NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Kaveri Chapter 7 – Carrier of Words

1. They belong to the postal profession — they are postmen (mail carriers).
2. Yes. They walk or cycle long distances in scorching heat, rain and cold, carry heavy mailbags, cross difficult terrain like deserts, hills and rivers, and must deliver on time whatever the conditions.
3. They touch people’s lives deeply — bringing letters from loved ones, money orders, exam results and official documents. For remote villages they are the only link with the outside world, and the joy or comfort they deliver makes them trusted and beloved figures.

1. Words can be carried in written form — letters, postcards, telegrams, parcels of books — and in spoken form, as messages passed from person to person.
2. A postman, a messenger, a courier — and in older times, pigeons and royal runners; today, even satellites and cables ‘carry’ our words.
3. Letters and the postal system, telephone and mobile calls, SMS, e-mail, video calls and social media.

1. signals  2. dunes  3. hamlets  4. defying  5. slumped  6. devoid

1. Why do you think Khetaram has taken up this challenging job?
Because in his famine-prone land a single crop of bajra cannot feed his family of five — the job’s assured income saved them from starvation. Beyond need, the work gives him purpose and the respect of every household he serves.

2. How do you think Khetaram would feel about taking up this challenging task every day?
The work is exhausting — 20-km walks on sizzling sand with a heavy bag — yet Khetaram feels pride and gratitude rather than complaint. He is warmly received everywhere, trusted by all, and says with quiet contentment that he is thankful to serve people even after sixty.

II. Why was a piece of jaggery offered in the village when he brought news of a birth or weddings?
In these poor desert villages, a piece of jaggery is all that people can afford to offer — it is their humble way of sweetening the moment, celebrating the good news and thanking its carrier.

III. How would phone lines help Khetaram in his job?
With phone lines (now only 50 km away), Khetaram could become a Gramin Sanchar Sewak — carrying a cell phone along with the post from home to home, so that villagers could also speak to their faraway relatives. His service would expand from carrying words on paper to carrying voices.

(i) One crop of bajra makes a little difference for people like Khetaram because ______.
…it is far too little to feed a family of five for the whole year — without another income they would starve.

(ii) Why did Khetaram term famine as ‘a way of life’?
Because in the Thar’s arid land drought and crop failure come almost every year — scarcity is not an occasional disaster there but the permanent condition in which people live.

(iii) Give one reason why Khetaram had to take up a job to help his family survive.
Farming alone could never sustain them — even in a good year his single crop of bajra could not feed five people, so the GDS job’s assured income was a necessity.

(iv) Complete the analogy: Other families : Money orders :: Khetaram : ______
(this) job — as other families survive on money orders, Khetaram’s family survives on his GDS job.

(v) What would ‘a good year’ signify?
A year with enough rainfall for the desert land to yield at least one crop of bajra.

(i) Who could have torn the right corner of the envelope?
B. Sender of the letter — the torn corner is the sender’s customary signal that the letter carries news of death.

(ii) The most likely reason for Khetaram reading the letter twice is because ______.
…the letter cannot be taken into the house and will be destroyed immediately after, so he reads it twice to make sure the family hears and fully understands every word of the news.

(iii) What was Khetaram’s philosophy regarding bad news, and how did he act upon it?
His philosophy was that “bad news must be destroyed” — inauspicious words should not linger in a home. Accordingly, he stands outside the threshold, reads the letter aloud twice, and then tears it to bits.

(iv) True or False: Khetaram’s action of tearing the letter differed from his beliefs.
False — his action followed his belief exactly.

(v) Mention one aspect of Khetaram’s temperament revealed through this extract.
His compassion and sensitivity — he respects the villagers’ customs and feelings, handling the cruellest news with gentleness and philosophical calm.

