Reading between the lines

Inference: read between the lines. Khetaram calls famine 'a way of life' because it comes so often that people live with it as normal.

Analogy: other families survive partly on money orders; Khetaram's family survives on his job.

The torn envelope. The sender tears the corner to warn of a death: a custom everyone understands. Khetaram reads it twice so the family hears it clearly, then destroys it. That shows he is sensitive and respectful of custom.

Why the GDS role is 'invaluable':

• they reach places that only feet can reach;
• they carry money that families live on;
• they read and write for people who cannot.

The author's tribute. Workers like Khetaram, in the harshest conditions, are part of the fabric of our society.