Carrier of Words Class 9: Summary and Questions on Khetaram
Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked
Carrier of Words, the prose piece of Kaveri Unit 7, is a feature on Khetaram, a Gramin Dak Sewak who has carried mail on foot across the Thar desert to hamlets near the Indo-Pakistan border for fifteen years. It shows the hardship, trust and dignity of rural postmen who link India's remotest villages with the world.
What Carrier of Words is about
Carrier of Words is a non-fiction feature in Unit 7 of Kaveri (the text layer names no author). It tells the story of Khetaram, the only postman of the Somarad Branch Post Office in Rajasthan, 2.5 km from the Indo-Pakistan border. Beyond the last railhead, the last phone line and the end of the road, he walks through soft sand in heat close to 50 °C so that mail sent from Jodhpur reaches the border within 24 hours. Through him, the piece explains the role of India's Gramin Dak Sewaks (GDS), the trust villagers place in the post office, and how the job has given Khetaram's family a livelihood in a land of famine.
In the R1 paper, a prose extract (Q10, 5 marks) may come from this piece, with reason, analogy and true/false items. It also suits 2-mark short answers (40-50 words) and 5-mark long answers (120-150 words) on dedication, trust and the dignity of work. The unit practises the present perfect tense and the passive voice.
Weightage: Class 9 English is a school examination of 80 marks, but CBSE prescribes the paper design. Section C (Literature, 30 marks) in R1: one prose/drama extract and one poetry extract (5 marks each), five of six short answers (40-50 words, 2 marks each) and two long answers (about 120-150 words, 5 marks each). R2 has three extracts, five of seven short answers and one long answer.Source: CBSE English Language syllabus, Class IX 2026-27, Question Paper Design R1 and R2
Carrier of Words: summary
In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.
Part I: the last link. Before the internet, letters reached us through post boxes and postmen. In India's remotest regions, beyond the last railhead and where the road turns to sand, Gramin Dak Sewaks are still the only link between people and their faraway families. Khetaram is one of them: the sole postman of Somarad Branch Post Office in a Rajasthani village. For fifteen years, his left shoulder slumped from carrying the mailbag, he has served hamlets (dhaanis) just 2.5 km from the Indo-Pakistan border.
The journey. His beat lies about 120 km beyond the last railhead at Barmer, 50 km beyond the last phone and 10 km beyond where the Barmer-Chohtan road crumbles into sand too soft even for bicycles. Mail from Jodhpur, about 330 km away, travels by train and bus and then on his shoulders, reaching the border within 24 hours. His load may not exceed 28 kilos. In summer a single delivery means walking 20 km; temperatures above 50 °C are recorded as 49.9 °C, because 50 °C would mean a state holiday, and sometimes he must wait until sundown. His khaki turban and uniform are his only protection against hot winds and sandstorms; water is too precious for washing, so he only wipes himself.
GDS across India. Until 2001 such workers were called 'delivery agents'. Today more than three lakh Gramin Dak Sewaks make up over half of India Post's workforce, serving Ladakh, Lakshadweep and the riverine communities of the north-east. Unlike the British postal system, which linked administrative centres, India Post aimed to reach every citizen: from 25,000 post offices in 1947 there are now more than one and a half lakh. Through the GDS, rural depositors also save money in post offices.
Part II: livelihood and trust. GDS must have another source of livelihood, work five hours a day and may serve until 65. For Khetaram, the job was a new lease of life: in famine-prone land one crop of bajra cannot feed his family of five. Many families depend on money orders. The piece quotes Mulk Raj Anand on the confidence Indians place in the post office, and notes that a plan to give the GDS's work to patwaris was rejected. Villagers trust Khetaram to read their letters and write replies. The BSF gives him lifts and tea; villagers offer jaggery when he brings news of births and weddings. He dreads one kind of letter: an envelope with a torn corner, meaning news of a death. He reads it outside the house twice, then tears it up, because 'Bad news must be destroyed.'
Looking ahead. Grateful to serve beyond 60, Khetaram awaits the phone lines now 50 km away, when he may become a Gramin Sanchar Sewak carrying a cell phone too. 'Main tayyar hoon,' he says, and strides off to deliver Panna Devi's mail.
