?”
“Bombay to Delhi, then to Lahore and then Peshawar. A long
journey. I will reach Peshawar the day after tomorrow.”
Thereafter, Khan Sahib spoke a lot about his business and
Gangadharpant was a willing listener. For, in that way, he was
able to get some flavour of life in this India that was so different.
The train now passed through the suburban rail traffic. The
blue carriages carried the letters, GBMR, on the side.
“Greater Bombay Metropolitan Railway,” explained Khan
Sahib. “See the tiny Union Jack painted on each carriage? A
gentle reminder that we are in British territory.”
The train began to slow down beyond Dadar and stopped
only 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.
As he emerged from the station, Gangadharpant found
himself facing an imposing building. The letters on it proclaimed
its identity to those who did not know this Bombay landmark:
EAST INDIA HOUSE HEADQUARTERS OF
THE EAST INDIA COMPANY
Prepared as he was for many shocks, Professor Gaitonde had not
expected this. The East India Company had been wound up shortly
after the events of 1857 — at least, that is what history books said.
Yet, here it was, not only alive but flourishing. So, history had
taken a different turn, perhaps before 1857. How and when had it
happened? He had to find out.
As he walked along Hornby 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.
* Now known as Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus
2022-23
Page 3


60 HORNBILL
???? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ?? ????
??? ??? ? ? ?? ? ?? ??
Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text.
Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context.
? blow-by-blow account ? de facto
? morale booster ? astute
? relegated to ? doctored accounts
? political acumen ? gave vent to
THE Jijamata Express sped along the Pune-Bombay* route
considerably faster than the Deccan Queen. There were no
industrial townships outside Pune. The first stop, Lonavala, came
in 40 minutes. The ghat section that followed was no different
from what he knew. The train stopped at Karjat only briefly and
went on at even greater speed. It roared through Kalyan.
Meanwhile, the racing mind 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 browse 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.
The present story is an adapted version. The original text of the story can be
consulted on the NCERT website : www.ncert.nic.in
* Now known as Mumbai
2022-23
THE ADVENTURE 61
“This is where the British Raj begins. You are going for the
first time, I presume?” Khan Sahib asked.
“Yes.” The reply was factually correct. Gangadharpant had
not been to this Bombay before. He ventured a question: “And,
Khan Sahib, how will you go to Peshawar?”
“This train goes to the Victoria Terminus*. I will take the
Frontier Mail tonight out of Central.”
“How far does it go? By what route?”
“Bombay to Delhi, then to Lahore and then Peshawar. A long
journey. I will reach Peshawar the day after tomorrow.”
Thereafter, Khan Sahib spoke a lot about his business and
Gangadharpant was a willing listener. For, in that way, he was
able to get some flavour of life in this India that was so different.
The train now passed through the suburban rail traffic. The
blue carriages carried the letters, GBMR, on the side.
“Greater Bombay Metropolitan Railway,” explained Khan
Sahib. “See the tiny Union Jack painted on each carriage? A
gentle reminder that we are in British territory.”
The train began to slow down beyond Dadar and stopped
only 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.
As he emerged from the station, Gangadharpant found
himself facing an imposing building. The letters on it proclaimed
its identity to those who did not know this Bombay landmark:
EAST INDIA HOUSE HEADQUARTERS OF
THE EAST INDIA COMPANY
Prepared as he was for many shocks, Professor Gaitonde had not
expected this. The East India Company had been wound up shortly
after the events of 1857 — at least, that is what history books said.
Yet, here it was, not only alive but flourishing. So, history had
taken a different turn, perhaps before 1857. How and when had it
happened? He had to find out.
As he walked along Hornby 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.
* Now known as Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus
2022-23
62 HORNBILL
He turned right along Home Street and entered Forbes
building.
“I wish to meet Mr Vinay Gaitonde, please,” he said to the
English receptionist.
She searched through the telephone list, the staff list and
then through the directory of employees of all the branches of
the firm. She shook her head and said, “I am afraid I can’t find
anyone of that name either here or in any of our branches. Are
you sure he works here?”
This was a blow, not totally unexpected. If he himself were
dead in this world, what guarantee had he that his son would
be alive? Indeed, he may not even have been born!
He thanked the girl politely and came out. It was
characteristic of him not 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.
That page in the book described the Battle of Panipat, and it
mentioned that the Marathas won it handsomely. Abdali was
routed and he was chased back to Kabul by the triumphant
Maratha army led by Sadashivrao Bhau and his nephew, the
young Vishwasrao.
The book did not go into a blow-by-blow account of the
battle itself. Rather, it elaborated in detail its consequences for
the power struggle in India. Gangadharpant read through the
account avidly. The style of writing was unmistakably his, yet
he was reading the account for the first time!
2022-23
Page 4


60 HORNBILL
???? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ?? ????
??? ??? ? ? ?? ? ?? ??
Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text.
Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context.
? blow-by-blow account ? de facto
? morale booster ? astute
? relegated to ? doctored accounts
? political acumen ? gave vent to
THE Jijamata Express sped along the Pune-Bombay* route
considerably faster than the Deccan Queen. There were no
industrial townships outside Pune. The first stop, Lonavala, came
in 40 minutes. The ghat section that followed was no different
from what he knew. The train stopped at Karjat only briefly and
went on at even greater speed. It roared through Kalyan.
