The Adventure – Questions & Answers

Very Short Answer Questions (1–2 lines each)

1. Who is the author of “The Adventure”?
   Ans. Jayant Narlikar.
2. Who is Professor Gaitonde?
   Ans. A historian and the main character of the story.
3. Where was Professor Gaitonde travelling?
   Ans. He was travelling to Bombay (Mumbai).
4. What unusual experience did Gaitonde have?
   Ans. He found himself in an alternate version of history where India had not been colonised by the British.
5. Which battle’s result was different in this alternate history?
   Ans. The Battle of Panipat.
6. What was different about Bombay in the new history?
   Ans. It was modern and prosperous but had developed without British rule.
7. What role did Professor Rajendra Deshpande play?
   Ans. He explained Gaitonde’s experience scientifically, linking it to the concept of parallel worlds.
8. What scientific theory is used to explain the event?
   Ans. The Catastrophe Theory and the idea of parallel worlds.
9. How many lectures had Gaitonde delivered before the incident?
   Ans. 999 lectures.
10. What did he plan to do after the experience?
    Ans. He wanted to deliver his 1000th lecture narrating this strange adventure.

Short Answer Questions (30–50 words)

1. What strange historical difference did Professor Gaitonde notice?
   Ans. He noticed that India had not been colonised by the British. The Marathas had won the Battle of Panipat, leading to a completely different course of history where India was independent and progressive on its own.
2. Why did Gaitonde feel confused in Bombay?
   Ans. He saw that Bombay looked modern and advanced, yet its political, social, and historical background was entirely different from what he knew, making him feel like he was in another world.
3. How did Rajendra Deshpande explain Gaitonde’s experience?
   Ans. Rajendra explained it scientifically through the Catastrophe Theory and the concept of parallel worlds. He said Gaitonde had slipped into another dimension where history had taken a different course.
4. What is the significance of the Battle of Panipat in the story?
   Ans. The story suggests that if the Marathas had won the battle, Indian history would have been different. This turning point created the alternate history that Gaitonde experienced.
5. What was Gaitonde’s plan for his 1000th lecture?
   Ans. He wanted to narrate his strange adventure of travelling through alternate history and explain how historical events could have turned out differently.

Long Answer Questions (120–150 words)

1. Describe Professor Gaitonde’s adventure in the alternate history.
   Ans. Professor Gaitonde, a historian, was travelling to Bombay when he found himself in an alternate reality. In this version of history, the Marathas had won the Battle of Panipat, and as a result, India had never been colonised by the British. He saw a prosperous and independent nation that had developed on its own. Bombay looked modern but politically and socially very different. Gaitonde was shocked and confused by this new world. Later, Professor Rajendra Deshpande explained that his experience could be understood through Catastrophe Theory and the existence of parallel worlds. Gaitonde had slipped into one such world. After returning, he decided to narrate this adventure in his 1000th lecture.
2. What is the message of the story “The Adventure”?
   Ans. The story conveys that history is shaped by critical events. If even one event had turned out differently, the course of history could have completely changed. Jayant Narlikar combines history with science, showing that alternate realities may exist scientifically through the concept of parallel worlds. The story also emphasises the importance of critical thinking and imagination in studying history. By using Professor Gaitonde’s strange experience, Narlikar makes readers reflect on how fragile and uncertain human history is. It highlights that history is not fixed but the result of choices and chance events.