Class 12

INDIGO
by Louis Fischer
Flamingo Chapter 5

About the Author

Louis Fischer (1896-1970) was born in Philadelphia in 1896. He served as a
volunteer in the British Army between 1918-1920. Fischer made a career as a
journalist and wrote for The New York Times, The Saturday Review and for
European and Asian publications. He was also a member of the faculty of
Princeton University. The story is based on the interview taken by Louis Fischer
of Mahatma Gandhi. In order to write on him he had visited him in 1942 at his
ashram- Sevagram where he was told about the Indigo Movement started by
Gandhiji. The story revolves around the struggle of Gandhi and other prominent
leaders in order to safeguard sharecroppers from the atrocities of landlords.
SUMMARY—
Indigo is about how Mahatma Gandhi struggled for the underprivileged peasants
of Champaran. They were the sharecroppers with the British planters. The
peasants use to live a wretched life and were under an agreement to grow Indigo.
As Bihar had the landlord system back then, it worsened their condition. Thus,
Gandhi decided to fight against injustice. He waged a war which lasted for a year
to tackle the discrimination and got justice for the peasants. After that, it helped
the peasants become courageous and aware of their fundamental rights.
Moreover, Gandhiji did not just work to tackle political or economic issues, but he
also took up social issues. He worked to provide them with education, health,
hygiene and taught them self-confidence.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q1. Who was Rajkumar Shukla? Why did he come to Lucknow?
Ans: Rajkumar Shukla was a poor peasant from Champaran district in Bihar. He
had come to Lucknow, where a Congress session was being held, to complain
about the injustice of the landlord system in Bihar.

Q2. How did the development of synthetic indigo affect the English estate
owners and the Indian tenants?
Ans: The English estate owners saw that indigo cultivation was no longer
profitable. They wanted money from the sharecroppers as compensation for being
released from the 15 per cent arrangement. They obtained agreements from their
tenants to this effect and extorted money illegally and deceitfully.
Q3. How did the Indian peasants react to the new agreement released
them from sharecropping arrangement?
Ans: The sharecropping arrangement was troublesome to the peasants. Many of
them signed the new agreement willingly. Some resisted and engaged lawyers.
Then they came to know about synthetic indigo. The peasants wanted their
money back.
Q4. Why do you think Gandhi was not permitted to draw water from
Rajendra Prasad’s well at Patna?
Ans: The servants of Rajendra Prasad thought Gandhi to be another peasant.
They did not know him. They were not certain whether he was an untouchable or
not. They feared that some drops from his bucket might pollute the entire well.
So, he was not permitted to draw water from the well.
Q5. Why did Gandhi decide to go first to Muzaffarpur before going to
Champaran:
Ans: Gandhi wanted to obtain more complete information about conditions than
Shukla was capable of imparting. Muzaffarpur lawyers, who frequently
represented peasant groups in courts, briefed Gandhi about their cases.
Q6. Why did Gandhi chide the lawyers? What according to him was the
real relief for the sharecroppers?
Ans: Gandhi chided the lawyers for collecting big fee from the poor
sharecroppers. He thought that taking such cases to the court did little good to
the crushed and fear-stricken peasants. The relief for them, according to Gandhi,
was to be free from fear.
Q7. How did Gandhi begin his mission in Champaran ? How far did his
efforts prove successful?
Ans: He began by trying to get the facts. First, he visited the secretary of the
British landlord’s association. The secretary told Gandhi that they could give no
information to an outsider. Then Gandhi called on the British official
commissioner of the Tirhut Division. The commissioner tried to bully Gandhi and
advised him to leave Tirhut.

