Chapter - 7

The Adventure
By Jayant Narlikar

This fictional narrative by Jayant Narlikar belongs to the genre of science fiction and deals
with the much intriguing aspect of time.The protagonist of this story, Professor Gaitonde, a
historian is preparing for his thousandth presidential address in which he would speak on the
topic "What course history would have taken if the result of the Battle of Panipat had gone
the other way?"
While on an evening stroll he is hit by a truck.
· At that time he was thinking of the catastrophe theory and its implications for history.
· He found himself in another Bombay-which looked more like England (cleaner, big
English shops).
· The East India Company was flourishing. In this different Bombay, he went to the
Asiatic Society library in the town hall, to read some History books, including the ones
he had written.
· Most of the history was as he knew it in his world-but the point where history had
changed was the Battle of Panipat. In this different world, the Marathas had won.
· The Marathas had not allowed the East India Company to expand. In fact, its influence
was limited to a few places like Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. India had become a
democracy but allowed the British to carry on for commercial reasons.
· Prof. G wanted to find out how the Marathas had won the battle. According to one
history book, the Maratha army's morale was boosted when Vishwasrao managed to
escape death narrowly.
Next morning he went for a stroll to Azad Maidan.
· There was a lecture and Prof. Gaitonde went and sat on the vacant presidential chair.
· It turned out that in this world people were fed up of long speeches and had abolished
the 'chairing' custom.
· They got angry because Prof. Gaitonde would not stop talking. They threw things at
him and then got onto the stage to throw him out. Suddenly Prof G vanished.
· He was found in the Azad Maidan in his own familiar world. But where had he been
for two days remained a mystery.?
· He showed Rajender Deshpande the proof that he had been somewhere else and not

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 just imagining things- the torn-off page of the history book from the other world, about
Vishwasrao escaping death.
· In his book in his own world, the account was given as Vishwasrao being hit by the
bullet and dying. So in our world, the Marathas had not won, the East India Company
had not flourished and so on.
· Through discussions. Prof Gaitonde and Rajender Deshpande came to the conclusion
that there could be many 'different worlds at different points of time.' They could
all have a different history.
· Prof. Gaitonde had been to another world. The time was the present but their history
was completely different!
Rajendra Deshpande his scientist friend offers a scientific explanation of his strange
experience. He says that professor Gaitonde was living in the present but was experiencing
different worlds. This shift from present world to another was based on catastrophe theory.
According to this theory small changes in circumstances lead to a sudden shift in behaviour.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why was professor Gaitonde going to Bombay?
2. What was the plan of action in professor Gaitonde’s mind as his train approached
Bombay?
3. What important discovery was made by Gangadharpant on reading history books?
4. Professor Gaitonde could not complete his thousandth address at Azad Maidan. why?
5. What explanation was given by Rajendra Deshpande for professor Gaitonde’s transition
from one world to another?
6. What is reality according to Rajendra Deshpande?
7. How did Gangadhar Pant behave at Azad Maidan? What was the reaction of the
audience?
8. Why did professor Gaitonde consult history books? What did he discover in the
‘Bhausahebanchi Bakhar’? Why was he shocked?
9. How did Rajendra Deshpande try to rationalise Gangadhar Pant’s experience at Azad
Maindan scientifically?
Q.1. Who was Professor Gaitonde? What was his plan in Bombay?
Ans. Professor Gaitonde was a historian. He had written five volumes on History. He was
on his way to Bombay. He planned to go to a library and consult the history books
there to find out how present state of affairs was reached.

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Q.2. What for did professor Gaitonde enter the Forbes building? What was his
experience there?
Ans. The professor went to Forbes building to meet Vinaya Gaitonde his own son. The
receptionist reach through the directory of employees. But there was no person bearing
that name. It was a big blow. He felt that so far everything had been shocking so the
below of non-existence of his son was not totally unexpected.

Q.3. What did the professor do in the Town Hall Library?

Ans. The professor consulted the history books that he himself had written. There was no
change in the events upto death of Aurangezeb. The change had occurred in last
volume. He read the description of the battle of Panipat. Aadali was defeated by
Maratha army led by Sadashivrao Bhau and his nephew. Vishwasrao. It established
the supremacy of the marathas. They set up their science research centres. They
accepted the help of English experts.

