English Class 9 — Kaveri
🏠 Home Log in
TOPIC 19 OF 24

Carrier of Words — Khetaram, Gramin Dak Sewak

🎓 Class 9 English CBSE Theory Ch 7 — Carrier of Words ⏱ ~35 min
🌐 Language: [gtranslate]

This MCQ module is based on: Carrier of Words — Khetaram, Gramin Dak Sewak

This assessment will be based on: Carrier of Words — Khetaram, Gramin Dak Sewak

Upload images, PDFs, or Word documents to include their content in assessment generation.

Before You Read

Unit 7 — Carrier of Words | Class 9 English Kaveri

Anticipation Guide

Imagine people in khaki uniforms walking long distances with heavy bags. Which profession do they belong to? What difficulties might they face daily?

They are postmen / postal workers. They face extreme weather, long distances on foot, heavy mailbags (up to 28 kg), lack of water and shade, sandstorms, and no roads in remote areas.
Discussion Prompt

How can "words" be "carried"? Who could be a carrier of words — in the past and in today's digital world?

Words can be carried through letters, postcards, telegrams, and today via email or text message. In the past, runners, horsemen, and postmen carried words physically. In areas beyond phone and internet coverage, the postman is still the only carrier of words.
Vocabulary Warm-Up

Place these words in context: slumped, dunes, defying, hamlets, signals, devoid

1. signals (body signals of heat) — 2. dunes (sand dunes) — 3. hamlets (small settlements) — 4. defying (resisting the heat) — 5. slumped (drooping shoulder) — 6. devoid (without network coverage)
Prediction Question

The story is set near the Indo-Pakistan border in the Thar Desert. What challenges do you predict the central character will face?

Possible predictions: extreme heat (50°C+), sandstorms, no roads or vehicles, heavy mail loads, lack of water, vast distances, and the emotional weight of delivering both joyful and sorrowful news to isolated communities.
Reading for Meaning — Section I

Carrier of Words

1 In today's world, sending a message takes only a fraction of a second — yet imagine a time before the internet reshaped communication entirely. A letter was placed in a post box, collected by the postal system, and finally delivered by a postman to a letter box. In India's farthest corners — past the last railhead, past the point where roads dissolve into sand — Gramin Dak Sewaks remain the sole thread connecting scattered islands of humanity to their distant families. Metaphor
2 Khetaram is one such person. His left shoulder has permanently slumped from fifteen years of shouldering a heavy mailbag. He is the only postman at the Somarad Branch Post Office. For a decade and a half, he has been a trusted messenger between this Rajasthani village post office and the wider world. Defying every ferocity of the Thar — India's harshest desert — he is the lone face of the state reaching the far-flung hamlets, or dhaanis, of this remote terrain, just two and a half kilometres from the Indo-Pakistan border.
3 His delivery route begins about 120 km beyond Barmer, the last point served by rail. It continues 50 km beyond the final telephone line, and then 10 km past where the Barmer–Chohtan road loses itself in sand so loose that even bicycles cannot move through it. Imagery It is here that Khetaram's footprints trace the sandy beds and dunes. Mail transferred from a train to a bus, and then hoisted onto his shoulders, must reach the border within 24 hours of leaving Jodhpur — approximately 330 km away. Only his bodily effort makes this possible.
4 The depth of his footprints often betrays the weight of his load. Regulations stipulate that his bag must not exceed 28 kilograms. Yet even this limit, in the summer heat, is crushing. "Even a single delivery is exhausting — I have to cover twenty kilometres for it," he says. He continues delivering on days when his body sends blazing signals that the temperature has crossed 50 degrees Celsius — though the official register records 49.9, since 50 degrees would trigger a government holiday. On days of intense heat, he postpones deliveries until after sunset. Irony
5 On other days, his khaki turban and uniform are his only defence against the desert's rage — scorching summer winds and swirling sandstorms that turn him into a walking figure made of sand. Alliteration Imagery "Water is too precious to waste on washing, so I can only wipe myself. By evening, there is a small sand dune at my feet," he says. Hyperbole