Central idea: Unsung workers like Khetaram hold the nation together through dedication and trust. Their work deserves our respect.
Themes and message
Dedication and endurance
Khetaram walks up to 20 km in burning heat with a heavy bag, his shoulder slumped from years of work, so that mail arrives within 24 hours. His endurance turns a routine job into an act of service.
From the text: 'Even a single delivery is tiring, as I have to cover 20 km for it.'
Trust between people and the post office
Villagers trust Khetaram to read and write their letters; Mulk Raj Anand speaks of the 'absolute confidence' Indians place in the post office; the plan to replace GDS with patwaris was rejected. Trust is the real currency of his work.
From the text: 'It reflects the absolute confidence which most Indians place in the post office.'
Connecting remote India
Khetaram is 'the lone face of the state' in hamlets beyond roads and phones. India Post's mission after independence was to bring everyone within the mailing ambit, and GDS serve from Ladakh to Lakshadweep.
From the text: 'the lone face of the state who reaches the far-flung hamlets'
Livelihood in a harsh land
Famine is 'a way of life', and one crop of bajra cannot feed a family. The GDS job gives Khetaram a new lease of life, and money orders keep many families alive.
From the text: 'We would starve without this job,'
Dignity of humble work
The piece ends with a salute to people like Khetaram. His small rituals (reading bad news outside, accepting jaggery for good news) show respect for the people he serves, and his 'Main tayyar hoon' shows pride in his duty.
From the text: 'Our salute to all the people like Khetaram!'
Characters
Khetaram
Gramin Dak Sewak and sole postman of Somarad Branch Post Office, Rajasthan.
- Hard-working and dutiful: delivers even in near-50 °C heat
- Resilient: copes with sandstorms and scarce water
- Trusted and helpful: reads letters and writes replies
- Sensitive and philosophical: reads bad news outside and destroys it
- Grateful and forward-looking: ready to carry a cell phone too
'Main tayyar hoon'; 'Bad news must be destroyed'; 'I am grateful that as a Gramin Dak Sewak, I can serve the people even after 60.'
The villagers and the BSF
The people Khetaram serves.
- Trusting and warm
- Grateful: offer jaggery, tea and lifts
'People are kind to me; the BSF always gives me a lift.'
How it is written
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Feature-writing with facts and figures | 120 km beyond the railhead, 28 kilos, 49.9 degrees, 330 km from Jodhpur | Precise numbers make the hardship concrete and believable. |
| Direct quotations | 'Water is too precious to waste on washing' | Lets Khetaram speak for himself, adding authenticity and emotion. |
| Alliteration | 'scorching summer winds and swirling sandstorms' | The hissing 's' sounds echo the desert wind. |
| Metaphor | 'a walking sandman'; 'oases of humanity' | Vivid pictures of Khetaram covered in sand and of villages as islands of life in the desert. |
| Personification | 'the desert's furies'; the road 'directionlessly crumbles into sand' | The desert seems a hostile force he must face. |
| Irony | Temperatures above 50 °C recorded as 49.9 °C | Exposes the harsh reality behind official records. |
Key quotations
Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.
Even a single delivery is tiring, as I have to cover 20 km for it.
Khetaram: On summer deliveries.
Shows the physical effort of his job.
Water is too precious to waste on washing
Khetaram: On life in the desert.
Shows scarcity and his resilience.
We would starve without this job,
Khetaram: On famine and his family of five.
Shows the job's importance for his livelihood.
Bad news must be destroyed,
Khetaram: After reading a letter bearing news of death.
Shows his sensitivity and beliefs.
Main tayyar hoon
Khetaram: On becoming a Gramin Sanchar Sewak.
His readiness to adapt and continue serving.
Our salute to all the people like Khetaram!
Writer: Last line.
The tribute that sums up the piece.
Carrier of Words in real life
Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Respecting the people who serve us
Suppose your courier delivery person arrives late on a very hot afternoon, and a neighbour shouts at him.
Using Khetaram's story, explain how we should treat such workers. Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Khetaram walks 20 km in near-50 °C heat.
- Delivery workers face similar conditions.
- Offer water, patience and thanks.