Q8. How did Gandhi react to the commissioner’s advice? Where did he go
and how did people react to his arrival?
Ans: Gandhiji did not leave Tirhut division. Instead, he went to Motihari, the
capital of Champaran. Several lawyers accompanied him. At the railway station, a
very large crowd of people greeted Gandhi.
Q9. Where did Gandhiji want to go? What happened to him on the way?
Ans: Gandhiji wanted to go to a nearby village where a peasant had been
maltreated. He had not gone far when the police superintendent’s messenger
overtook him and ordered him to return to town in his carriage. Gandhiji obeyed
the order and returned with him.
Q10. What according to Gandhi was the beginning of the poor peasants’
‘Liberation front fear of the British’?
Ans: The next morning the town of Motihari was black with peasants. They had
heard that a Mahatma who wanted to help them was in trouble with the
authorities. They spontaneously demonstrated, in thousands, around the
courthouse. Gandhiji called their action of protest as their liberation from fear of
the British.
Q11. Why did Gandhiji feel that taking the Champaran case to the court
was useless? [Delhi 2014]
Ans: Gandhiji felt that taking the Champaran case to the court was useless.
Because the real relief for the peasants would come only when they become
fearless. The peasants were in acute panic.
Q12. What was the “conflict of duties” in which Gandhi was involved?
Ans: First, he did not want to set a bad example as a law breaker. Second, he
wanted to render the “humanitarian and national service” for which he had come.
He respected the lawful authority, but disregarded the order to leave to obey the
voice of his conscience.
Q13. What according to Rajendra Prasad, was the upshot of the
consultations of the lawyers regarding the injustice to sharecroppers?
Ans: They thought that Gandhi was a total stranger. Yet he was ready to go to
prison for the sake of the peasants. On the other hand, the lawyers were the
residents of nearby districts. They also claimed to have served these peasants. It
would be shameful desertion if they should go home then.
Q14. “Civil disobedience had triumphed, the first time in modern India.”
How?
Ans: A case against Gandhi was initiated for disregarding government orders. The
spontaneous demonstration of thousands of peasants baffled the officials. The
judge was requested to postpone the trial. Gandhi refused to furnish bail. The
judge released him without bail. Several days later Gandhi received an official
letter. The case against him had been dropped. Thus, civil disobedience had
triumphed.
Q15. What do you think, led Gandhi to exclaim “The battle of Champaran
is won”?
Ans: Gandhi was ready to go to jail fighting against the injustice to the
sharecroppers. Many prominent lawyers had come from all over Bihar to advise
and help him. At first, they said they would go back if Gandhi went to prison.
Later, they had consultations. They told Gandhi they were ready to follow him
into jail. This support made Gandhi extremely happy and confident. This
confidence led him to exclaim that the battle of Champaran was won.
Q16. How did Gandhi and the lawyers try to secure justice for the
sharecroppers?
Ans: They started conducting a detailed enquiry into the grievances of the
peasants. Depositions by about ten thousand peasants were written down. Notes
were made on other evidence. Documents were collected. The whole area came
alive with the activities of the investigators. The landlords raised loud protests.
Q17. What was the reaction of Gandhi and his associates when he was
summoned to the lieutenant governor?
Ans: In June, Gandhiji was summoned to Sir Edward Gait, the Lieutenant
Governor. Anything could happen. Gandhi met his leading associates before
going. Detailed plans for civil disobedience were chalked out in case he should
not return.
Q18. Which other spheres besides political or economic fields received
Gandhi’s attention during his long stay in Champaran?
Ans:The cultural and social backwardness of the Champaran areas pained
Gandhi. He appealed for teachers. Several persons responded to his call. Primary
schools were opened in six villages. Kasturba taught the ashram rules on
personal cleanliness and community sanitation. With the help of a doctor and
three medicines, they tried to fight the miserable health conditions.
Q19. “This was typical Gandhi pattern” observes Louis Fischer. What do
you learn about Gandhian politics from the extract ‘Indigo’?
Ans: Gandhi’s politics was intermixed with the practical, everyday life of the
millions of Indians. This was not a loyalty to abstractions. It was a loyalty to living
human beings. In everything Gandhi did, he tried to mould a new free Indian who
could stand on his own feet and thus make India free.
Q20. How did Gandhi teach his followers a lesson of self-reliance?
Ans. During the Champaran action, Gandhi’s lawyer friends thought it would be
good if C.F. Andrews stayed on in Champaran and helped them. Gandhi opposed
this idea as it showed the weakness of their heart. Their cause was just and they
must rely upon themselves to win this unequal fight. They should not seek the
support of Mr Andrews because he happened to be an Englishman.
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q1. What solution to the problems of the poor did Gandhi suggest? How
far did the Champaran movement help in this direction?
OR
“The real relief for them is to be free from fear”, remarked Gandhi. What
do you think, was “the beginning of their liberation from the fear of the
British”?
Ans. The sharecropper peasants had to grow indigo on 15 per cent of their
holdings and surrender the indigo harvest as rent to the landlord. When Germany
developed synthetic indigo, the British planters started extracting money illegally
and deceitfully as compensation from the peasants for being released from the 15
per cent arrangement. The peasants were made to sign new agreements and pay
money. The planters behaved as lords above the law. Many peasants engaged
lawyers at hefty fees and went to courts.
The Muzaffarpur lawyers briefed Gandhi about the peasants for whom they
frequently represented in courts. Gandhi realized that these peasants were badly
crushed and fear- stricken. Freedom from fear was more important than legal
justice for them. Gandhiji was ready to court arrest for them. Thousands of
peasants demonstrated spontaneously around the court. The government had to
release Gandhi without bail. This voluntary uprising of the peasants marked the
beginning of their liberation from the fear of the British.