Meanwhile, the racing mind 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 browse 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.
The present story is an adapted version. The original text of the story can be
consulted on the NCERT website : www.ncert.nic.in
* Now known as Mumbai
2022-23
THE ADVENTURE 61
“This is where the British Raj begins. You are going for the
first time, I presume?” Khan Sahib asked.
“Yes.” The reply was factually correct. Gangadharpant had
not been to this Bombay before. He ventured a question: “And,
Khan Sahib, how will you go to Peshawar?”
“This train goes to the Victoria Terminus*. I will take the
Frontier Mail tonight out of Central.”
“How far does it go? By what route?”
“Bombay to Delhi, then to Lahore and then Peshawar. A long
journey. I will reach Peshawar the day after tomorrow.”
Thereafter, Khan Sahib spoke a lot about his business and
Gangadharpant was a willing listener. For, in that way, he was
able to get some flavour of life in this India that was so different.
The train now passed through the suburban rail traffic. The
blue carriages carried the letters, GBMR, on the side.
“Greater Bombay Metropolitan Railway,” explained Khan
Sahib. “See the tiny Union Jack painted on each carriage? A
gentle reminder that we are in British territory.”
The train began to slow down beyond Dadar and stopped
only 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.
As he emerged from the station, Gangadharpant found
himself facing an imposing building. The letters on it proclaimed
its identity to those who did not know this Bombay landmark:
EAST INDIA HOUSE HEADQUARTERS OF
THE EAST INDIA COMPANY
Prepared as he was for many shocks, Professor Gaitonde had not
expected this. The East India Company had been wound up shortly
after the events of 1857 — at least, that is what history books said.
Yet, here it was, not only alive but flourishing. So, history had
taken a different turn, perhaps before 1857. How and when had it
happened? He had to find out.
As he walked along Hornby 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.
* Now known as Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus
2022-23
62 HORNBILL
He turned right along Home Street and entered Forbes
building.
“I wish to meet Mr Vinay Gaitonde, please,” he said to the
English receptionist.
She searched through the telephone list, the staff list and
then through the directory of employees of all the branches of
the firm. She shook her head and said, “I am afraid I can’t find
anyone of that name either here or in any of our branches. Are
you sure he works here?”
This was a blow, not totally unexpected. If he himself were
dead in this world, what guarantee had he that his son would
be alive? Indeed, he may not even have been born!
He thanked the girl politely and came out. It was
characteristic of him not 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.
That page in the book described the Battle of Panipat, and it
mentioned that the Marathas won it handsomely. Abdali was
routed and he was chased back to Kabul by the triumphant
Maratha army led by Sadashivrao Bhau and his nephew, the
young Vishwasrao.
The book did not go into a blow-by-blow account of the
battle itself. Rather, it elaborated in detail its consequences for
the power struggle in India. Gangadharpant read through the
account avidly. The style of writing was unmistakably his, yet
he was reading the account for the first time!
2022-23
THE ADVENTURE 63
Their victory in the battle was not only a great morale booster
to the Marathas but 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 eventfully
succeeded his father in 1780 A.D. The tr ouble-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 br other,
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 Eur opean rivals, the
Portuguese and the French.
For political reasons, the Peshwas kept the puppet Mughal
regime alive in Delhi. In the nineteenth century these de facto de facto de facto de facto de facto
rulers from Pune wer e astute enough to recognise the
importance of the technological age dawning in Europe. They
set up their own centres for science and technology. Here, the
East India Company saw another opportunity to extend its
influence. It offered aid and experts. They 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. By
then, the Peshwas had lost their enterprise and they wer e
gradually replaced by democratically elected bodies. The
Sultanate at Delhi survived even this transition, largely because
it wielded no real influence. The Shahenshah of Delhi was no
more than a figurehead to rubber-stamp the ‘recommendations’
made by the central parliament.
As he read on, Gangadharpant began to appreciate the India
he had seen. It was a country that had not been subjected to
slavery for 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 retain
* Now known as Kolkata
?? ?? ? Now known as Chennai
2022-23
Page 5


60 HORNBILL
???? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ?? ????
??? ??? ? ? ?? ? ?? ??
Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text. Notice these expressions in the text.
Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context. Infer their meaning from the context.
? blow-by-blow account ? de facto
? morale booster ? astute
? relegated to ? doctored accounts
? political acumen ? gave vent to
THE Jijamata Express sped along the Pune-Bombay* route
considerably faster than the Deccan Queen. There were no
industrial townships outside Pune. The first stop, Lonavala, came
in 40 minutes. The ghat section that followed was no different
from what he knew. The train stopped at Karjat only briefly and
went on at even greater speed. It roared through Kalyan.
Meanwhile, the racing mind 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 browse 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.
The present story is an adapted version. The original text of the story can be
consulted on the NCERT website : www.ncert.nic.in
* Now known as Mumbai
2022-23
THE ADVENTURE 61
“This is where the British Raj begins. You are going for the
first time, I presume?” Khan Sahib asked.