✍ Check Your Understanding — Section I

Q1. Where is Khetaram's post office located, and how far is it from the border?
Khetaram serves the Somarad Branch Post Office in the Thar Desert region of Rajasthan. His delivery area extends to hamlets just 2.5 km from the Indo-Pakistan border.
Q2. What does the impression of Khetaram's footprints in the sand reveal about his work?
The depth and heaviness of his footprints reveals the weight of his mailbag — up to 28 kilograms — which he carries on foot through soft, shifting desert sand for up to 20 km in a single delivery.
Reading for Meaning — Section II
6 Until 2001, people like Khetaram were simply called "delivery agents," operating in villages that lacked schools and primary healthcare. Since then, India's three lakh-plus delivery agents gained official recognition as Gramin Dak Sewaks (GDS), now making up more than 50 per cent of the country's total postal workforce. Symbolism
7 The GDS network spreads from Ladakh's frozen highlands to the coral islands of Lakshadweep and the riverine communities of the northeast — all regions inaccessible by any means other than foot. "The contribution of GDS is priceless, since they serve areas that no other mode of transport can reach," explains the Postmaster-General of Rajasthan Western Region.
8 Unlike the British colonial postal system — set up to carry official correspondence between administrative centres — post-independence India Post adopted a democratic mandate: to bring every citizen within reach of postal services. From 25,000 post offices in 1947, the network has grown to over one and a half lakh today. Through the GDS, India Post has extended savings accounts to rural depositors, reflecting the deep public faith in the postal institution. Irony
9 The criteria for selecting a GDS require that the candidate already has another means of income. GDS work only five hours a day and may serve beyond 60, up to age 65. Khetaram's appointment over fifteen years ago offered him a lifeline: "Famine is a fact of life here. In a good year I harvest one crop of bajra. That is not enough for my family of five. Without this job, we would have starved," he says. And for every family in this arid land, remitted money orders from a relative represent survival itself.
10 Mulk Raj Anand, in Story of the Indian Post Office, wrote: "In no other country is a person in remote villages so dependent on the post office for the transmission of small sums of money… It reflects the absolute confidence which most Indians place in the post office." When a proposal arose to replace the GDS with village record-keepers, it was promptly rejected. "We knew they could not do this job," said Budh Singh, a village elder.
11 This deep trust makes Khetaram a warmly received figure everywhere. He may pause at any threshold, read letters aloud in his slightly unsteady handwriting, and compose replies for those who cannot write themselves. "People are kind to me; the BSF always gives me a lift. When I deliver their post, they give me a cup of tea." In the village, a piece of jaggery is offered whenever he arrives with news of a birth or a wedding — simple joy from a simple life.
12 There is one delivery he dreads above all. An envelope with its right corner torn off — a missive that carries news of death. "Ashubh Samachar cannot be brought into a home," says Khetaram. So he stands at the entrance, reads the letter twice, then shreds it to pieces. "Bad news must be destroyed," he says thoughtfully. Symbolism
13 Today, after more than fifteen years of carrying words across this desolate landscape, Khetaram says his spine remains strong. "I am grateful to still serve as a GDS even after sixty." He looks forward to telephone lines arriving — now only fifty kilometres away — when he may become a Gramin Sanchar Sewak, carrying both a mobile phone and the post from home to home. "Main tayyar hoon — I am ready," he says, and strides off with his sack to deliver the day's letters before nightfall. People like Khetaram form the warp and weft of our social fabric. Our salute to them all.

✍ Check Your Understanding — Section II

Q1. Why was a piece of jaggery given to Khetaram in the village when he brought good news?
In the impoverished desert community, jaggery is the only sweet available and is a token of heartfelt joy. When Khetaram brought news of a birth or wedding, offering jaggery was the villagers' warmest expression of celebration and gratitude.
Q2. What is Khetaram's philosophy about bad news, and how does he act on it?
Khetaram believes that bad news should not enter a home — it must be shared but then eliminated. He stands at the doorstep, reads the death letter aloud twice for the family, and then tears it to pieces. He feels that the physical record of grief should be destroyed to prevent it from lingering as a constant reminder of sorrow.