Q.4. What did the professor wish to find out in history books?
Ans. He wished to find the answer to his question how Marathas won the Battle of Panipat.
He found a clue in the book titled Bakhars. Vishwasrao had a narrow escape from
being killed by the bullet that brushed past his ear. This boosted the morale of Maratha
army and they won the battle.

Q.5. 'But why did I make the transition? What explanation did Rajendra give to
the professor?
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 Catastrophic
theory and its role in wars. The professor admitted that he had been wondering at that
time what course history would have taken if the Marathas have won the Battle of
Panipat.

Long Answers Type Questions

Q.1. How did Rajendra Deshparde apply his theory of Catastrophic experience
regarding the Battle of Panipat?
Ans. Gangadherpant narrated to Rajendra his experience at the Azad Maidan meeting. For
two days he was in coma. He had met with an accident. He asked Rajendra Prasad
to explain where he had spent those days.
He admitted that he had been thinking of the catastrophic theory before the collision
and how it could charge the history course. He produced a page from the Bakhar to

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 prove that his mind was working normally. The page described that Vishwasrao had
not escaped the bullet, rather he had been killed. If was just contrary to what his own
history book said. And he wanted to known the facts.
Q.2. How did Rajendera explain the concept of reality with the example of
movement of an electron?
Ans. Rajandra Deshpande tried to rationalise the professor's experience on the basis of
two scientific theories. Gangedharpant had passed through a strange catastrophic
experience. The juncture at which Vishwasrao was killed in the Battle proved to be
turning point. The Marathas lost heir morale and lost the battle.
Rajendra then moved to his second explanation. Reality is not exactly what we
experience directly with our senses. It can have other manifestations also e.g., the
electron does n't follow the laws of science. It is called lack of determinism in quantum
theory. It can be found in different places & each is real. It happens by transition.
Professor also experienced two world one that was present, in other that might have
been.

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 Chapter - 8
Silk Road
By Nick Middleton

The lesson ‘Silk Road’ is an extract form the author’s travelogue. Here the author describes
only a small part of his journey form Ravu, a small montain village to Darchen which is at the
foot of Mt. Kailash.
Jouney towards Mount Kailash
• Lahmo gives a farewell present to author, a long sleeved sheep skin coat. Worn by
men.
• The author left Ravu in the company of Daniel and Tsetan. Tsetan knew a short-cut.
He said the journey would be smooth if there was no snow.
• From the gently rolling hills of Ravu they took a short through vast open plains.On the
way they saw a few gazelles and a herd of wild asses.
• Again passing by the hills they could see the lonely drokbas tending their flocks.
• Men and women would pause and stare at their car, occasionally waving as they passed
by.
The Tibetan Mastiff:
• As they passed the nomad's tents there were the Tibetan mastiffs. They would explode
into action as they neared the tents.
• They barked furiously and were completely fearless.
• They would chase the car for some distance and would then go back
• When they were at 5210 meters above the sea level, the road became bumpier.
• The icy top layer of the snow was very dangerous; the car could slip off the road. The
snow continued blocking their way.
• As they reached 5515 meters above the sea level, the atmospheric pressure became
very low and Tsetan opened the lid of the petrol tank to release the evaporated fuel.
The author experienced severe headache.
The town of Hor:
• By late afternoon, they had reached the small town of Hor situated on shores of lake
Mansarovar.
• Mansarovar a source of four main Indian rivers the Indus, the Ganges, the Sutlej and
the Brahamputra.

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• Hor was grim, miserable place. There was no vegetation, just dust and rocks.
• Unlike the past, the place no longer appeared holy.
Reaching Darchen:
• By 10.30 p.m., they reached a guesthouse in Darchen.
• The author had a very troubled night. His sinus were blocked and he was not able to
get enough oxygen and found it difficult to sleep.
• Next day Tsetan took him to the Darchen Medical College.
• Doctor told him it was just cold and the altitude giving him troubles. He gave him some
medicine and that night he was able to sleep well.
• Tsetan left the author in Darchen and went away.
Dry Darchen:
• Like Hor, Darchen was dusty and heaps of refuse could be seen all around.
• There were not many shops in Darchen. The town appeared to be sparsely populated.
• He felt lonely, as they were no pilgrims. He had reached there very early in the season.
Meeting Norbu:
• Author wanted to reach Mount Kailash to do kora. But he didn't want to do it alone.
• He was looking for someone who could speak or understand English. One day he was
sitting in a cafe. When Norbu saw him reading an English book he came and introduced
himself to the author.
• He was a Tibetan but worked in Beijing at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
• He too was there to do kora. But he was not a religious person. Both of them decided
to climb Mount Kailash.
• Norbu turned out to be the ideal companion for author.

