Section-A

1. Indian Democracy: Aspirations and Achievements.

2. Power Corrupts the Few, While Weakness Corrupts the Many

Section-B
3. Discipline Means Success, Anarchy Means Ruin.
4. The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all.
 Indian Democracy: Aspirations and Achievements
Democracy is the government of the people, for the people and by the people. Precisely, the
democracy gives all its importance to the citizens of the country who play the role of creator,
protector and destroyer of the government of their nation. Every citizen irrespective of his status,
caste or religion is equal before the democratic set-up and can freely excise their veto power.
Democracy is the sense of fresh air we breathe in day-in and day-out. The freedom we enjoy
today is the gift of our elders to us Indians. This hard-earned freedom is a great treasure for us
that we need to safe-guard throughout our life. The democracy has a great deal and zeal to provide
a peaceful living to its citizens. Though the country has its own rulers, still there remains a lot of
difference between an autocratic and democratic set-up. Freedom in every respect, enjoying our
fundamental rights with peace and ability to question the government is possible only in a
democratic set-up.

Indian Democracy
 Running a democratic set-up in a country like India where we have unity in diversity is a challenging job
practically. It is easy to question the governance and pin-point the incorrect means and failures, but that
is equally difficult to run the government smoothly pacifying and satisfying the needs and expectations
of the people from every sect, every state and every group of classification. We have been undoubtedly
doing a great job so far. The Fundamental rights that we enjoy in our every action is a beautiful feature of
this democratic set-up. Having so many dialects, religion, traditions and customs, we have respect for
every group of people.
 Indian democracy have seen both the single party rule and the coalition government. Both have their
own significance. The single party rule is helpful in scenarios where we need to get a rule passed in the
parliament with much ease. On the other hand, the coalition government is helpful in understanding the
requirements and expectation of the people all over the country through their representatives in the
parliament. In both the cases, the main important feature being the opposition. A strong opposition is
highly important for the efficient functioning of a democratic government. There need to be a good
knowledgeable opposition to question the working of the government and raise the unattended issues to
the house to have them resolved as well.

Aspirations and Achievements

 End to autocracy - End of kingship and autocratic rule. We are now free of bowing down to a single man.
though our country is divided into states, still we are united as a single unit India, unlike the older days
when just a province of the king was known to be their land.
 Equality before law – Everyone is equal before law. There is no discrimination with respect to caste,
creed, religion, gender etc. Every person is considered with equality in all aspects.
 Abolishment of superstitious beliefs – The superstitious beliefs prevailing under the name of traditions
like Sati and Child Marriage, untouchability, etc. have been successfully abolished by some great reformers
in our society.
 Fresh and open minded outlook - New approach and transformation in the mind-set of the masses viz.
widow re-marriage, women education and employment etc. Right against exploitation, prohibiting all
forms of forced labour, child labour and traffic in human beings is a big achievement.
 Freedom of speech and expression- this is definitely a great freedom to speak out things openly and
freely without any fear or hesitation. Speaking our views out even about the ruling government , obviously
in an unoffending way, can be possible only in a democratic set-up.

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  Freedom for all religions – We are a secular state. We welcome and respect all the religions in our country.
We have the freedom of practice and propagation of all the religions. It is the speciality of our nation that
we possess the right for minorities to establish institutions and also provide the reservations to give
them a helping hand to raise them. We have also established the rights to conserve culture.
 Right for education and employment - Development of rural culture like adult education, free education
to the children have helped a lot to overcome the rural India. This has helped in spreading awareness
amongst the masses, which has in turn made a lot of changes in their life-style and living standard.
Freedom for getting educated and get into any occupation and profession is a good opportunity provided
to us to reach the heights. Equality in employment opportunities is again a boon from our democracy.
 Urbanization - Freedom for residing anywhere in the country. Urbanization viz better living conditions,
better sanitation facilities, well constructed house-hold etc. is a return gift of our freedom. the well
utilised opportunity turns the life into a paradise.
 Self defence against conviction – Freedom to get defence and protection in case of conviction is another
right that we have. We can place our set of argument to defend ourselves before getting framed into any
charge. This is definitely a boon for those innocent people who get falsely framed into the crime.

What do we require to improve or overcome in our democratic set up?

 We need to have an educated electoral group
 Independent judiciary is something we enjoy, still if the judicial system gets out of the trap of the bribery,
it would be pleasure living.
 Free Press
 Corruption
 Ever increasing population
 Law and order situation in the country
 Improper distribution of wealth

Conclusion
To be precise, our democratic set-up has given us a lot many things. It is we who need to preserve
the freedom and our rights in a judicious way. A well utilised opportunity will definitely help us
to reach the untouchable heights. With unity and an efficient democratic governance, we definitely
possess the potential to emerge as a Superpower in the near future.