Theme Web — Carrier of Words

Click a node to see evidence from the text.

Carrier of Words Duty & Dedication Social Trust Survival & Livelihood Remote Connectivity Human Cost of Service
Duty & Dedication: Khetaram delivers mail even when the temperature exceeds 50°C and sandstorms rage. He covers 20 km on foot for a single delivery, defying every physical hardship without complaint.
Social Trust: Villagers allow Khetaram to cross their thresholds, read private letters, and write replies — an extraordinary level of personal trust placed in a state employee. The community also rejected the proposal to replace GDS with patwaris.
Survival & Livelihood: Khetaram's GDS salary fills the gap left by a single bajra crop that cannot feed five people. For border families, money orders that he delivers are the only economic lifeline.
Remote Connectivity: Beyond the last rail, road, and phone line, GDS are the sole link to the outside world. India Post grew from 25,000 post offices in 1947 to over 1.5 lakh today — the world's largest postal network.
Human Cost of Service: Khetaram's permanently slumped shoulder, 28-kg load, 20 km daily walks, the evening sand dune at his feet — these details symbolise the invisible physical price paid by those who keep remote India connected.

Word Power — Key Vocabulary

sole
adjective
Only; the one and only
"He is the sole postman of Somarad Branch Post Office."
defying
verb (present participle)
Resisting or going against a force openly
"Defying all elements of the Thar, he reaches the hamlets."
stipulate
verb
To specify clearly as a requirement
"Regulations stipulate that his load cannot exceed 28 kilos."
inaccessible
adjective
Unable to be reached; unreachable
"GDS serve areas often inaccessible by any means besides foot."
ambit
noun
The scope or range of something's reach
"India Post's mandate was to bring everyone within its mailing ambit."
remitted
verb (past participle)
Sent (money) from a distance to someone
"Survival depends on money orders remitted by a relative."
threshold
noun
The entrance to a house; a symbolic boundary
"He can dwell on any threshold, reading letters and writing replies."
missive
noun
A letter, especially a formal or lengthy one
"The torn envelope signifies the missive bears news of death."
desolate
adjective
Empty, bleak, and without human comfort
"After bearing words across this desolate geography, his spine remains strong."
riverine
adjective
Relating to or situated along a river
"The riverine communities of the northeast are all GDS territories."

Notice These Expressions from the Text

crumbles into sand — the road gradually disappears into soft desert sand
give a new lease of life — to offer a fresh chance to live or work with renewed hope
bearing words across desolate geography — physically carrying letters through empty, harsh terrain as one's life's work
part and parcel — an essential, inseparable element of something larger
turn into a trickle before drying out — to lessen gradually until it disappears completely

Check Your Understanding — All Sections

Information Sheet for Khetaram

L1 Recall What is Khetaram's position, employer, mode of transport, and key responsibilities?
Position: Gramin Dak Sewak (Rural Postal Worker)
Employer: India Post, Government of India
Official Address: Somarad Branch Post Office, Rajasthan (2.5 km from Indo-Pakistan border)
Mode of Transport: Walking on foot (no road access)
Key Responsibilities: Delivering mail to remote dhaanis; reading letters and composing replies for villagers; delivering money orders; serving as the community's sole communication link with the outside world
L2 Understand Why does Khetaram sometimes postpone deliveries until after sundown?
When the daytime temperature crosses 50°C, the heat is too intense to walk safely. Khetaram postpones deliveries until after sunset when the temperature drops slightly. The official register records the temperature as 49.9°C (since 50°C would declare a state holiday), but the actual condition is dangerously hot.
L2 Understand Why was a piece of jaggery the customary token offered in the village when Khetaram brought news of a birth or wedding?
In this impoverished desert community, jaggery is the only sweet available and is offered as a heartfelt gesture of happiness and celebration. It represents the genuine warmth of the villagers who have received good news — modest in value but full of feeling.
L3 Apply How would the arrival of phone lines transform Khetaram's role?
Khetaram would become a Gramin Sanchar Sewak, carrying both a mobile phone and the post from home to home. This would allow verbal communication alongside written delivery, making his service faster and more effective. Villagers could receive phone calls from distant relatives through him, greatly widening the scope of connectivity in the region.

