Summary: The Adventure - Class 11 PDF Download

Key Points of the Story

• The Adventure is a short story written by Indian writer Jayant Narlikar. 
• He talks about the theory of existence of parallel worlds through storytelling. 
• The main character Professor Gaitonde is an academician in the field of history. 
• He is supposed to present a presidential address on how the history of India would have changed if the Marathas had won the Battle of Panipat. 
• He immerses himself in thoughts – trying to assess the probabilities of an alternative course of history and meets with an accident. 
• He wakes up to find himself subject to a new reality where he finds that the Marathas had really won the battle and the British were unsuccessful in enslaving the Indians. 
• He relates his experience to his friend Rajendra Despande who looks at it as a possible execution of psychological trickery in Gaitonde’s mind. 
• But upon giving a proof of his visit to another world, Professor Gaitonde puts Rajendra in doubt. 
• Rajendra analyses and speculates every detail of the event to conclude that Gaitonde might have made a transition into another parallel world, and then returned to his original world, and that the Battle of Panipat was the point of bifurcation in the worlds.

Detailed Summary

The tale begins with Gangadharpant Gaitonde, a history professor delving into an alternate reality in pursuit of answers to questions that had profoundly shifted his understanding of the past and present. He embarked on a journey to Bombay aboard the Jijamata Express, intending to research at a library and discuss his findings with Rajendra Deshpande in Pune. Gaitonde believed Deshpande could help him unravel his queries, although he harbored doubts about Deshpande's existence in this new world.

Upon arriving in Bombay, Gaitonde was astounded to find the flourishing headquarters of The East India Company, an entity that, historically, should have ceased to exist after 1857. This anomaly led him to suspect that he might have traveled to a period prior to that year. His astonishment deepened when he discovered that his son, Vinay Gaitonde, seemingly did not exist in this reality. Gaitonde wondered if his son had never been born at all.
In his quest for understanding, Gaitonde visited a library at the Town Hall, where he meticulously examined history books, including his own writings. He pinpointed a divergence in history in a book detailing the Battle of Panipat, where the Marathas emerged victorious over Abdali’s army—a stark contrast to the commonly accepted historical narrative. This altered timeline depicted a powerful Maratha rule in Northern India, with advancements in Science and Technology, leading India to become a democracy by the twentieth century.
During his exploration, Gaitonde accidentally pocketed a page from Bhausahebanchi Bakhar, a book vividly describing the Battle of Panipat. This page hinted at a missed bullet altering the course of history in favor of the Marathas. Gaitonde, bewildered by these revelations, shared his experiences with his friend Rajendra Deshpande. Rajendra proposed that Gaitonde might have experienced a transition between parallel worlds, triggered by his intense contemplation of the catastrophe theory and its implications on history.
Rajendra explained the concept of multiple realities, suggesting that Gaitonde had transitioned to a different world where he witnessed the consequences of the Battle of Panipat unfold in an unprecedented manner. According to Rajendra, these transitions occur at specific pivotal points in the timeline, creating various divergent worlds. Gaitonde, now enlightened about the nature of his experience, contemplated the implications of his unique journey, planning to incorporate his findings into his thousandth presidential address on the reverse outcome of the Battle of Panipat.

Conclusion

The experience experienced by Professor Gaitonde is bizarre and seems like wild imagination to someone who has never heard of this theory before. This chapter is a beautiful combination of literature and science to propagate the theory of parallel worlds to the layman reader. A person who does not have much scientific acumen can also understand this theory through the story. Rajendra Deshpande’s explanation of the theory through step-by-step analysis of the event to compare it with the features of electrons in microscopic worlds demonstrates the basics of quantum physics behind the foundation of this theory.

