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A Letter to God is the first prose lesson in First Flight, and it is on the CBSE list of prescribed chapters for 2026-27 (CBSE English Language and Literature curriculum, Class X). It is short, but the marks go to students who can explain why the ending works, not just what happens.
What happens in A Letter to God?
In our own words, from the NCERT First Flight chapter (PDF):
Lencho, a farmer, lives in the only house in a valley. His corn is ripe and needs only rain.
The rain comes and he calls the drops new coins. Then hail falls for an hour and destroys the whole crop.
The family's one hope is help from God. On Sunday Lencho writes to God for a hundred pesos to sow again and live until the next crop.
The postmaster laughs at the letter, then turns serious. Not wanting to shake the writer's faith, he collects money from his employees and friends and gives part of his own salary.
He raises only a little more than half and sends it signed with one word: God.
Lencho is not surprised to get money, but angry when he counts it. He writes again: only seventy pesos came, so send the rest, but not by mail, because the post office employees are "a bunch of crooks".
What are the themes of A Letter to God?
Faith. Lencho never doubts that God will answer and never asks who really sent the money. The postmaster wishes he had that faith.
Conflict. The NCERT questions name two kinds: humans against nature (the hailstorm) and humans against humans (Lencho's suspicion of the people who helped him).
Quiet kindness. The postmaster, his employees and his friends help a stranger and take no credit.
Irony. The ending is the opposite of what anyone expected.
What is the irony at the end of A Letter to God?
The NCERT text asks this directly, and its own definition is the one to use: irony is an unexpected aspect of a situation (NCERT First Flight, Chapter 1). Lencho believes God could not have made a mistake, so he blames the post office employees, the very people who helped him. The postmaster had watched with the contentment of a man who has done a good deed. The reader knows the truth; Lencho never will.
Who are Lencho and the postmaster in A Letter to God?
Lencho is hardworking ("an ox of a man"), knows his fields intimately and can write. His faith is unquestioning, which also makes him ungrateful without meaning to be: he suspects the people who helped. From the NCERT word box, naive and unquestioning fit best; give one piece of evidence for each.
The postmaster is "a fat, amiable fellow". He laughs first, but kindness wins: he gives part of his salary and signs as God so as not to shake Lencho's faith. His employees give money too, and several of his friends are obliged to give something "for an act of charity".
What questions come in the exam from A Letter to God?
The 2026-27 CBSE curriculum sets short answers from First Flight at 40-50 words and one long answer at about 100-120 words for 6 marks, plus prose extracts for reference to the context (CBSE Class X English curriculum). Likely questions:
Why did Lencho compare the raindrops to new coins?
Why did the postmaster sign the letter "God"?
Did Lencho try to find out who sent the money? Why not?
What is the irony in the story?
Long answer: Faith can move mountains. How far does Lencho's story bear this out?
A worked short answer to measure yours against (42 words):
Q. What is the irony in the situation? The irony is that Lencho accuses the post office employees of stealing part of the money, when they gave it to him out of kindness. His faith in God is so complete that he blames the very people who protected that faith.
A three-step method for any answer on this chapter:
Answer the question in your first sentence.
Add one detail from the text as evidence.
Close with the reason or effect, then count your words.
Revising from an AI summary? Check each detail against the book first, as our guide to spotting invented details in AI chapter summaries shows. Parents can see where this chapter sits in the CBSE Class 10 exam pattern explained for parents, and there is a week-by-week plan for the last 45 days before boards.
If English revision is squeezing your science time, Fermi's AI tutor can work out what you already know and build a plan for the session, so you start with a clear next step.