Q2. Why was Gandhi summoned to appear in the court? How did he gain
his liberty?
OR
‘Civil disobedience had triumphed, the first time in modern India. ’Relate
the events during Gandhi’s stay in Champaran that led to the triumph.
Ans. Gandhi had reached Motihari, the Capital of Champaran, to study the
problems of the sharecropper peasants. He was on his way to a neighboring
village, where a peasant was ill-treated. On the way, he was stopped by the police
superintendent’s messenger and ordered to return to town. When he reached
home, he was served with an official notice to quit Champaran at once. Gandhi
wrote on the receipt that he would disobey the order. So Gandhi received a
summons to appear in the court the next day.
Next morning the town of Motihari was black with peasants. Thousands of
peasants demonstrated voluntarily outside the court. The prosecutor requested
the judge to postpone the trial. Gandhi protested against the delay. He read out a
statement pleading guilty. He asked the penalty. The judge announced that he
would pronounce the sentence after a two-hour recess. He asked Gandhi to
furnish bail for that period. Gandhi refused. The judge released him without bail.
After the recess, the judge said that he would not deliver the judgement for
several days. Meanwhile he allowed Gandhi to remain at liberty.
Several days later Gandhi received a letter. The case against him had been
dropped. Thus, civil disobedience had triumphed, for the first time in India.
Q3. Give an account of Gandhi’s efforts to secure justice for the poor
indigo sharecroppers of Champaran.
OR
“Indigo sharecropping disappeared.” Which factors do you think, helped
to achieve freedom for the fear-stricken peasants of Champaran?
Ans. Gandhi went to Champaran on receiving reports of exploitation of the poor
sharecropper peasants at the hands of British planters. He began by trying to get
the facts. The British landlords as well as the Commissioner of Tirhut were non-
cooperative. Lawyers from MuZaffarpur briefed him about the court cases of
these peasants.
Gandhi and the lawyers collected depositions by about ten thousand peasants.
Notes were made on other evidence. Documents were collected. The whole area
throbbed with the activities of the investigators and forceful protests of landlords.
The lieutenant governor summoned Gandhi. After four protracted interviews an
official commission of inquiry was appointed to look into the indigo
sharecroppers’ condition. Gandhi was the sole representative of the peasants.
The official inquiry assembled huge quantity of evidence against the big planters.
They agreed, in principle, to make refunds to the peasants. After consultation, a
settlement of 25 per cent refund to the farmers was agreed on. This was a moral
victory of the peasants. They recognised their rights and learned courage.
Within a few years the British planters gave up their estates. These now went
back to the peasants. They became the masters of land. Thus, indigo
sharecropping disappeared.
Q4. How did Gandhi work for rural uplift during his stay in Champaran?
Ans. Gandhi wanted to do something to remove the cultural and social
backwardness in Champaran villages. He appealed for teachers. Two young
disciples of Gandhi, Mahadev Desai and Narhari Parikh and their wives
volunteered themselves for work. Several others responded from distant parts of
the country. Mrs. Kasturba Gandhi and Devdas, Gandhi’s youngest son, arrived
from the Ashram. Primary schools were opened in six villages. Kasturba taught
the ashram rules on personal cleanliness and community cleanliness. She also
talked to women about their filthy clothes.
Health conditions were miserable. Gandhi got a doctor to volunteer his services
for six months. Only three medicines were available: Castor oil, quinine and
sulphur ointment. Anyone who showed a coated tongue was given a dose of
castor oil; anybody with malaria fever received quinine plus castor oil; anybody
with skin eruptions received ointment plus castor oil.
Thus, Gandhi never contented himself with large political or economic solutions.
He worked for total uplift of villages and the poor sections of the society.
Q5. ‘Self-reliance, Indian independence and help to sharecroppers were
all bound together.’ Elucidate on the basis of reading ‘Indigo’ by Louis
Fischer.
OR
‘The Champaran episode was a turning-point in Gandhi’s life. Explain
with examples from ‘Indigo’ by Louis Fischer.
Ans. Gandhi stayed in Champaran for a long time. The Champaran episode was a
turning point in his life. It was during this struggle in 1917 that he decided to
urge the departure of the British.
Champaran episode did not begin as an act of defiance. It grew out of an attempt
to make the sufferings of large numbers of poor peasants less severe. Gandhi
concentrated on their practical day to day problems. He analyzed the root cause
of the problem-fear, and tried to eradicate it. The voluntary demonstration of the
poor peasants against the government for putting Gandhi in trouble was the
beginning of the end of their fear of the British.
In everything Gandhi did, he tried to mould a new free Indian who could stand on
his own feet and thus make India free. He taught his lawyer friends a lesson in
self-reliance by opposing the involvement of C.F. Andrews, an Englishman, in
their unequal fight. His help would be a prop. This would reflect their weakness.
Their cause was just and they must rely on themselves to win the battle. Thus
self-reliance, Indian independence and help to sharecroppers were all bound
together.
Q6. Justify the appropriateness of the title ‘Indigo’ to this extract.
Ans. The title ‘Indigo’ is quite appropriate, to the point and suggestive. It at once
focuses our * attention on the central issue-the exploitation of the indigo
sharecropper peasants at the hands of cruel British planters. They compelled
them through a long term agreement to raise indigo on 15 per cent of their
landholding and surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent.
After the development of synthetic indigo by Germany, the British planters
extracted money from the peasants as compensation for being released from the
15 per cent agreement. The peasants who wanted their money back had filed civil
suits. The planters who behaved as lords above the law and were dreaded by the
poor were obliged to surrender part of money and with it part of their prestige.
The extract also points out the work done by Gandhi and his associates to
improve the economic, political, cultural and social fife of the indigo
sharecroppers. Their education, health and hygiene also received due attention.
The plight of indigo sharecroppers, then- struggle under Gandhi’s leadership and
ultimate victory when Indigo sharecropping disappeared from important
landmarks. Thus, the title ‘Indigo’ is highly suggestive and apt.
Q7. What impression do you form about Gandhi on reading the chapter
‘Indigo’?
Ans. The chapter ‘Indigo’ pays a tribute to the leadership shown by Mahatma
Gandhi to secure justice for oppressed people through convincing argumentation
and negotiation. Gandhi had a magnetic attraction and great persuasive power.
He could draw people of all classes to himself and make them partners in the
freedom movement. Even ordinary people were inspired to make contribution to
the freedom movement.
Gandhi emerges as a champion of the downtrodden and the oppressed. Rural
uplift was his favorite programme. His knowledge of legal procedure and respect
for law is also highlighted. He does not want to be a lawbreaker. At the same
time, he wants to render the humanitarian and national service in obedience to
the higher law of our being, the voice of conscience. He also appears as a polite
and friendly person. Gandhi’s ability to read the minds of others made them
speechless. He believed in self-reliance, just cause and purity of means to achieve
India’s Independence.
Q8. Why is the Champaran episode considered to be the beginning of the
Indian struggle for Independence? [All India 2014]
Ans. The Champaran episode began as an attempt to ease the sufferings of a
large number of’ peasants. He got spontaneous support of thousands of people.
Gandhi declared that the British could not order him about in his own country.
Under his leadership, the peasants became aware of their rights. Raj Kumar
Shukla, a farmer of Champaran helped him a lot in bringing about the change.
Other peasants too fought courageously and contributed in their own way to the
movement. It resulted in their winning the battle of Champaran. The effects of
Gandhi’s method of non-violence and non-cooperation proved very fruitful in this
movement. Hence, it can be said that the Champaran episode is the beginning of
the Indian struggle for independence.
PASSAGE BASED QUESTIONS (attempt in note books)
A. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that
follow:
They thought he would demand repayment in full of the money which they had
illegally and deceitfully extorted from the sharecroppers. He asked only 50 per
cent. “There he seemed adamant,” writes Reverend J. Z. Hodge, a British
missionary in Champaran who observed the entire episode at close range.
“Thinking probably that he would not give way, the representative of the planters
offered to refund to the extent of 25 per cent, and to his amazement Mr. Gandhi
took him at his word, thus breaking the deadlock.”
This settlement was adopted unanimously by the commission.

