Who is a citizen

The chapter opens with words from Mahatma Gandhi: "The true source of rights is duty." Keep that line in mind; the whole chapter explains it.

A new student, Kruti, was being teased for her accent. Sonali and Harshada told the bullies to stop.

They did not stop there. They also invited Kruti to join their badminton team, so she would feel welcome. The chapter calls this being good citizens.

Notice the two steps. Stopping the teasing protected Kruti's dignity. Inviting her to play made her belong.

So who is a citizen? A citizen is someone who legally belongs to a country. They are a member of its political community, which means they can take part in the country's decisions, for example by voting.

Citizenship gives rights, such as:

• voting;
• free speech;
• living and working safely in the country.

It also brings duties, such as:

• obeying the law;
• paying taxes;
• respecting others;
• helping keep society safe.

So citizenship has two sides:

• a legal identity: it formally connects a person to their country;
• a social responsibility: it creates a sense of belonging and unites people through shared values.

Do not mix up a citizen and a resident. A resident is someone who simply lives in a place. Citizenship is formal legal membership of a country.

So not every resident is a citizen. A person can live in India without being an Indian citizen. And an Indian citizen can live in another country, for example as a student abroad, and still be Indian.

Two laws set the rules for gaining or losing Indian citizenship: the Citizenship Act, 1955 and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.

In India, all citizens are equal under the Constitution, whatever their language, religion or culture.

The chapter looks at four ideas:

• rights;
• duties;
• discrimination;
• inclusion.

The first three are named in our Constitution. Inclusion is the positive way to make sure nobody is discriminated against.