Short Answers Type Questions

1. Why were Tibetan mastiffs popular in China’s imperial courts?.
2. Why had Hor been described as a miserable place by the narrator?
3. Who was Norbu? How did Narrator feel on meeting him?
4. How did cold and altitude affect the narrator?
5. Why was the narrator’s experience at Darchen disappointing?
6. Justify the title of the Lesson “Silk Road” ?

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7. What was the purpose of author’s journey to Mount Kailash? How did Tsetan help
him during the journery?
8. Compare the narrator’s experience at Hor to the earlier accounts of the place given
by travellers?
9. Describe the difficulties faced by the narrator during his journey to Mount Kailash?

Q.1. Who was Lhamo? What farewell gift did she give to author?
Ans. Lhamo was a Tibetan women who had set up a tent fore pilgrims near Raru. She was
honest and helpful. She offered a long sleeved sheep skin coat as a farewell gift.

Q.2. Who did the party come across after leaving Raru?
Ans. From the gently rolling hills of Raru, the author's car came to vast open plains. They
saw a few antelopes grazing and further on, they saw a heard of wild ass raising a
pall of dust. As the car approached them, they galloped away.
Q.3. What does the author tell you about Tibetan mastiffs?
Ans. The Tibetan mastiffs were huge block dogs with rough hair. They were very ferocious.
They barked furiously and appeared fearlessly in front of the vehicle for there very
qualities they became popular in China's imperial courts as hunting dogs.
Q.4. What impression did the two towns Hor and Darchen leave on the author's
mind?
Ans. Hor was a small town, close to Mansarovar lake. It was a miserable place, with no
greenery. The author found the place in contrast to the accounts he had read about
lake Mahasrovar. He drank some herbal tea in the cafe there.
The author's next half was at Darchen. It was also a dusty place with heaps of rubble
and litter lying here and there. His cold had become worse and he could not breathe.
He stayed awake all right. The town had a couple of general stores which sold
Chinese goods.
Q.5. Who was Norbu? How did the other strike friendship with Norbu?
Ans. Norbu was a Tibetan scholar who used to write articles about holy lake. He was
working at an academy in Beijing. It was his first to the place. He knew a bit of
English. This brought him closer to author. He was n't practising Buddhist. He suggested
that they should hire some yaks to carry their luggage and start their journey. He
turned out to be an ideal companion.

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Long Answers Type Questions
Q.1. What difficulties did the author encounter and overcome when he set out to
reach Mount Kailash?
Ans. The author set out from Ravu to complete the Kora. to the destination "Mount Kailash,
"beyond Mansarovar lake he had to face many difficulties. Rocks, snow and height
problems made the journey risky.
On the way, they came across several mountaineous animals. He saw nomad’s tents
with huge Tibetan dogs guarding them. The author had his first physical problem
when he felt the pressure mounting up in his ears. When Tsetan saw snow lying
across the tracks, he sprayed dirt on the frozen surface to make it rough and safe.
By afternoon they reached the small town of Hor. It was dusty, dry and rocky At
Darchen he had cold and mountain sickness. He took some medicine from Tibetan
doctor. The next day he met Norbu, who could speak English. Both decided to continue
their "Kora" together.