Difficult Words

Word - Meaning

• Speed along–moving fast, 
• a considerably–a lot, 
• roared–screamed as it rolled on, 
• browse through–read for enjoyment, 
• eventually– Finally, 
• assuming—taken for granted. 
• tunnel—passage built underground. 
• permits—permission slips, 
• presume—think, guess. 
• factually—Indeed. 
• ventured—asked. 
• flavour—taste, 
• tiny—small, 
• Union Jack—the British flag,
• destination—endpoint, 
• handfulof—a few, 
• emerged—came out.
• imposing—impressive,
• letters—writing on,
• proclaimed—announced, told,
• identity—mark of recognition, 
• landmarks—notable signs or marks, 
• shocks—jerks, 
• wound up—finished, packed up,
• flourishing—prospering, 
• blow—shock, 
• make his way—reach, 
• riddle—puzzle,
• grabbing—eating, 
• relief—comfort,
• evidently—it Was clear,
• occured—taken place, 
• converged—reached a point,
• precise—exactly,
• handsomely—finely,
• routed—defeated, 
• chased—pushed, 
• triumphant—victorious, 
• blow by blow account—systematic description, 
• elaborated—worked out, gave, 
• consequences—results, 
• avidly—eagerly, keenly, 
• Morale booster—promoter. 
• supremacy—lordship, 
• shelved—put aside. 
• expansionist—widening its range of hold. 
• eventfully—succeeded after a struggle, 
• relegated—pushed down, 
• eventually—finally, 
• dismay—depair.
• met its match—found its strong opponent. 
• acumen—mental keenness.
• valour—bravery; 
• expanded—spread, 
• rivals—opponent, 
• puppet—weak, ineffective figurehead ruler, 
• regime—rule, 
• de facto–virtual, real, 
• astute—crafty. Shrewd. 
• dawning—spreading, taking birth, 
• aid–help, 
• enterprise—bold undertaking. 
• gradually—by and by; 
• transition—change, 
• wielded—exercised managed; 
• figurehead—a nominal head, rubber stamp, 
• appreciate—admire, understand, 
• retain—keep, 
• subcontinent—a land with several countries, 
• lease—licence,
• expire—end, finish, 
• journals—magazines, 
• clue—hint, 
• seldom—rarely, 
• relied on—trusted, 
• evidence—proof,
• entertaining—interesting, 
• graphic—vivid, 
• doctored accounts—manipulated, untrue. 
• melee–confused light,
• elite—select body, 
• emerged—came out: 
• magnificent—grand.
• shoved—thrust, 
• absent–mindedly—unknowingly, 
• frugal—economical, 
• stroll—walk, 
• throng—crowd.
• audience—listeners, 
• staring—looking,
• mesmerised—hypnotized, 
• unoccupied—empty, vacant, 
• stirred—moved. 
• vacate—quit leave, 
• dignitary—person of high rank; 
• abolished—did away with, 
• hostile—opposing, 
• target—object a mark to fire at, 
• valiantly—bravely: 
• sacrilege—spoiling a holy place, 
• dumbfounded—speechless, confused,
• prior to—betfore,
• collision—accident, 
• Catastrophe theory-pertaining to a sudden ruin of calamity,
• implication–hidden meaning, 
• smugly–In a self satisfied manner, 
• running amok–going mad. 
• triumphantly–with a sense of victory, 
• evidence–proof, 
• grave–serious. 
• Inadvertently–unknowingly,
• error–mistake,
• omen–presage,
• fantasy–imagination, 
• motioned–told him by movement of hand, 
• obviously–clearly, 
• strain–pressure,
• rationalise–to explain with reason, 
• fantastic–odd,
• Catastrophe-theory, a turning point, the point at which the tables were turned and the rain set in,
• seminar–meeting to discuss or study a particular topic with a teacher, 
• disparity–difference, inequality, 
• armour–a defensive covering, 
• morale–spirit,
• juncture–the point of time, 
• melee–confusion, disorderly state of troops, 
• crucial–critical, 
• rout–defeat; utter–total, 
• impetus–encouragement, momentum. 
• unique–strange, 
• speculation–mental view, guess, 
• okay–alright; 
• take issue with-beg to differ, disagree; 
• expectantly–anxiously, 
• via–through: 
• manifestations–revelations, 
• constituent–composing, 
• particles–small parts, 
• startling–surprising, 
• predicted–told beforehand, 
• Assertion–claim, affirmation, 
• specified–definite, 
• quote odds–give stray examples; 
• determinism–definiteness; 
• quantum–the required amount or portion, 
• Ignoramus–Ignorant, 
• marshall–arrange suitably, 
• orbiting–moving round,
• nucleus–central part,
• Interjected–Intervened, 
• identity–recognise, know, 
• radiation–throwing of rays, 
• transitions–change; 
• pulse–throbbing, 
• macroscopic–visible to naked eyes, 
• microscopic–very small, not visible to naked eye; 
• radically–basically,
• fantastic—odd, 
• alternatives–substitutes, 
• viable–capable of living, practicable, 
• bifurcation–split in two parts,
• token—sign, mark, symbol, 
• interaction—process of meeting and affecting one another,
• neurons—nerve cells, 
• trigger–a lever for firing a gun,
• recouting—recalling. 
• speculating—guessing, 
• grave–serious, 
• rudely interrupted–badly disturbed