1. Justify the Postmaster-General’s statement that the role of GDS is ‘invaluable’.
Gramin Dak Sewaks deliver where no vehicle, wire or network reaches — the frozen desert of Ladakh, the isles of Lakshadweep, the riverine northeast and the Thar’s dhaanis — often accessible only on foot. Forming more than half of India Post’s workforce, they are the sole link between the remotest Indians and their families, and no money can measure such a service; hence, invaluable.

2. How was the purpose of India Post different from that of the British postal system?
The British system was set up to relay company dak between administrative centres — it served the rulers. After independence, India Post’s mandate was to bring the entire population within the mailing ambit — to serve every citizen. The growth from 25,000 post offices in 1947 to more than a lakh and a half today shows that change of purpose.

3. People trusted Gramin Dak Sewaks. Support this with two instances from the text.
First, villagers welcome Khetaram on any threshold and freely ask him to read their private letters and draft their replies — an intimacy granted only to the most trusted. Second, rural depositors entrust their monthly savings to the post office, and when a scheme proposed transferring the GDS’s job to patwaris, it was summarily rejected — “We knew they would not be able to do the job,” said the village elder.

4. Infer the most likely reason that Khetaram was grateful to continue as GDS even after the age of 60.
In a famine-prone land with no other livelihood, the job’s assured income remains his family’s lifeline even in old age. Equally, the work gives him respect, purpose and the joy of serving his people — so the rule allowing GDS to serve till 65 feels to him like a blessing.

5. Explain why the author pays tribute to people like Khetaram.
Because they are the invisible threads of our social fabric: for modest pay they defy deserts, storms and 50-degree heat to keep the nation’s remotest homes connected — carrying not just letters but savings, celebrations, condolences and trust. Such selfless, uncelebrated service deserves the salute the author offers.

1. crumbles into sand — (iii) disappears in the desert  |  2. give a new lease of life — (i) get a chance to continue living  |  3. turn into a trickle before drying out — (iv) lessen gradually and then finally stop  |  4. bearing words across this desolate geography — (ii) carrying letters to less populated areas

Sentences: Beyond the village, the road crumbles into sand. • The new well gave a new lease of life to the parched hamlet. • In summer the stream turns into a trickle before drying out. • For decades the old postman kept bearing words across this desolate geography.

Alliteration: “scorching summer winds and swirling sandstorms” (repetition of the ‘s’ sound).
Metaphor: “the desert’s furies” (the desert’s hardships pictured as raging spirits) and Khetaram turned into “a walking sandman“.

1. arid — (iii) farmland without much yield  |  2. concessional — (i) interest rate for the farmers  |  3. gaunt — (v) farmer waiting for the rains  |  4. remote — (ii) corner of the world  |  5. desolate — (iv) desert stretching far and wide

Sentences: Little grows on this arid land. • The bank offered farmers a concessional loan. • The gaunt farmer scanned the sky for clouds. • He serves a remote corner near the border. • The desolate dunes stretch to the horizon.

1. I have just got a collection of postage stamps from my grandfather. He 2. has collected these stamps over a period of 20 years. I 3. have studied most of the stamps in his collection and loved all of them. I 4. have begun my own collection of postage stamps. Grandfather 5. has truly inspired me.

To begin with, a lot of stamina will be needed for this job. Next, reading clearly A. should be practised, as you B. will be expected to read out the letters by some of the villagers. Words C. should be written neatly as you D. will be asked to draft replies by some villagers. Full-sleeved shirts and trousers E. should be worn to protect yourself from the heat.

The speaker concluded her talk with a request (“I request all the students to actively participate and make this event a grand success”).

1. The occasion — (iii) Indian Postal Day (celebrated on 10 October).
2. India Post has the most extensive network — (ii) in the world.
3. Letter writing is being revived as the art form has been — (iii) forgotten.
4. Part of the letter writing carnival — (i) calligraphy and graphology.
5. The postal department will add — (i) interactive demonstrations.

