NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Prose Chapter 7:The Adventure

"The Adventure" is a fictional story written by Jayant Narlikar. The story narrates the mysterious 'adventure' of the protagonist, Professor Gangadharpant Gaitonde, who teaches history. The story is narrated from the third-person perspective.

Professor Gaitonde was riding the Jijamata Express, travelling from Pune to Bombay. On his journey, he meets "Khan Sahib", who tells him about his business. When the train reached the Victoria Terminus, Professor Gaitonde was greeted with a strange view. The professor witnessed that the station staff resembled Anglo-Indians and Parsees, and some officers were dressed in British uniforms. According to the knowledge of Professor Gaitonde, the East India Company rule had ended in India. However, the building facing the station indicated much to his surprise that it was the "EAST INDIA HOUSE HEADQUARTERS OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY.," Shocked by this discovery, he walked along Hornby Road to confirm more facts.

The street's sight was contrary to what Professor Gaitonde knew or heard about, and it resembled a "typical high street of a town in England." He then goes on to visit the Town Hall to check books related to history. He reads three books spanning from the time of Asoka to the third battle of Panipat. From the books, Professor Gaitonde discovered that Marathas won the battle of Panipat contrary to what he had known before this. Even though the facts were different from what he knew, he decided that he liked this history more, so he borrowed the books to read them for a while longer. After having dinner, Professor Gaitonde decided to walk towards Azad Maidan. He noticed a crowd surrounding a pandal; on the pandal, the president's chair was empty. Seeing the chair, Professor Gaitonde felt a compulsion to climb on the pandal and sit on the chair. On doing so, he was pushed off by the crowd, and he abruptly found himself in a hospital. He narrated his entire 'adventure' to his friend Rajendra. Rajendra explains to him that this adventure can be described as a real-life experience in an alternative reality.