Critical Reflection — Long Answer Questions

L4 Analyse Justify the Postmaster-General's claim that the role of GDS is "invaluable".
The role of GDS is invaluable because they serve as the only link between India's remotest communities and the rest of the country. Workers like Khetaram cross terrain untouched by roads, vehicles, or telephone lines — delivering mail under 50°C heat through blinding sandstorms. They carry not just letters but money orders that are the economic lifeline of isolated families in desert and border regions. Beyond mail, GDS like Khetaram read and write letters for villagers, perform small acts of social service, and maintain the emotional connection between families separated by geography. The GDS network covers Ladakh's highlands, Lakshadweep's islands, and the riverine northeast — places no government vehicle can reach. Their contribution to national integration and social cohesion cannot be measured monetarily. (approx. 115 words)
L4 Analyse How was India Post's purpose after independence different from the British postal system?
The British postal system in India was set up to carry administrative correspondence between government and commercial centres — it was a colonial tool for maintaining control, not for serving ordinary citizens. After independence, India Post adopted a democratic mandate: to bring every citizen, regardless of location, within the mailing network. The country expanded from 25,000 post offices in 1947 to over 1.5 lakh today — the world's largest postal network. Through the GDS, India Post also brought rural savings accounts to those beyond formal banking. The shift was from serving colonial administration to being an institution of national integration and social welfare, trusted implicitly by the poorest and most remote citizens of India. (approx. 118 words)
L5 Evaluate Explain why the author pays tribute to people like Khetaram at the end of the essay.
The author pays tribute to people like Khetaram because they perform extraordinary service in complete obscurity, without recognition or reward proportional to their contribution. Khetaram endures temperatures above 50°C, sandstorms, a 28-kg load, and 20 km daily walks — all for a modest income — because he understands his work is irreplaceable. He reads letters for the illiterate, composes replies for those who cannot write, delivers both joy and grief with equal sensitivity, and serves communities that the rest of India has effectively forgotten. His slumped shoulder is a silent record of sacrifice. The author reminds us that behind every connected household in India's remotest corners stands an unsung carrier of words — and that we owe them our deep respect and gratitude. (approx. 122 words)
L5 Evaluate "People trusted Gramin Dak Sewaks." Support this statement with two instances from the text.
Instance 1: Khetaram is welcomed at any villager's threshold, where he reads private letters aloud and writes personal replies on behalf of the family. Allowing a postal worker to handle one's private correspondence reflects deep personal trust.
Instance 2: When a government proposal arose to replace GDS with patwaris (village record-keepers), the village elder Budh Singh and the community firmly rejected it, saying "We knew they would not be able to do the job." This shows that the community's trust was specifically in the GDS — not in government workers in general.

Extract-Based Questions (CBQ Format)

Extract 1 — Critical Reflection

"Akaal or famine is a way of life here. In a good year, I get one crop of bajra. That cannot feed my family of five. We would starve without this job," he says. And for each family which resides in this arid land, survival is partly dependent on money orders remitted by a relative.
(i)L2 Complete the sentence: One crop of bajra makes little difference for people like Khetaram because _____.
…the yield of a single bajra crop is far too small to feed a family of five in an arid region where no other crops can grow, and famine is a recurring reality rather than a rare occurrence.
(ii)L3 Why did Khetaram call famine "a way of life"?
Khetaram uses this phrase because in the Thar Desert region, rainfall is so scanty that even a single crop is not guaranteed every year. Food insecurity is not an occasional crisis — it is the permanent background condition of existence. Calling famine "a way of life" reflects the resigned acceptance and tough resilience of communities that have adapted to chronic scarcity over generations.
(iii)L2 Give one reason why Khetaram needed the GDS job to help his family survive.
The single bajra harvest that Khetaram gets in a good year is insufficient to feed five people. Without the GDS salary — a reliable government income — his family would have no means of survival in this resource-scarce environment.
(iv)L4 Complete the analogy: Other families : Money orders :: Khetaram : _____.
GDS salary / his postal job. Just as other border families depend on money orders sent by a relative to survive, Khetaram depends on his GDS government salary as his essential financial lifeline.
(v)L2 What would "a good year" signify for Khetaram?
A "good year" would mean enough rainfall to produce at least one crop of bajra, providing additional food to supplement his GDS income and slightly reducing the family's dependence entirely on his postal salary.