Postcard: It seems to me that I am the people’s favourite — the cheapest of all, open and quick, perfect for short messages from those who can spare only a few paise.
Inland letter: I would like to point out that I offer more space to write than a postcard and complete privacy once folded and sealed — at a price still affordable to all.
Envelope: Some people say that I am costlier, but only I can carry enclosures — documents, photographs, applications — with full secrecy; that’s one way to look at importance!
Money order: I totally agree that words matter, but I carry survival itself — the small sums on which families in remote villages depend, trusted to the post office like nothing else in the world (as Mulk Raj Anand wrote).

I. The ‘Daakroom’ carnival: conceptualised by the Ministry of Culture and supported by India Post and Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, this one-of-a-kind letter-writing carnival aims to give a ‘digital detox’ and revive the art of letter writing through competitions and workshops.

II. Philately: the study of postage stamps and postal history — one can even be a philatelist without owning stamps, by studying rare ones in museums. For the class board ‘Philately – Upholding Our Heritage’, collect stamps under: personalities (e.g., Gandhiji, C.V. Raman — leaders, scientists), celebrations (Diwali, Republic Day issues), centenaries (e.g., of freedom fighters or institutions), nature (tigers, orchids, Himalayan birds) and heritage (Sanchi Stupa, classical dances).

III. The telegram: once the fastest means of communication, priced by the number of words — hence messages had to be short and precise (e.g., “REACHING TUESDAY 10 AM — RAVI”). Practise filling the form with a greeting and a condolence in the fewest possible words.

Q1. Where exactly does Khetaram’s beat lie? (30–40 words)
His area lies in the Thar desert — about 120 km beyond the last railhead at Barmer, 50 km beyond the last phone, 10 km beyond where the Barmer–Chohtan road crumbles into sand, and just 2.5 km short of the Indo-Pakistan border.

Q2. What rule governs Khetaram’s mailbag, and what does summer add to his burden? (30–40 words)
Regulations stipulate that his load cannot exceed 28 kilos. In summer, the sands sizzle under his mojri-clad feet and even a single delivery means a tiring 20-km walk, sometimes postponed till after sundown.

Q3. Who were ‘delivery agents’ and what happened in 2001? (30–40 words)
‘Delivery agents’ were postal workers serving rural areas without schools or health centres. In 2001 they were recognised as Gramin Dak Sewaks (GDS) — over three lakh strong, forming more than half of India Post’s workforce.

Q4. What special service conditions apply to GDS, and why? (30–40 words)
GDS must have access to another livelihood, work only five hours a day, and may serve from age 60 to 65 with an assured salary. These conditions help retain a large workforce for remote outposts.

Q5. Sketch the character of Khetaram. (100–120 words)
Khetaram is duty made flesh. For fifteen years he has crossed the Thar’s burning dunes daily, shoulder slumped under a 28-kilo mailbag, delivering within twenty-four hours even at fifty degrees — a man who lets sandstorms turn him into a ‘walking sandman’ rather than fail a delivery. He is humble and frugal, wiping his body instead of wasting precious water, yet rich in the villagers’ trust: welcome on every threshold, reader of their letters, writer of their replies. He is compassionate, honouring custom by reading death-letters outside and destroying the ‘ashubh samachar’. Grateful rather than bitter — the job, he says, saved his family from starving — he stays eager for the future: “Main tayyar hoon.”

Q6. How does the chapter justify its title, ‘Carrier of Words’? (100–120 words)
On the surface, the title names Khetaram’s trade: he literally carries words — letters, money-order forms, telegrams — across a wordless desert, the sole bridge between the dhaanis and the world. But the title runs deeper. For unlettered villagers, Khetaram is the words themselves: he reads their letters aloud and writes their replies, lending them his voice and his slightly shaky hand. He carries joyful words rewarded with jaggery and dreadful words he must read twice at the threshold and then destroy. Through him, words of love, money, birth and death travel their last, hardest miles on human shoulders — making ‘Carrier of Words’ both his job description and his honour.