“The Eyes Are Not Here” is a short story written by Ruskin Bond. The story revolves around the lives of two blind men who travel together in the same train compartment. They meet on the train, but are unaware of each other’s blindness. The boy and girl talk to each other until they reach their station, but neither lets the other know that they are blind.
The Eyes are Not Here By Ruskin Bond
Summary of The Eyes are Not Here By Ruskin Bond
Ruskin Bond’s “The Eyes Are Not Here” begins in the train compartment where our narrator is sitting. The train stops at Rohana station, where a girl boards the train and sits in the seat in front of him. The narrator is blind, but he has a much better sense of sight and perception than most people. The narrator immediately realizes that a girl is sitting in front of his seat, and that her parents have come to see her off.
The girl’s parents are worried because she will be traveling alone, so they advise her to take care of her luggage and stay away from strangers. Afterward, the parents say goodbye to their daughter and head home. The narrator says, “I’m blind, so I don’t know what this girl looks like, but I do know one thing: she’s wearing slippers.” When the girl was boarding the train, he guessed it by the sound of the slippers.
The narrator loves the girl’s voice, and he also likes the sound of her slippers. The narrator asks the girl, “Are you going to Dehradun?” The girl is startled by the narrator’s voice. The narrator thought he was sitting in a dark place, so she didn’t see him.
The girl says to the narrator, “I thought I was the only one sitting in this compartment.” The narrator tells the girl, “People with good eyesight don’t notice their surroundings, but people with poor eyesight focus on everything around them. I didn’t see you, but I heard your voice when you came on the train.”
The narrator doesn’t want to tell the girl that he is blind; he wants to show her that he has normal eyesight. The girl tells the narrator that she is going to Saharanpur, where her aunt will pick her up. Later, the girl asks the narrator, “Where is he going?” The narrator replies that he is going to Dehra, and after Dehra, he will go to Mussoorie.
The girl says, “Wow! Are you going to Mussoorie?” I love Mussoorie. I wish I could go too. I love the mountains of Mussoorie, especially in October. The narrator, reminiscing, says, “Yes, October is the best month to visit Mussoorie because every mountain is covered in dahlias.”
Afterward, the girl doesn’t respond and remains silent. The narrator wonders if he said something wrong to her, or if she thinks he’s romantic. The narrator asks the girl about the view outside, and the girl replies, “Can’t you see it yourself?” The girl’s response reveals to the narrator that she isn’t yet aware of his blindness. “She doesn’t know I’m blind.” The narrator turns his head toward the window and pretends to look at the view outside.
The narrator says to the girl, “Have you noticed that we’re both sitting in one place, and the trees are shaking? It feels like they’re moving.” The girl replies that this happens all the time, and there’s nothing new. “Are you seeing any animals outside the window?”
The narrator confidently tells the girl that he doesn’t see any animals. He denies this because he knows there are no animals left in the forest around Dehra. Afterward, the narrator turns his head, and the two remain silent for a while.
After a while, the narrator tells the girl that she has a very interesting face. The girl laughs because she’s tired of hearing compliments about her beautiful face. But for the first time, someone is telling her that her face is interesting.
The narrator thinks to himself about the girl’s beauty. Later, he tells the girl that an interesting face can also be a beautiful face. The girl tells him that he is a courageous and brave person. But why are you so serious? The narrator smiles and decides to talk to the girl.
The narrator tells the girl that her station will arrive shortly, to which the girl replies, “Thank God!”, because she can’t spend much time on the train. On the other hand, the narrator doesn’t want the girl to get off the train because he’s willing to spend years on the train with her. If he could hear her voice, he could spend years on the train.
The narrator thinks that as soon as the girl gets off the train, she will forget their conversation. But he will remember their conversation for years. He will not forget his experience with the girl and will never forget her voice.
The narrator thinks that as soon as the girl gets off the train, she will forget their conversation. But he will remember their conversation for years. He will not forget his experience with the girl and will never forget her voice.
Meanwhile, the engine whistle blows, the train changes tracks, and the girl begins packing her things. The narrator begins to wonder about the girl’s hair, whether it’s tied or loose. It could be that her hair is loose and falling over her shoulders, or perhaps she’s short.
The train arrives at the station, and the girl says goodbye to the narrator. The girl was standing near the narrator, and the narrator can smell the scent of her hair. The narrator wants to touch her hair, but by then the girl has left.
A new man arrives on the train and sits across from the narrator. He tells the narrator that he must be very sad now because a beautiful girl was sitting across from his seat. “You were enjoying the company of the beautiful girl before me.” The narrator replies, “Yes, she was an interesting girl.” He asks him about the girl’s hair.
The man replies, “He doesn’t know because he forgot, but her eyes were very beautiful.” The man tells the narrator, “Her eyes were very beautiful, but useless because she was completely blind.” Didn’t you notice that? The story ends with a conversation between the narrator and the man who sits down in the seat where the girl had been sitting.