Extract 2 — Critical Reflection

There is one letter delivery he dreads. The envelope with the right corner torn off, which signifies that the missive bears news of death. "Ashubh Samachar cannot be carried into the house," says Khetaram. So, he stands outside, reads out the letter twice, then tears it to bits. "Bad news must be destroyed," he mutters philosophically.
(i)L1 Who most likely tore the right corner of the envelope? Choose the correct option.
A. Khetaram   B. Sender   C. Receiver   D. The postmaster
B. The Sender — The sender tears the corner to alert the postman that the letter contains news of a death, allowing Khetaram to prepare emotionally and follow the cultural customs for delivering such news.
(ii)L3 Complete: The most likely reason for Khetaram reading the letter twice is because _____.
…he wants to ensure the family fully absorbs the painful news, and because he must communicate all details clearly and accurately before he destroys the letter — leaving no physical record of the grief in the household.
(iii)L4 What was Khetaram's philosophy about bad news, and how did he act upon it?
Khetaram believed that bad news should be conveyed but should not take physical form inside a home. His philosophy was that written grief, if kept in the house, becomes a constant painful reminder. He acted upon this by standing outside the threshold, reading the death letter aloud twice so the family could hear everything, and then shredding it to pieces. This act was both culturally sensitive — honouring the custom that inauspicious things must not cross the threshold — and compassionately human in its desire to protect the family from enduring, tangible sorrow.
(iv)L2 State whether the following sentence is true or false: Khetaram's action of tearing the letter differed from his beliefs.
False. Khetaram's action was entirely consistent with his belief. He said "Bad news must be destroyed" and immediately acted upon this by tearing the letter to bits — belief and action were perfectly aligned.
(v)L4 Mention one aspect of Khetaram's temperament revealed in this extract.
This extract reveals Khetaram's compassionate sensitivity. He does not merely deliver a letter mechanically — he considers the emotional impact on the grieving family, honours cultural customs around death and the home's threshold, and shows a philosophical calm in accepting life's harshest realities on behalf of others.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Khetaram and why is he important?
Khetaram is a Gramin Dak Sewak serving as the sole postman of Somarad Branch Post Office in Rajasthan. He represents the 3 lakh+ GDS workers who keep India's remotest communities connected to the world, often at great personal physical cost.
What is the difference between a postman and a Gramin Dak Sewak?
A regular postman operates in urban/semi-urban areas with road access. A GDS works specifically in rural areas inaccessible by vehicle, usually on foot. GDS were officially recognised in 2001 and now form over 50% of India Post's workforce.
What literary devices are used in Carrier of Words?
Key devices include: alliteration ("scorching summer winds and swirling sandstorms"), imagery (footprints on dunes), metaphor ("bearing words across desolate geography"), symbolism (torn envelope corner = death), hyperbole (sand dune at his feet), and irony (temperature recorded at 49.9°C).
What are the major themes of Carrier of Words?
Major themes: duty and dedication, social trust, the human cost of maintaining national connectivity, survival and economic dependence on postal services, and India Post's evolution from a colonial instrument to an institution of democratic national integration.
AI Tutor
English Class 9 — Kaveri
Ready
Hi! 👋 I'm Gaura, your AI Tutor for Carrier of Words — Khetaram, Gramin Dak Sewak. Take your time studying the lesson — whenever you have a doubt, just ask me! I'm here to help.