Answer: Khetaram's story shows how hard delivery work can be in extreme heat. Our courier may be facing similar hardship. Instead of shouting, we should offer water, be patient and thank him, just as the BSF offered Khetaram tea and lifts.
Memory hook: A glass of water is respect you can hand over.
Trust as the heart of a service
Imagine your grandmother cannot read and needs help understanding a bank letter.
What qualities from Khetaram should the helper show? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Villagers trusted Khetaram to read and write letters.
- Honesty, patience, privacy.
- Read clearly; explain.
Answer: The helper should be honest, patient and discreet, like Khetaram, whom villagers trusted to read their letters and write replies. He or she should read the letter clearly, explain it simply and keep her private matters private.
Memory hook: Trust is carried with the words.
Sensitivity when sharing bad news
Suppose you must tell a friend that his pet, left in your care, has fallen ill.
What can you learn from how Khetaram handles letters bearing death news? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Khetaram reads bad news carefully, outside, twice.
- Be gentle, clear and respectful.
- Choose the right place and time.
Answer: Khetaram delivers bad news with care: outside the house, reading clearly and twice. I should tell my friend gently, in a quiet place, explain clearly what happened and what the vet said, and stay with him while he takes it in.
Memory hook: Bad news needs gentle hands.
Topics in this chapter
How the school exam asks Carrier of Words
The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.
| Question type | How it is asked | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Prose extract (Q10 in R1, 5 marks) | Extracts on famine and the job, or the torn-corner letter, with parts: why one crop makes little difference; why famine is 'a way of life'; an analogy (other families : money orders :: Khetaram : job); who tore the corner (sender); why he reads it twice; true/false on his beliefs; one aspect of his temperament. | Answer from the extract; for analogies, find the parallel relationship. |
| Short answer (Q12, 2 marks, 40-50 words) | Why GDS are 'invaluable'; how India Post's purpose differed from the British system; two instances of trust; why he is grateful to work after 60; why the writer pays tribute. | Use facts from the text (numbers, places) as support. |
| Long answer (Q13/Q14, 5 marks, 120-150 words) | Character sketch of Khetaram; the role of rural postal workers; unsung heroes in your community; technology versus human connection. | Combine facts (distances, heat) with qualities (dedication, trust) and a concluding judgement. |
| Grammar: present perfect and passive | Fill in present perfect forms; change Khetaram's advice into passive ('a lot of stamina will be needed'). | has/have + past participle; passive = be + past participle, object becomes subject. |
Tricks to remember Carrier of Words
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
Khetaram's numbers
15 years | 2.5 km from border | 120 km beyond Barmer railhead | 50 km beyond the last phone | 10 km beyond the road | 330 km from Jodhpur | 24 hours | 28 kilos | 20 km per delivery | 49.9 °C.
Use it when: Fact-based MCQs and information sheets.
GDS rules: O-F-65
Other livelihood required, Five hours a day, serve till 65.
Use it when: Questions on GDS conditions.
Two ways news is received
Good news = jaggery; bad news (torn corner) = read outside, twice, then torn.
Use it when: Questions on customs and trust.
Carrier of Words: extract-based questions
Read the extract, answer every part on paper, then open the answers.
Extract 1: Famine and the job
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.
(1) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Khetaram begins: 'Akaal or famine is a way of life here.' Why does Khetaram call famine 'a way of life'?
(2) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Complete the analogy: Other families : money orders :: Khetaram : ________
(3) · 1 mark · MCQ
'A good year' most likely means a year with:
(a) many festivals
(b) enough rain for one crop
(c) a salary rise
(d) no letters(4) · 1 mark · MCQ
The word 'remitted' means:
(a) sent
(b) refused
(c) borrowed
(d) lost(5) · 1 mark · Short answer
Why does one crop of bajra make little difference for Khetaram?
Show the answersAnswers
- Because famine is frequent and normal in that dry region.
- this job (his GDS job)
- (b) enough rain for one crop
- (a) sent
- It is not enough to feed a family of five for the whole year.
Extract 2: The torn corner
“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.
(1) · 1 mark · MCQ
Just before this, we learn that Khetaram dreads one kind of delivery: an envelope with its right corner torn off, which signals that the 'missive' carries news of a death. Who most likely tore the right corner of the envelope?
