Gandhiji strongly believed that every adult in India should be given the right to vote. However, a few people don't share his views. They feel that illiterate people, who are mainly poor, should not be given the right to vote. What do you think? Do you think this would be a form of discrimination? Give five points to support your view and share these with the class.
I agree to Gandhiji’s belief that every adult in India should be given equal rights to vote because:
1. India is a democratic country and one of the most essential feature of democracy is to ensure equality to all citizens of the country.
2. If literacy is the reason then the government should make sure that it should provide literacy to all which is one of the rights of all citizens.
3. We should honor the dignity of every person, whether rich or poor, high caste or good social status etc.
4. No one should be discriminate on the basis of their social status and these rules are written in our constitution.
5. A person do not become poor because of his choice but because of circumstances. Dishonesty can develop in any person whether he is rich or poor and every adult develops a certain level of maturity which gives him enough wisdom to think about the government.
Look at the statements in the column on the left. Can you identify which level they belong to? Place tick marks against the level you consider most appropriate.
Why do you think the government needs to make rules for everyone in the form of laws?
Name two essential features of a democratic government.
What was the suffrage movement? What did it accomplish?
What do you understand by the word 'government'? List five ways in which you think the government affects your daily life.
How would Maya's life be different in South Africa today?
What problem did the villagers in Hardas village face? What did they do to solve this problem?
Draw up a list of the different festivals celebrated in your locality. Which of these celebrations are shared by members of different regional and religious communities?
What is the work of the police?
Match the following statements in a way that challenges stereotypes.
a. Two surgeons were sitting down to lunch when one of them made a call on the mobile phone |
1. suffers from chronic asthma. |
b. The boy who won the drawing competition went to the dias |
2. to become an astronaut which she did. |
c. One of the fastest athletes in the world |
3. to speak with her daughter who had just returned from school. |
d. She was not that well-off but had a dream |
4. on a wheelchair to collect his prize. |
Why did the children go to Yasmin Khala's house?
You have probably noticed that people in Kalpattu are engaged in a variety of non-farm work. List five of these.
Read and discuss the following description of the living conditions of workers who come to the labour chowk.
Most workers that we find at the labour chowk cannot afford permanent accommodation and so sleep on pavements near the chowk, or they pay Rs 6 a night for a bed at a nearby night shelter run by the Municipal Corporation. To compensate for the lack of security, local tea and cigarette shops function as banks, moneylenders and safety lockers, all rolled into one. Most workers leave their tools at these shops for the night for safekeeping, and pass on any extra money to them. The shopkeepers keep the money safely and also offer loans to labourers in need.
Source: Aman Sethi, Hindu On-line
What are the various ways in which people participate in the process of government?
What, in your opinion, is the importance of the Gram Sabha? Do you think all members should attend Gram Sabha meetings? Why?
Visit a police station and find out the work that the police have to do to prevent crime and maintain law and order in their area especially during festivals, public meetings etc.
What benefits does Sudha get along with her salary?
Compare the situation of Sekar and Ramalingam by filling out the following table:
What problem did the villagers in Hardas village face? What did they do to solve this problem?
Underline the line in the poem sung after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, which according to you, reflects India's essential unity.
Who is a Municipal Councillor?
Find out more about watershed development and how it benefits an area?
Several poor people in the city work as domestic servants as well as work for the Corporation, keeping the city clean. Yet the slums in which they live are quite filthy. This is because these slums seldom have any water and sanitation facilities. The reason often given by the Municipal Corporation is that the land in which the poor have set up their homes does not belong to them and that slum-dwellers do not pay taxes. However people living in middle class neighbourhoods pay very little in taxes compared to the amount of money the corporation spends on them in setting up parks, street lighting facilities, regular garbage collection etc. Also as you read in this chapter, the property taxes collected by the Municipality makes up only 25-30 per cent of its money. Why do you think it is important that the Corporation should spend more money on slum localities? Why is it important that the Municipal Corporation provide the poor in the city with the same facilities that the rich get?
What actions does the government take to ensure that all people are treated equally?
What is the work of a tehsildar?