Notes English Kaveri Chapter 7 Carrier of Words Class 9 CBSE Board

Overview

This chapter is about Khetaram, a Gramin Dak Sewak (GDS) who works as a postman in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, very close to the Indo-Pakistan border.

Key Character: Khetaram

What is a Gramin Dak Sewak (GDS)?

• GDS workers are postal delivery agents who serve remote and rural areas of India
• Before 2001, they were simply called “delivery agents”
• India has over 3 lakh GDS workers
• They make up more than 50% of the total postal workforce
• They serve places like the frozen desert of Ladakh, islands of Lakshadweep, and riverine communities of northeast India

Selection Criteria for GDS:

• Must have another source of income/livelihood
• Work only 5 hours a day
• Can serve beyond age 60, up to age 65
• Receive a fixed salary for assured income

The Challenges Khetaram Faces

Geographic challenges:

• Works 120 km beyond the last railhead at Barmer
• 50 km beyond the last telephone connection
• 10 km beyond where the road turns into sand (even bicycles cannot move there)
• Walks through sand beds and dunes

Weather challenges:

• Delivers mail even when temperature crosses 50 degrees Celsius (recorded as 49.9°C to avoid a state holiday)
• Faces scorching summer winds and swirling sandstorms
• Sometimes postpones deliveries until after sundown due to severe heat
• Water is scarce — he can only wipe his body, not wash

Physical challenges:

• His left shoulder has become slumped from years of carrying a heavy mailbag
• Carries up to 28 kg of mail across desert terrain

Khetaram’s Role Beyond Delivering Letters

• He reads out letters to villagers who cannot read
• He writes replies on behalf of villagers (in his slightly shaky handwriting)
• He delivers money orders — a lifeline for poor families in the desert
• He is a trusted and welcomed figure in every household

Handling sad news (Ashubh Samachar):

• Letters with the right corner torn off indicate news of death
• Khetaram does not carry such letters inside the house
• He stands outside, reads the letter twice, then tears it to pieces
• His belief: “Bad news must be destroyed”

Importance of the Postal System

Before independence:

The British set up postal systems mainly to send official mail (dak) between administrative centres

After independence:

• India Post’s goal changed — to bring all citizens within the mailing system
• From 25,000 post offices in 1947 → over 1.5 lakh post offices today
• Post offices also serve as banking points for rural people (savings accounts, money orders)

Mulk Raj Anand (in his book Story of the Indian Post Office) noted that in no other country are remote villagers so dependent on the post office for sending small sums of money — showing the absolute trust Indians place in the postal system.

Why Khetaram Took This Job

• The Thar Desert suffers from frequent famines (Akaal)
• In a good year, he gets one crop of bajra — not enough to feed his family of five
• The GDS job gave him a new lease of life and a stable income