question_answer 3)

Briefly explain the following statements from the text.  1. "You neither travelled to the past nor the future. You were in the present experiencing a different world."   2. You have passed through a fantastic experience: or more correctly, a catastrophic experience."   3. "Gangadhar Pant could not help comparing the country he knew with what he was witnessing around him."   4)The lack of determinism in quantum theory.    5. You need some interaction to cause a transition.  

Answer:

1) "You neither travelled to the past nor the future. You were in the present experiencing a different world." These lines were spoken by Rajendra Deshpande when he was trying to give an explanation for Professor Gaitonde's strange experience. When professor met with an accident, he was thinking about the Battle of Panipat and its consequences. His mind travelled between the history we know and what could have been. By making a transition, professor was able to experience two worlds, although one at a time. By the same theory there must be many more different worlds arising out of bifurcations at different points of time.   2) You have passed through a fantastic experience: or more correctly, a catastrophic experience." Rajendra Deshpande told Professor Gaitonde that he passed through a very fantastic experience. He explained that we lived in a unique world, which had a unique history. The idea 'it might have been' was fine for speculation but not for reality. Due to the accident, Gangadhar Pant's mind jumped on to another world, which could have been. In that world, history took a different turn as Marathas won the Battle of Panipat. Rajenera explained this through catastrophic theory, according to which reality has many manifestations.   3) "Gangadhar Pant could not help comparing the country he knew with what he was witnessing around him." In his extraordinary experience, Gangadhar Pant witnessed two different manifestations of the same reality, although one at a time. The India he knew was described in the history books on the basis of the Battle of Panipat of 1761 , where Marathas were defeated. The other India that he saw was the result of the victory of Marathas in the battle. In this version, he saw India as a self-reliant ant and prosperous country.    4)The lack of determinism in quantum theory.  If a bullet is fired from a gun in a given direction at a given speed, one will know where it will be later, but such an assertion cannot be made for an electron. When an electron is fired from a source, it may be here, there, anywhere. This is lack of determinism in quantum theory. This theory asserts that reality is never one-sided. Alternative worlds may exist at the same time.    5) You need some interaction to cause a transition. Professor Gaintonde made a transition, which according to Rajendra Deshpande, had happened because of the interaction happening in the professor's mind at the time of collision. When the collision took place, professor was thinking about catastrophe theory and its role in wars. May be, he was wondering about the Battle of Panipat and its consequences. The interaction in his brain acted as a trigger to cause a transition.