Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Citizen and Citizenship from Class 6 Social_Science. Let us begin our journey into understanding what it means to belong to a country. In this chapter, we will explore the concept of citizen and citizenship, learn how one can obtain citizenship, understand how one can lose it, and discover the important characteristics of a good citizen. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to clearly explain these ideas and apply them to your daily life. Let us start by observing a picture from your textbook. Imagine you are standing in front of the magnificent Mysuru Palace. Tourists from all over the world come here to admire its beauty. You might notice that not everyone in the crowd is Indian. How do we identify foreigners? They may look different from us in complexion, dress, language, and other features. [CHECKPOINT]
This brings us to a story about a young girl named Saritha. During her Dasara vacation, she visited Belur, Halebidu, and Mysuru with her parents. She was very curious and kept asking questions. When they visited Mysuru, she noticed some visitors who looked different. Her father explained that they are foreigners, citizens of other countries who have come on a tour to India. Saritha then asked her mother what the word citizen means. Her mother gave a clear explanation. Citizens are the responsible members who are settled in a country for example. Our country is India, we are Indians, our grandfather, great grandfather were born and lived here. We are permanent residents of this country. So, we become the citizens of India. As we are the members of our family, we are the members of this country. The textbook gives us a very important definition that you must remember exactly: Legal membership of a country is called citizenship. [CHECKPOINT]
Saritha then asked about the difference between foreigners and citizens. Her father explained that citizens of India have certain rights, but foreigners do not have those rights in our country. Now let us learn about the ways to get citizenship of a country. There are two main ways. The first is Natural citizenship, and the second is Naturalized citizenship. A child or a person can acquire citizenship in the following specific ways. The first method is By Birth. A person acquires the citizenship of the country in which he or she is born. Citizenship is granted irrespective of the nationality of the parents. Birth is the main basis for acquiring citizenship of a country. Let us look at the first example given in your book. A person born in India on or after January 26, 1950 is a citizen of India, because on this day Independent India had its own constitution. [CHECKPOINT]
The second method is Through Inheritance. According to this a person acquires citizenship on the basis of which country his parents belong to. For Example, Those born on or after January 26, 1950 or the people who are non-residents of India, even though born in Indian families will get Indian citizenship. These two methods are called Natural citizenship. The third method is Through Registration. Citizenship of any country can be obtained by applying and registering in the concerned office through appropriate means. Each country imposes certain criteria for applying. For Example, If they have lived in India for at least 5 years, they can get citizenship by registration. This method is called Naturalized citizenship. Saritha then asked under what circumstances a person loses the citizenship of his country. Her mother explained that the country's citizenship can be lost through three specific ways. [CHECKPOINT]
The first is Renunciation. Any Indian citizen who acquires citizenship of another country can voluntarily refuse Indian citizenship by declaring it through registration. The second is Termination. If any citizen of India acquires citizenship of a foreign country, his Indian citizenship is legally terminated without waiting for him to submit an application. The third is By Deprivation. The Government of India can deny citizenship to a person if he or she has obtained citizenship of India fraudulently, meaning in a deceptive manner, or if he or she is involved in anti-national activities or disobedience to the constitution of India. Such persons may be denied citizenship by the Government of India. It becomes forced rejection. Her father also added an important rule: one cannot be the citizen of two countries at the same time. Saritha happily replied that she loves India and will remain an Indian citizen. [CHECKPOINT]
Now let us move on to the Characteristics of a Citizen. Every citizen enjoys certain rights in his country, such as voting in elections, contesting election, serving in the government offices, and joining defence forces. Along with these rights, the citizen has to perform certain duties and responsibilities. Your textbook lists eleven important characteristics of a citizen, and I will share every single one with you. First, honouring the Constitution, the National Flag, the National Anthem and the freedom fighters who sacrificed their life for the sake of the country. Second, having scientific spirit, humanism and reforming spirit. Third, he must respect the constitution and obey the laws. Fourth, Voting in Elections. Fifth, seeing everyone as brothers regardless of language, religion and caste. Sixth, taking part in the rescue work when disaster strikes the country. [CHECKPOINT]
Continuing with the list, the seventh characteristic is paying of taxes regularly without fail. Eighth, being concerned about the environment protection. Ninth, protection of public property and renouncing violence. Tenth, helping the senior citizens. And eleventh, every Mother-Father or Guardian should enable their children go to the school up to the age of 6 to 14 Years. These are the complete characteristics you need to remember. Now, let us look at a special information box titled Know this. It states two important points. First, India permits only one common citizenship, which is Indian Citizenship. There is no separate citizenship for States. Second, civics teaches us rights, duties of citizens and their role in social development. A knowledge of civics is helpful. [CHECKPOINT]
Now it is time to practice what we have learned. We will go through the exercises from your textbook. First, we have fill in the blanks with suitable words. Question one: The two ways of getting citizenship are natural citizenship and naturalized citizenship. Question two: Voluntarily refusing citizenship is known as renunciation. Question three: India has one kind of citizenship. Let us move to the second part, where we answer questions in one sentence. Question four asks, who is a citizen? A citizen is a responsible member who is settled in a country and holds the legal membership of that country. Question five asks, are you an Indian citizen? How? Yes, I am an Indian citizen because I was born in India and my family has been permanent residents here, making me a legal member of the country. [CHECKPOINT]
Question six asks, mention a few characteristics of citizen. Some key characteristics include honouring the Constitution, the National Flag, and the National Anthem, respecting the constitution and obeying the laws, voting in elections, paying taxes regularly, protecting public property, and helping senior citizens. Question seven asks, mention two methods of getting citizenship of a country. Two methods are natural citizenship, which includes acquiring it by birth or through inheritance, and naturalized citizenship, which is obtained through registration after meeting specific criteria. Question eight asks, how can you help senior citizens? The textbook leaves this as a reflective question for you to consider. Think about the practical ways you can show respect, offer assistance, and support the elderly in your daily life, as helping senior citizens is highlighted as an important duty of a good citizen. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us quickly review the key examples we discussed. The first example explains that our country is India, we are Indians, our grandfather and great grandfather were born and lived here, making us permanent residents and citizens. The second example clarifies that a person born in India on or after January 26, 1950 is a citizen of India, because on this day Independent India had its own constitution. These examples perfectly illustrate how citizenship is acquired by birth and inheritance. Remember, understanding these concepts will help you in your exams and in becoming a responsible member of society. Keep these definitions and lists in mind as you prepare for your tests. [CHECKPOINT]
Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]