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 SNAPSHOT — (Supplementary Reader)

1. The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse

By William Saroyan
Main Points:
• This is a story of two tribal Armenian boys who belonged to the Garoghlanian tribe.
• Their tribe lives in extreme poverty yet, nothing could match their honesty.
• They never did anything wrong and never lied or never even stole anything.
• The story talks about an incident that revolves around two cousins Aram who is nine
years old and Mourad who is thirteen.
• Mourad was considered to be crazy by everybody he knew. He was considered the
natural descendent of his uncle Khusrove, an enormous man with a roaring voice.
• The story opens with Mourad coming to Aram's house at four in the morning . He
tapped on the window to Aram's room. When Aram looked out of the window, he was
taken aback and startled to see Mourad riding a beautiful white horse.
• This was too unbelievable because Aram knew that they were too poor to be able to
afford to buy a horse.
• The only way Mourad could possess it could be by stealing. They were too honest to lie
and yet too crazy to ride a horse.
• Thus, they decided to keep the horse for two weeks to enjoy its ride in cool air. They
justified their action by saying that stealing a horse for money was not the same as
stealing it for riding.
• They hid it from the rest of the world by keeping it in a barn of the deserted vineyard.
• One day while returning from horse riding they came across John Byro, a farmer who
was the owner of that horse.
• John Byro was sure that it was his horse, yet, he did not suspect the boys
• He even counted the horse's teeth and was just amazed at the resemblance and said: "I
would swear it is my horse if I did not know your parents."
• This moving experience led the boys towards John's vineyard the very next morning.
They left the horse in the barn after patting it affectionately.
• Later that day, John seemed to be very pleased and shared the news of the return of his
horse with Aram's mother.
• The story teaches us the importance and necessity of honesty even in the face of greed
and passion.

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• Mourad has been described in the story as a kind-hearted animal lover. He has a way
with animals.
• He loves the horse and shows his affection by whispering to it. He is able to tame the
horse quite easily and rides it well.
• At another point he is shown trying to mend the broken wings of a bird and talking
softly to it.

A. Short Answer Type Questions (30 to 40 words)

Q.1. Why was Aram surprised when he saw Maraud in the Morning?
Ans. Aram was surprised to see Maraud because he had come so early in the morning that
too with a beautiful white horse. He could not believe that a boy of his tribe could buy
or steal a horse.
Q.2. Who was uncle Khosrove? Why was he considered the craziest member of
his tribe?
Ans. Uncle Khosrone was a relative of Aram who was an enormous man. He was short
tempered and impatient by nature. His standard response to all the problems was. “It
is no harm : pay no attention to it”.
Q.3. Why was John Byro Sad?
Ans. John Byro was sad because his horse was stolen and now he had to go on foot for
long distance as him surrey was useless without a horse.
Q.4. Why did Mourad return the horse?
Ans. Mourad belonged to a tribe which was known for its honesty. He could not tolerate
John Byro's expressions when he seemed to have recognised the horse. It was no
more charming and challenging task for him to keep the horse after this incident.
Q.5. Why did John Byro not accused mourad of stealing the horse, though he
recognise his horse?
Ans. Though John Byro could recognise the horse, he did not blame Mourad of stealing
because he knew his parent well. He knew that Mourad's family and tribe was famous
for honesty.
1. Why Mourad came so early in the morning?
2. Aram could not believe his eyes when he looked out of the window. Comment
3. How did Aram and Mourad feel during the ride on the beautiful white horse?

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4. How did the boys justify their act of stealing?
5. Which place was used by the boys for hiding the horse? Why?
6. Who was John Byro? What was his reaction on seeing the two boys with the white
horse?
7. Why did the narrator and his cousin return the horse?
8. How did Aram conclude that Mourad had stolen the horse?
9. What consideration(s) did the boys have in making a choice of the place to hide the
stolen horse?
10. What happened during the narrator’s solo ride?
11. Were the boys able to prove the hallmarks of their tribe? Why/Why not?

B. Long Answer Type Questions (120 words)

1. Fear or / and Conscience - what worked behind the boys’ decision of returning the
stolen horse?
2. Mourad was considered the natural descendant of Uncle Khosrove. What traits had
he inherited from his uncle?
3. Describe in detail the first ride Aram and Mourad enjoyed together on the summer
morning.
4. Trust and honesty were the hallmarks of the tribe the two boys belonged to. Illustrate
with examples from the text.
5. Do you think the boys were right in returning the horse? Give reasons.
6. Why do people have to tell lies sometimes? Do you think telling lies sometimes can be
justified? Why? Why not?

2. The Address
By Marga Minco
MAIN POINTS:
· Marga Minco is the narrator. She was a girl of fifteen or seve-:een. Her family was
Jewish and Hitler was planning to kill all the Jews in Germany, Holland, Austria, etc..
· The war led to exodus of Jewish families towards safer places. They were forced to
abandon their homes and belongings.
· This short story is a touching account of a daughter who goes ir search of her mothers's
belongings after the War, in Holland.

