South Africa is a country that has black people who belong to South Africa, whites who came there to settle and Indians who came as labourers and traders.

Some of the key ideas of a democratic government are:
(i) Regular elections.
(ii) People's participation in governance.
(iii) Resolution of conflicts by the government through constitutional procedures.
(iv) All people above the age of 18 have the right to vote and choose their representatives.

Maya's life would be different in South Africa today in the following manner:
(i) She can use buses, train etc without any discrimination.
(ii) She can enter any hotel or restaurant.
(iii) She has no fear of the police.

As my intention was just, all the people around me were convinced by my action. They termed my action as fair.

In Dr Ambedkar's story, the practice of untouchability did not support the idea that people are equal. It supported the idea of discrimination and unjust treatment towards certain groups of people.

Approval and disapproval are being expressed here as:
Approval The two persons express approval for presence of water in a tap.
Disapproval The condition of distribution of drinking water is not good. It should be condemned as it may give rise to aversion to the system and governance.

Besides voting, there are other ways of participating in the process of government.
(i) People participate by taking an interest in the working of the government and by criticising it when required.
(ii) Sometimes people take out rallies and also organise signature campaign. Things that are unfair and unjust are also brought forward through rallies, dharnas, strikes etc.
(iii) Now, magazines, newspapers and TV also play a role in discussing government issues and responsibilities.
(iv) Another way for people to participate is by organising themselves into social movements that seek to challenge the government and its functioning. Members of the minority community, dalits, adivasis, women and others are often able to participate in this manner.
If we see a rally winding through the streets ot our cities and towns or villages, we should pause to find out what the rally is about, who is participating in it, and what they are protesting about.Thus, this will help to give us a sense of how our government works.

Cauvery Water Dispute
• River Cauvery flows through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Two dams have been constructed on this river:
(i) Krishnasagar dam has been constructed on Cauvery in Karnataka.
(a) It stores water which is used in irrigation in several districts of Karnataka.
(b) It also meets the water needs of Bangalore city.
(ii) Mettur dam has been constructed in Tamil Nadu.
(a) Its water is used in crop irrigation in the delta regions of Tamil Nadu.
(iii) Downstream dam of Mettur can be filled up only if water from upstream dam Krishnasagar is released.
(iv) Neither of the two states gets as much water as per their requirement.
(v) Due to these two dams being on the same river, a conflict has arisen.