Working through Class 7 English Notes Chapter 10 The Tunnel Summary in English simplifies the understanding of long chapters.
Class 7 English The Tunnel Summary
The Tunnel Summary in English
‘Tunnel’ is a short story written by Ruskin Bond. Tranquility in nature and duty are two major themes nicely conveyed through this story. Suraj wants to see the train passing through the tunnel. Thus, he comes to a small village and from there he walks up to a hill mound where the train passes through a tunnel.
He stands at the exit of the tunnel and when the train enters the tunnel, passes through and fades away in the distance. When the train passes through the jungle, the trees tremble in the steam it throws out and the railway tracks lay shivering for some time. Everything seems fascinating for Suraj.
Suraj walks through the tunnel. At the entry there is a hut in which lives Sunder Singh who is the tunnel watchman. His duty is to check the tunnel before a train passes through it. He does this job twice a day, one for the day train and the other for the night train that crosses the tunnel at nine. Sunder tells Suraj that jungles are peaceful and safer than cities.
He was almost run over by a bus when he went to the city last month. Suraj sees that there are no people and houses around his hut. Suraj asks him if he didn’t feel afraid of darkness and wild animals. The watchman tells him that there lives a leopard around the hut which likes to pray on goats and dogs, but not on humans. Moreover, they both see each other quite often.
Next evening towards the dusk, Suraj comes to the watchman. Just before the night train, they both hear the sound made by the leopard. They have to run the leopard away to save its life. At first, Sundar didn’t want to take Suraj with him inside the tunnel. Ultimately, both go inside the tunnel. Sundar takes an oil lamp and an axe just in case the leopard makes mind to attack them.
When they shout inside the tunnel, their voice echoes in the tunnel as of hundreds of humans are there and shouting. Fortunately, the light from the lamp fell upon the leopard and it drift away into the darkness of the forest. And the train makes a safe and smooth pass through the tunnel.
A week later Suraj is traveling to Delhi with his father by the night mail. When the train approached the tunnel, he tries to make out Sundar Singh, his lantern and his hut. Good luck, he sees the lamp hanging outside the hut. It means that he has done his duty of checking the tunnel and now he has retired for the rest. Suraj feels gratitude for the watchman as he strictly follows his duty for the sake of others. His life is dedicated to the safety of thousands of people who make their journey through this train.
The Tunnel Word Meanings
- shimmered : shined with a light that appears to move
- railway embankment : a stone wall made to carry the railway over low ground
- cutting : a narrow valley cut through a hill to make space for a railway line
- scrub : covered : covered with short trees and bushes
- instinctively : without thought or plan
- flinch : make a quick movement
- plume of smoke : long, thin cloud of smoke
- shisham : a tree found in northern parts of India
- contemplation : deep thought
- reassure : comfort, calm
- scuttled : ran hurriedly, dazzledblinded by bright light
- swishing : moving with a brushing sound
- obstacles : things that block the way
- porcupine : a small animal (large rodent) with sharp spikes on its back
- range : area
- night mail : a train that runs at night
- swooped : moved quickly through the air downwards
- seven sisters : birds, also called jungle babblers and found in groups of six to eight
- quaint : unusual
- nightjar : a nocturnal bird with a short bill
- flexing : bending
- trimming : (here) adjusting the wick of the lamp
- lithe : thin, graceful
- sinewy : lean and muscular
- snarling : growling
- twitching : a short, sudden movement
- defying : opposing
- flickering:burning unsteadily
- fringe : edge
- shrill : sharp sound