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 Power Corrupts the Few, While Weakness
Corrupts the Many

“Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”-Lord Acton

“The world suffers a lot. Not because the violence of bad people. But because of the silence of
the good people.” (Take violence here as Corruption)
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.
One bad fish can spoil the whole pond

Thesis Statements
 Both bribe taking and giving are corruption. Bribe taker is corrupt due to power and bribe giver is
corrupt due to weakness. S/he is helpless. Definitely, bribe takers are a few and bribe givers are too many.
 Politics – Politicians are corrupt due to possession of power. But voters are corrupt due to their weakness.
They take money/alcohol/gifts during election because they are weak. They feel that they can’t change
the system. Their one vote can’t make any difference. So, why not make some money. Thus, leads to
collusive corruption on part of many.
 Take the example of ‘Hindi Medium’ movie- where the Principle of the institution was corrupt, due to
which people in the mass adopt various corrupt means to get admission. And to serve that chain, many
people participate in corruption starting from peon, tea shop, a big businessman,etc.
 Example of Organized Crime can be used to demonstrate that when those in power indulge in corrupt
practices, then how, who don’t have power, keep quiet and become part of the system due to their moral
corruption.

Arguments behind this Phenomenon

 According to pyramidal nature of society, the number of people at the top of the pyramid is less than the
number of people at the lower level. So, naturally power corrupts the few because power is possessed by
few only. If a system is corrupt, all those who are following that corrupt system are guilty. They are also
corrupt in the sense that they are reason for perpetuation of corrupt system.
 Power is not as much the reason of corruption as the weakness in one’s moral fibre. It is a person’s
inability to resist the easy money through corruption that is the prime cause of corruption. And this is
weakness, not power
 However, moral weakness sometimes also gets manifested by lack of power too. For example - In a
company, if some corrupt practices are being carried out by those who are in power, then people of lower
rank do not show enough courage to highlight it and keep silent due to lack of power.
 Hatred, malice, rudeness, intolerance, and suspicion are the faults of weakness. The resentment of the
weak does not spring from any injustice done to them but from the sense of their inadequacy and
impotence.
 Sometimes situational crisis makes masses weak and thus indulge in corrupt practices unknowingly. For
example – Sometimes due to poverty, a poor person might indulge in illegal selling of his organ, which is
crime and not allowed. But this is his situation that forces him /her to indulge in this illegal act.
 Power is very much needed, but if power becomes corrupt, then it might corrupt the masses, by triggering
their weakness due to lawlessness or weak enforcement mechanisms. For example – If a King with power
is corrupt, then there are chances that his officers will in turn be corrupt and thus due to lawlessness and
for personal benefits masses will also become corrupt. (Sadam Hussain, Muammar Gaddafi).

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 So, What Needs to be Done?
 We should focus on removing weaknesses. We need to inculcate the capacity for self-help.
 Capability Approach by Amartya Sen should be our model of development.
 We should impart people the Technical, Social, and Political skills which would enable them to get Bread,
Human Dignity, Freedom, and Strength by their own efforts. (Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day;
teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime
 Empowering masses with legislative tools- about their rights, protecting them against the wrongs done
by those in Power. For example- Whistle-blower Protection Act. We should empower people with their
rights and all the necessary mechanism to entertain those rights.
 Inequality at all levels- be it of class, caste, power, etc should be reduced, so that people don’t get indulged
in wrong practices due to their situations. For example reducing income inequality, will reduce poverty.
Thus, poverty induces corruption/ crimes will reduce and people will not take wrong path.
 Value based education and the role of society also becomes crucial in imparting values, which empowers
an individual with the values of integrity, honesty- which gives moral strength.

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Discipline Means Success, Anarchy Means Ruin

In the Indian movie Mohabattein starring the legendary Amitabh Bacchan as the tough Principal
for the Gurukul school, the actor says stresses on Parampara, Pratishtha and Anushasan. While
parampara is tradition, pratishtha is respect, it is anushasan or discipline which continues to be
an important characteristic for a person to have in order to progress in life.

Discipline comes from the word “disciple”, a learner or follower of a teacher; and it means properly
training. The same word is accentuated in schools today as it is formative years in which a person
obeys instructions from those who teach him anything, may it be how to form good habits or to
avoid wrong conduct.

Why Discipline means success?

 Discipline involves punishment for not obeying instructions. Parents and teachers can set an example
by infusing the aspect of discipline and the consequences of not following it. Children are taught the
virtues of preparing early for everything, waking up on time and hygiene habits as a part of being
disciplined in life. It is said that an army without discipline is nothing more than a mob. This cannot be
truer. Even in sports, discipline is of utmost importance as any violation of laid out rules or instructions
can result in a foul, which can end up suspending a player for a match or worse off, with high penalty.
 The toughest aspect of discipline is self-discipline. This means that governing oneself by controlling
temptations and evil desires. It is the waning of self-discipline amongst young people which has led to the
world going through a tough time. The higher crime rates and more difficult adolescents are results of
anarchy taking over our lives more strongly than ever before.
 Glamour may be an important element of being a celebrity but what should be remembered is that
thousands of hours of perseverance and hard work went into them. Success in life is also determined by
self-discipline and anyone who wants to go far in life must inculcate self-discipline. One of the reasons
why children are encouraged to study or to play outdoor sports instead of watching TV or play video games
is because that is essential for their growth in life. A self-disciplined person does not squander away time
for trivial pleasures in life.