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· When she finds them, the objects evoke memories of her old life However she decides
to leave them all behind and resolves to move on
· A lady named Dorling comes to Mrs. S's house to give pre-war info to Mrs. S.
· The narrator happens to meet Mrs. Dorling on one of her visits to her house and
remembers her taking away a suitcase full of their belongings.
· Mrs. S tells her daughter that Mrs. Dorling has good intentions of keeping their belongings
safe during the war time. She has offered to help the narrator's family by carrying their
house hold utensils, furniture and all the other valuables.
· When the war was over and the Jews were feeling safe in these countries, Marga (the
narrator) returned to her house (which was no more!) and lived in a small hut. She has
lost her mother and misses her dearly.
· One day, Marga thinks of the woman (Mrs. Dorling) who had taken all her possessions.
She recalls her address - 46, Marconi Street and goes to the address by train.
· Mrs. Dorling opens the door and is surprised to see the narrator. When the narrator
introduces herself she refuses to recognize her. Perhaps Mrs. Dorling was not expecting
that she would ever return after the war.
· On the other hand, the narrator recognizes the woolen cardigan which Mrs. Dorling
was wearing as it belonged to her mother.
· Marga was terribly pinched, hurt, disappointed and betrayed by the behavior of Mrs.
Dorling. Anyhow, the first visit ends on a sad note.
· She grew impatient after a while and decided to visit Mrs. Dorling once again.
· When she rang the bell at house number 46, Mrs. Dorling's daughte- meets the narrator
and offers her a cup of tea. Marga goes inside.
· She recognizes many articles that once belonged to her mother but were now being
used in a distasteful manner by the Dorling family.
· Marga is hurt and disgusted at the shrewdness of Mrs. Dorling. She loses the desire of
taking back her mother's belongings as they evoke sad memories of the war and painful
loss of the mother in her heart.
· She resolves to forget the address and move on in life.

A Short Answer Type Questions (30 to 40 words)

Q.1. Why did the narrator go to Mrs. Dorling's house?
Ans. The narrator went to Mrs. Dorling's house to collect her valuable belongings which
her mother had given to her during war time. She wanted to renew her past memories.

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Q.2. Why was the narrator confident that she had reached the correct address?
Ans. The narrator remembered the house No. 46. She recognised her sweater with its
buttons. On seeing her cardigan with Mrs. Dorling, she was confident that she had
reached the correct address.
Q.3. How did Mrs. Dorling's daughter treat the narrator?
Ans. Unlike Mrs. Dorling, the daughter invited the narrator inside her house. She offered
her a cup of tea.
Q.4. Why did the narrator decide not to collect her belongings?
Ans. The narrator was disappointed after recognising her belongings in a stance and dirty
environment. She didn't feel comfortable on seeing all those valuable articles in Mrs.
Dorling's house.
Q.5. Why did the narrator's mother ask her to remember the address by heart?
Ans. The narrator's mother asked her to remember the address by heart because she gave
a number of household valuable articles to Mrs. Dorling during the war time. She
thought that her daughter would collect all that after the war was over.
1. Why was Mrs. Dorling surprised to recognise the author?
2. What helped the author to recognise Mrs. Dorling during her first visit?
3. Why did the author feel upset on her first visit to Mrs. Dorling’s house?
4. How did the author feel towards the ‘stored stuff at Mrs. Dorling’s house? Why did
she feel so?
5. What type of a girl was the author? How did you form this opinion? [Hint:- Possessive.]
6. Describe the author’s meeting with Mrs. Dorling’s daughter?
7. What type of traumas do wars cause?
8. What was the girl thinking when she was travelling home by train?
9. Why did she resolve to forget the address?
10. ‘I resolved to forget the address. Of all the things I had to forget, that would be the
easiest.’ Comment.
11. Which address had the narrator remembered for years? Why?
12. Why did the narrator desire to see the ‘stored stuff” after so long?
13. What do you gather about the character of Mrs. Dorling in the story?
14. Describe the incident of Mrs. Dorling’s daughter opening the box of cutlery.

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