Answer: Mahatma Gandhi was in favor of a stateless society in which life becomes perfect, people never become hindrances to one one-other’s routines, and; self-regulation, self-dependency, and mutual cooperation become essential in day-to-day human practices. Given the issues in trying to create such an order, he supported and advocated democracy. Accepting democracy to be a great institution, Gandhiji laid stress on decreasing the possibility of its misuse. He called for its constant development on the basis of high human values.

• He laid great stress on individual freedom in democracy. However, he realized that it is justice that along with freedom, provides adaptability, significance, and success to a democracy. Therefore, he advocated the importance and inevitability of social justice.
• Mahatma Gandhi laid great stress on the decentralization of power to ensure the participation of each and everyone in political and economic spheres.
• Moreover, on the strength of this participation, common men could also enjoy a standard of living, and along with intellectual growth, they could find a way to achieve equality in society.
• Through his theory of trusteeship, he wished for healthy social relations among men and on the basis of them desired ending differences between owners and servants.
• He wished to bring wealth and properties into the domain of Trusteeship with the sole purpose of self-sufficiency of each and every one by ascertaining the supply of essential commodities.

Therefore, morality occupies a central place in Gandhi’s conception of democracy. It develops a sense of responsibility in human beings on the strength of which they go forward to protect, respect, and honour the rights of each other. Significance of the given quote in contemporary period In a democracy, we often observe that the rights of the weak are sometimes not honoured. For instance:

• Tribal rights: The state may have, through statutes, ensured recognition of rights for tribals but its is argued by some that its implementation on ground is lacking. Tribals are prone to development induced displacement and additionally, their customary rights are often violated.
• Fault lines in electoral democracy: Political parties, instead of taking the message of equality and brotherhood to the masses, often use sectarian/caste/regional differences for petty electoral benefits.
• Social injustice: Despite provisions for economic and social upliftment of the weaker and vulnerable sections of the population, their educational status, standards of living and participation in decision-making are far from optimal.
• Women representation: Despite the promises, the participation of women in institutions of power and the workforce leaves a lot to be desired.

The remedy, therefore, is not avoidance of democracy but its constant development.

Answer: A society is a group of people having common traditions, institutions, and interests. They are guided by a set of norms and practices. Sometimes, society establishes norms and practices that may not be considered right based on modern values, however, people follow these norms under social pressure. However, all persons ought to endeavor to follow what is right, and not what is established, because:

• It would help in establishing order in society: When everyone knows what is right and follows it without succumbing to social pressure, there would be less scope for conflicts and disharmony. For example, following the value of tolerance would enable people to respect diversity which may lead to peace and harmony in the society.
• It would promote efficiency in administration and governance: When all persons strive to follow the code of conduct and professional ethics then there would be less complexity in governance. For instance, when public servants choose to not engage in corrupt practices, it would lead to better execution of government schemes and policies and good governance.
• It would help avoid a crisis of conscience: Sometimes established norms may create dissonance. For example, following patriarchal values despite believing in the principle of equality.
• It would also encourage others to follow right: People following what is right would act as role models for others and may encourage them to follow the same path of rightness. For example, reporting sexual harassment on the social media platform Twitter- led to the start of the #MeToo campaign.
• It would help in avoiding negative consequences: Following established norms would not always lead to positive outcomes. Sometimes it creates more problems for society. For example, due to rampant female infanticides, the child sex ratio has declined which is a cause for worry.
• It helps in the development of a rational attitude: For instance, there are provisions of amending of the Constitution itself and even the judgments of the Supreme Court are revised as per the changed circumstances.

Therefore, open-mindedness, questioning the established beliefs in light of rationality, and doing the right thing can lead to growth, peace, and harmony.