(a) Khetaram
(b) the sender
(c) the receiver
(d) the postmaster(2) · 1 mark · Very short answer
(See the context given in the first question.) What does 'missive' mean?
(3) · 1 mark · Very short answer
True or false: Khetaram's action of tearing the letter differed from his beliefs.
(4) · 1 mark · Short answer
Why does Khetaram probably read the letter twice?
(5) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Mention one aspect of Khetaram's temperament shown here.
Show the answersAnswers
- (b) the sender
- A letter.
- False; it matched his belief that bad news must be destroyed.
- So that the grieving family hears and understands the news clearly, since he will destroy the letter.
- Sensitive (also respectful of tradition, philosophical).
Carrier of Words: exam-level solved questions
Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.
Example 1: Why GDS are invaluable · 2 marks · Short answerExam level
Justify the Postmaster-General's statement that the role of GDS is 'invaluable'. Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- They reach areas accessible only on foot.
- Sole link for letters and money orders.
- Serve deserts, islands, mountains; over half the workforce.
Answer: Gramin Dak Sewaks deliver to interior areas that can often be reached only on foot, like Khetaram's desert hamlets. They are the sole link for letters, money orders and savings for remote families, from Ladakh to Lakshadweep, and form over half of India Post's workforce.
Example 2: Two instances of trust · 2 marks · Short answerExam level
People trusted Gramin Dak Sewaks. Support this with two instances from the text. Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Villagers ask Khetaram to read letters and write replies.
- The plan to replace GDS with patwaris was rejected.
- Rural depositors save with the post office.
Answer: Villagers feel comfortable asking Khetaram to read their letters and draft replies, sharing private matters with him. Also, when a scheme proposed giving the GDS's work to patwaris, it was rejected, because, as Budh Singh said, 'We knew they would not be able to do the job.'
Example 3: Grateful after 60 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
Infer why Khetaram is grateful to continue as a GDS after the age of 60. Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- GDS may serve till 65.
- Assured income in a famine-prone land.
- He values serving people.
Answer: GDS are allowed to serve until 65, so Khetaram keeps an assured income in a land where famine is common and one crop cannot feed his family. He also seems to value his role and the people's trust, so continuing to serve gives him purpose and dignity.
Example 4: Character sketch of Khetaram · 5 marks · Long answerHarder exam level
Write a character sketch of Khetaram in about 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Role: sole postman of Somarad; 15 years.
- Hard-working, resilient: 20 km, heat, sandstorms.
- Trusted and helpful: reads and writes letters.
- Sensitive: torn-corner letters.
- Grateful and adaptable: 'Main tayyar hoon'.
Answer: Khetaram, the sole postman of Somarad Branch Post Office, is a model of quiet dedication. For fifteen years he has carried mail across the Thar desert to hamlets 2.5 km from the Indo-Pakistan border, his left shoulder slumped from the weight of his bag. He walks up to 20 km for a single delivery in heat that crosses 50 °C, protected only by his khaki turban and uniform, and he does not complain. Villagers trust him completely, asking him to read their letters and write replies. He is sensitive, too: a letter bearing news of death is read outside the house and then torn up. Grateful for a job that saved his family from starvation, he remains eager to learn, saying 'Main tayyar hoon' about carrying a cell phone. He is truly an unsung hero.
Example 5: Technology and the human link · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
When phone lines arrive, Khetaram may carry a cell phone as well as the post. Will technology make people like him unnecessary? Answer in about 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Technology speeds communication.
- But remote areas still need a human link: reading, writing, money orders, trust.
- Khetaram's role will change (Gramin Sanchar Sewak), not vanish.
- Human qualities: sensitivity with bad news.
- Judgement.
Answer: Technology will certainly change Khetaram's job. When phone lines arrive, messages will travel instantly, and some letters may no longer be needed. Yet I do not think people like him will become unnecessary. Many villagers in his area depend on him not only to carry letters but to read them aloud and write replies, which a phone cannot do for someone who cannot read. Money orders, savings and official documents still need a trusted person at the doorstep. The text itself suggests his role will grow: he may become a Gramin Sanchar Sewak carrying 'a cell phone and the post'. Above all, a machine cannot show the sensitivity with which he reads bad news outside a home. Technology can carry words faster, but trust is still carried by people.
