KSEEB Class 10 · English (1st language) · KTBS Revised 2024-25
The Eyes Are Not Here
Chapter summary, hard words and model exam answers for Karnataka Board Class 10 English.
Free online summary and notes (Karnataka Board Class 10 English). Read it here, no PDF download needed.
About the author
Ruskin Bond (born 1934), Indian author of British descent known for Dehradun stories. "The Eyes Are Not Here" (also known as "The Eyes Have It") uses a blind narrator on a train journey with gentle irony.
Summary
A blind man boards a train, noting sounds and smells. He jokes that people with eyes often do not see what matters.
A blind man boards a train, noting sounds and smells. He jokes that people with eyes often do not see what matters.
A girl sits beside him. He hears her voice, guesses her hair and face from talk, and enjoys her company without revealing his blindness at first.
A girl sits beside him. He hears her voice, guesses her hair and face from talk, and enjoys her company without revealing his blindness at first.
They discuss beauty of Mukteshwar hills and whether sighted people miss views. He speaks as if he sees, gently ironic.
They discuss beauty of Mukteshwar hills and whether sighted people miss views. He speaks as if he sees, gently ironic.
She leaves at Saharanpur. A new passenger says the girl was completely blind - and thought the narrator could see.
She leaves at Saharanpur. A new passenger says the girl was completely blind - and thought the narrator could see.
Both hid their blindness; a possible bond passes unrealised.
Both hid their blindness; a possible bond passes unrealised.
Bond shows how people assume sight equals perception and how loneliness travels even in company.
Bond shows how people assume sight equals perception and how loneliness travels even in company.
Hard words & meanings
| irony | situation where meaning contradicts surface appearance |
| blind | unable to see; also figuratively, failing to notice |
| perception | way of becoming aware through senses or mind |
| compartment | separate seating section in a train carriage |
| romantic | here, tenderly imaginative affection |
| deceive | cause to believe what is not true - often unintentionally here |
| loneliness | sadness from being without companionship |
| sensory | relating to hearing, smell, touch rather than sight |
Model exam answers, grammar & audio
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