“Yes.” The reply was factually correct. Gangadharpant had
not been to this Bombay before. He ventured a question: “And,
Khan Sahib, how will you go to Peshawar?”
“This train goes to the Victoria Terminus*. I will take the
Frontier Mail tonight out of Central.”
“How far does it go? By what route?”
“Bombay to Delhi, then to Lahore and then Peshawar. A long
journey. I will reach Peshawar the day after tomorrow.”
Thereafter, Khan Sahib spoke a lot about his business and
Gangadharpant was a willing listener. For, in that way, he was
able to get some flavour of life in this India that was so different.
The train now passed through the suburban rail traffic. The
blue carriages carried the letters, GBMR, on the side.
“Greater Bombay Metropolitan Railway,” explained Khan
Sahib. “See the tiny Union Jack painted on each carriage? A
gentle reminder that we are in British territory.”
The train began to slow down beyond Dadar and stopped
only 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.
As he emerged from the station, Gangadharpant found
himself facing an imposing building. The letters on it proclaimed
its identity to those who did not know this Bombay landmark:
EAST INDIA HOUSE HEADQUARTERS OF
THE EAST INDIA COMPANY
Prepared as he was for many shocks, Professor Gaitonde had not
expected this. The East India Company had been wound up shortly
after the events of 1857 — at least, that is what history books said.
Yet, here it was, not only alive but flourishing. So, history had
taken a different turn, perhaps before 1857. How and when had it
happened? He had to find out.
As he walked along Hornby 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.
* Now known as Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus
2022-23
62 HORNBILL
He turned right along Home Street and entered Forbes
building.
“I wish to meet Mr Vinay Gaitonde, please,” he said to the
English receptionist.
She searched through the telephone list, the staff list and
then through the directory of employees of all the branches of
the firm. She shook her head and said, “I am afraid I can’t find
anyone of that name either here or in any of our branches. Are
you sure he works here?”
This was a blow, not totally unexpected. If he himself were
dead in this world, what guarantee had he that his son would
be alive? Indeed, he may not even have been born!
He thanked the girl politely and came out. It was
characteristic of him not 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.
That page in the book described the Battle of Panipat, and it
mentioned that the Marathas won it handsomely. Abdali was
routed and he was chased back to Kabul by the triumphant
Maratha army led by Sadashivrao Bhau and his nephew, the
young Vishwasrao.
The book did not go into a blow-by-blow account of the
battle itself. Rather, it elaborated in detail its consequences for
the power struggle in India. Gangadharpant read through the
account avidly. The style of writing was unmistakably his, yet
he was reading the account for the first time!
2022-23
THE ADVENTURE 63
Their victory in the battle was not only a great morale booster
to the Marathas but 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 eventfully
succeeded his father in 1780 A.D. The tr ouble-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 br other,
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 Eur opean rivals, the
Portuguese and the French.
For political reasons, the Peshwas kept the puppet Mughal
regime alive in Delhi. In the nineteenth century these de facto de facto de facto de facto de facto
rulers from Pune wer e astute enough to recognise the
importance of the technological age dawning in Europe. They
set up their own centres for science and technology. Here, the
East India Company saw another opportunity to extend its
influence. It offered aid and experts. They 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. By
then, the Peshwas had lost their enterprise and they wer e
gradually replaced by democratically elected bodies. The
Sultanate at Delhi survived even this transition, largely because
it wielded no real influence. The Shahenshah of Delhi was no
more than a figurehead to rubber-stamp the ‘recommendations’
made by the central parliament.
As he read on, Gangadharpant began to appreciate the India
he had seen. It was a country that had not been subjected to
slavery for 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 retain
* Now known as Kolkata
?? ?? ? Now known as Chennai
2022-23
64 HORNBILL
Bombay as the sole outpost on the subcontinent. That lease was
to expire in the year 2001, according to a treaty of 1908.
Gangadharpant could not help comparing the country he
knew with what he was witnessing around him.
But, at the same time, he felt that his investigations were
incomplete. How did the Marathas win the battle? To find the
answer he must look for accounts of the battle itself.
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.
Although he seldom relied on the Bakhars for historical
evidence, he found them entertaining to read. Sometimes, buried
in the graphic but doctored accounts, he could spot the germ
of truth. He found one now in a three-line account of how close
Vishwasrao had come to being killed:
... And then Vishwasrao guided his horse to the melee where the
elite troops were fighting and he attacked them. And God was
merciful. A shot brushed past his ear. Even the difference of a til
(sesame) would have led to his death.
At eight o’clock the librarian politely reminded the professor
that the library was closing for the day. Gangadharpant emerged
from his thoughts. Looking around he noticed that he was the
only reader left in that magnificent hall.
“I beg your pardon, sir! May I request you to keep these
books here for my use tomorrow morning? By the way, when do
you open?”
“At eight o’clock, sir.” The librarian smiled. Here was a user
and researcher right after his heart.
As the professor left the table he shoved some notes into his
right pocket. Absent-mindedly, he also shoved the Bakhar into
his left pocket.
__________
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
2022-23