Example 6: Unsung workers near you · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose your school asks you to honour an 'unsung hero' like Khetaram from your area. Whom would you choose and why? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Choose a worker (e.g., sanitation worker, ASHA worker).
- Link to dedication and trust, as with Khetaram.
- Suggest a way to honour them.
Answer: I would choose our area's ASHA worker, who visits every home in heat and rain to check mothers and babies, just as Khetaram walks through the desert. Like him, she is trusted by everyone. A certificate and a word of thanks at assembly would honour her.
Where the marks are
How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.
How was the purpose of India Post different from that of the British postal system? Answer in 40-50 words. (2 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Content: British system relayed company mail between administrative centres; India Post aimed to bring the whole population within its ambit (25,000 offices in 1947 to over 1.5 lakh). | 1 |
| Expression. | 1 |
Explain why the writer pays tribute to people like Khetaram (120-150 words). (5 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Content: hardships and dedication. | 1 |
| Content: role in connecting remote India; livelihood; trust. | 1 |
| Content: social significance and judgement. | 1 |
| Expression. | 1 |
| Accuracy. | 1 |
Where students lose marks in Carrier of Words
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Writing that Khetaram rides a bicycle or camel
Guessing desert transport.
Wrong working
Khetaram delivers mail on a camel.
Right working
He walks; the sand is too soft even for bicycles (the BSF sometimes gives him a lift).
Do this: Note 'his footprints appear along sand beds and dunes'.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Saying 50 °C days are holidays for him
Misreading the irony.
Wrong working
When it is 50 °C, Khetaram gets a holiday.
Right working
Such days are recorded as 49.9 °C, so there is no holiday and he still delivers.
Do this: Read the 49.9 °C line carefully.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Thinking Khetaram tears up all letters
Over-generalising.
Wrong working
He tears every letter after reading it.
Right working
Only letters with a torn corner, which bear news of death.
Do this: Note 'one letter delivery he dreads'.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Naming an author
Assuming one.
Wrong working
Carrier of Words by Mulk Raj Anand.
Right working
Mulk Raj Anand is only quoted; the textbook names no author for the piece.
Do this: Write 'the writer'.
Usually costs: Accuracy.
Practice questions on Carrier of Words
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 1 mark · MCQExam level
What is the maximum load Khetaram is allowed to carry?
(a) 18 kilos
(b) 20 kilos
(c) 28 kilos
(d) 50 kilosHint
Regulations stipulate...
Answer
(c) 28 kilos
Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level
Why can't Khetaram use a bicycle on his route?
Hint
Where the road ends.
Answer
The road crumbles into sand so soft that even bicycles cannot ply.
Q3 · 2 marks · Short answerExam level
Describe the hardships Khetaram faces in summer. Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Heat, distance, wind, water.
Answer
Value points: 20 km per delivery; sizzling sand; heat above 50 °C recorded as 49.9; sometimes waits till sundown; hot winds and sandstorms; no water to wash.
Model answer: In summer Khetaram walks 20 km for a single delivery over sizzling sand, in heat that crosses 50 °C. Scorching winds and sandstorms turn him into 'a walking sandman', and water is too scarce for washing, so he can only wipe his body.
Q4 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder exam level
Change into passive: 'You will need a lot of stamina for this job.'
Hint
Make 'a lot of stamina' the subject.
Answer
A lot of stamina will be needed for this job.
Q5 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder exam level
Fill in the present perfect: Khetaram ____ (serve) the village for fifteen years, and the villagers ____ always ____ (trust) him.
Hint
has/have + past participle.
Answer
has served / have ... trusted
Q6 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
Why are villagers so dependent on the post office? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Money orders, savings, letters.
Answer
Value points: famine-prone area; survival partly depends on money orders from relatives; savings deposited in post office; no phones; letters only link to families; Mulk Raj Anand's point on confidence.
Model answer: In this famine-prone land, many families survive partly on money orders sent by relatives. With no phone lines, letters are their only link to faraway family, and they deposit savings at the post office. As Mulk Raj Anand noted, people place absolute confidence in it.
Q7 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
'People like Khetaram are a part and parcel of our social fabric.' Explain with reference to the text in about 120-150 words.