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  You can easily cite this with examples of most successful people in life. They gave up indulgences and
pleasures for achieving something big in life. Mahatma Gandhi, Milkha Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul
Dravid are some of the big Indian names that have been associated with a life that involved rigorous
discipline and their names are etched in history forever for not just their stupendous achievements but
also how they achieved greatness by being disciplined all of their life. There have been examples of many
monks being able to discipline their mind so well that they are able to survive in extremely cold parts of
Himalayas.
 On the other hand, anarchy prevails if discipline is not followed and unruly elements can make it seem
more relevant. Anarchy can be a country having situation of lawlessness or political disorder. India, a
democratic country, was also threatened by its perils in times of emergency in late 1970’s. There was a
situation of anarchy under the then Prime Minister Ms Indira Gandhi. However, it did not last very long
and ultimately a new government was formed after a few years. Anarchy makes people unhappy and
does not let them be at their best. This is true in case of both government as well as individuals.
 For instance, when militancy groups take over the country, there is a situation of chaos like we have
seen in case of Iraq, Afghanistan or Sudan. Anarchy results in ruining the person or the group and all the
elements near it as well. People who create anarchy or dwell in situations of anarchy may feel on the top
of the world for some time but ultimately they are doomed in life.
 There are many countries that have seen the fruition of rigorous discipline over years resulting in
making them developed economies. On the other hand, there are those who have ruined themselves
under an anarchic rule. The redundancy of anarchy on individuals or nations has proven time and again
that humans must ensure that they learn the art of discipline for success.

Conclusion
Discipline is the foundation on which people must build lives because no other characteristic has
the power to transform people’s lives more than discipline. Discipline in personal, professional
or any other realm of life is vital and should not be confused as a binding habit which one must
inculcate. It should rather be seen as an essential component which an individual should practice
for going far in life.

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The climate is a common good, belonging

to all and meant for all

A little of the earth belongs to those who are living, A little to those who are dead, But a large part
belongs to those who are yet to be born!
“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors—we borrow it from our children.”It means that
the climate belongs to past, present as well as future generations.
The Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.

Definition of Common Good

 The common good is that which is shared by and beneficial to all or most members of a given community.
It is shared by all collectively and not owned by any individual person or entity. There is no exclusive
right over a common good.

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 Implication of Climate change on Common Good
 Climate Change is affecting all e.g. erratic monsoons, frequent extreme events like floods, droughts and
cyclones.
 Universal impact of Global Temperature rise by 0.5 0C above Preindustrial era.
 Sea Level Rise -> inundation in coastal regions -> migration towards inlands -> Migrants problems like
slum development, infrastructure shortage etc.
 Urbanization induced climatic changes affect nearby rural areas also. E.g. Deforestation for urbanization
often leads to reduced rainfall.
 Reduced Agricultural Productivity due to climate Change – Food Security of everyone is compromised.
 Interaction of one section of humanity with the climate has impacted all. For Instance,
 Developed countries’ have emitted most of the present CO2 in atmosphere. But its impact is being felt by
all
 Rich people consume more and have higher ecological footprint. But it is the poor that suffers more from
vagaries of the nature.
 Deforestation in Himalayas > Siltation in rivers flowing through Northern plain > Flooding in Northern
Plain
 Deforestation in Himalayas > Anomaly in Monsoon patterns > drought in Peninsular India

How Humanity has failed to appreciate that climate belongs to all

 Based on Ecological Footprint, 4.8 Earths would be required if the whole world live like USA. It means the
people of developed country are consuming resources and in turn impacting climate that is meant for
others.

Recent Lessons Learnt

 Paris Climate Deal to stop global temperature below 1.50C above pre-industrial level. All countries have
adopted Intended Nationally Determined Contributions. Mention about INDCs of India.
 Sustainable Development goals (SDGs)meant for all nations of the globe. National Action Plan on Climate
Change

What needs to be done to Protect Climate

 We should not allow climate degradation in any part of the world because that is going to impact each one
of us.
 Developed countries should stop the practice of shifting their polluting industries to developing countries.
 We must not indulge in Conspicuous Consumption
 Go for sustainable Development and follow 3 Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle so that resources are
available for all.
 Take Measures to Safeguard several constituent of climate viz. Anti-pollution measures, Afforestation
etc.
 Participative Development engaging all section of society as climate belongs to all and development is
intricately linked to climate.

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