What are the basic responsibilities you have for your country?

'India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters.' This is the oath we used to take every day when we were in school. This pledge and many more books and texts remind us of our moral and legal responsibilities. Our nation is our motherland. It never asks anything in return from us as it is our motherland and a mother is selfless in giving.

Even if the nation does not expect anything from us, we hold an obligation ourselves.

• The first and foremost responsibility we have towards our country is to respect not only the land where we were born or where we live but also all the scriptures and texts belonging directly or indirectly to it. For example, the Indian Flag or the ‘Tiranga’ must not lie down on the floor or be spoiled or disrespected in any circumstance.

• The fellow brethren, of whatsoever religion they belong to must be regarded and even their religion should be respected, if not followed.

• As the noble citizens of the country, we must abide by all the laws and orders of the country and respect the authority or the judicial system too.

• One must exercise one’s right to vote. Voting should be done intelligently and we must pick the right candidate as our representative in the parliament.

• We must keep ourselves vis-a-vis our surroundings clean.

• Foreign tourists must be provided with adequate hospitality and be treated as guests, next to God.

• No harm should be done to the public monuments, forts, museums and other structure of historic significance.

A country's development and progress depends largely on dutiful and honest citizens. So, we all must perform bear our responsibilities efficiently. They should take the help of acts like RTI, RTE, etc., for the good of society.