Explain how India is both a democracy and a republic. Why did India's Constitution makers choose this system?

Democracy means rule by the people, where people have the power to choose their government through free and fair elections. A republic means the head of state is elected, not hereditary, and there are limitations on the power of rulers through a constitution or laws. India is both a democracy and a republic because people elect their government, and the President is elected by a group of elected representatives rather than being a hereditary monarch. When India got Independence, the Constitution makers did not blindly adopt the British parliamentary system which has a monarch as head of state. Instead, they decided India's head of state would be elected, making India a democratic republic. India's Constitution also guarantees fundamental rights to all citizens and ensures that rule by a representative majority does not violate fundamental rights of any citizen.