Hint
Connection, livelihood, trust, inclusion.
Answer
Value points: meaning of 'part and parcel' and 'social fabric'; GDS link remote families (letters, money orders); over half of India Post workforce; serve deserts, islands, hills; trust (reading/writing letters, patwari scheme rejected); share joys and sorrows (jaggery, bad news); conclusion.
Model answer: A social fabric is the web of relationships that holds a society together, and Khetaram is one of its threads. He is 'the lone face of the state' in hamlets beyond roads and phones, carrying letters and money orders that families depend on to survive. Across India, over three lakh Gramin Dak Sewaks do the same in Ladakh, Lakshadweep and the north-east. They are woven into people's lives: villagers ask Khetaram to read their letters and write replies, offer him jaggery when he brings news of births and weddings, and receive bad news from him with care. When officials proposed replacing GDS with patwaris, the villagers refused. Without such workers, remote India would be cut off. That is why the writer salutes them.
Q8 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose the post office in Khetaram's area is closed to save money. Write two consequences for the villagers in about 40-50 words.
Hint
Money orders, information, trust.
Answer
Value points: money orders stop, families face starvation; no link to faraway relatives; savings unsafe; loss of a trusted helper who reads and writes letters.
Model answer: Families who survive on money orders might face hunger, as the money would not reach them. They would also lose their only link to faraway relatives and the trusted man who reads and writes their letters, leaving them isolated and helpless.
Q9 · 5 marks · Long answerExam level
Writing task: Write an article (120-150 words) for your school magazine on 'Unsung Heroes of Our Community', referring to workers like Khetaram.
Hint
Title, name and class; introduction, examples, appeal.
Answer
Value points: title and writer's name; introduction (who unsung heroes are); examples (postmen like Khetaram, sanitation workers, ASHA workers, security guards) with what they do and the hardships they face; why they matter; suggestions to honour them (thanking, fair treatment, school events); conclusion.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.What is Khetaram's post office?Show answer
Somarad Branch Post Office.
2.Which desert does he cross?Show answer
The Thar.
3.What were GDS called until 2001?Show answer
Delivery agents.
4.How many post offices did India have in 1947?Show answer
25,000.
5.Who wrote Story of the Indian Post Office?Show answer
Mulk Raj Anand.
6.Who were proposed to replace the GDS?Show answer
Patwaris (village record keepers).
7.What does the BSF give Khetaram?Show answer
Lifts, and a cup of tea when he delivers their mail.
8.What might Khetaram become when phone lines arrive?Show answer
A Gramin Sanchar Sewak.
Quick revision checklist
The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?
- Can you list five numbers that show Khetaram's hardship?
- Can you state three GDS conditions?
- Can you give two instances of trust?
- Can you explain the torn-corner custom?
- Can you contrast British and Indian postal aims?
- Can you write a five-trait sketch of Khetaram?
- Can you change advice sentences into the passive?
Carrier of Words: frequently asked questions
Who is Khetaram in Carrier of Words?
He is a Gramin Dak Sewak, the sole postman of Somarad Branch Post Office in Rajasthan, who delivers mail on foot to hamlets near the Indo-Pakistan border in the Thar desert.
What is a Gramin Dak Sewak?
A rural postal worker who delivers mail in remote areas. Until 2001 they were called delivery agents. They work five hours a day, must have another livelihood and may serve until 65.
Why are temperatures recorded as 49.9 °C?
Because a recorded 50 °C would mean declaring a state holiday, so even hotter days are recorded as 49.9 °C and Khetaram still delivers.
What does a torn right corner on an envelope signify?
It means the letter carries news of a death. Khetaram reads such letters outside the house twice and then tears them up.
How did India Post's aim differ from the British postal system?
The British system relayed company mail between administrative centres; after independence India Post aimed to bring the entire population within the mailing network, growing from 25,000 post offices in 1947 to over one and a half lakh.
Why is Khetaram grateful to be a GDS?
The job saved his family from starvation in a famine-prone land, and it allows him to serve people even after 60.
Based on: CBSE English Language syllabus, Class IX 2026-27 (R1 and R2); NCERT Kaveri, Textbook of English for Grade 9 (First Edition 2026), Unit 7: Carrier of Words