i. Gandhi knew that he would not get an agreement on the demand for 50%
repayment.
Choose the option that offers the correct justification for the assumption made
above.
a) He had anticipated the negotiating tactics of the planter’s representative.
b) He had been informed about the depleting funds of the planters.
c) He had taken the advice of the Reverend on board.
d) He had evaluated the commission’s attitude towards Indians.

ii. Based on the given context, choose the option that exemplifies a deceitful
extortion, out of the examples given below.
1. The artisans demonstrated for their rights, peacefully, on the streets.
2. The head of the artisan union pretended to address all the problems faced
by them.
3. The head of the artisan union came with goons and took all the assets of the
poor artisans.
4. The artisans in Hafrgunj decided to sell their wares directly to the
government outlets.
a) Option 1
b) Option 2
c) Option 3
d) Option 4

iii. The deadlock broke because

a) Gandhi’s settlement offer was worth considering.
b) All commission members agreed to adopt the representative’s offer.
c) Reverend J. Z. Hodge’s intervention brought both parties together.
d) The sharecroppers refused to be convinced by the commission.

iv. “There he seemed adamant,” writes Reverend J. Z. Hodge, a British

missionary in Champaran who observed the entire episode at close range.
Change the voice of the statement.
B Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that
follow:
But Champaran did not begin as an act of defiance. It grew out of an attempt to
alleviate the distress of large numbers of poor peasants. This was the typical
Gandhi pattern — his politics were intertwined with the practical, day-to-day
problems of the millions. His was not a loyalty to abstractions; it was a loyalty to
living, human beings. In everything Gandhi did, moreover, he tried to mould a
new free Indian who could stand on his own feet and thus make India free.

i. Choose the option listing the sentence that is the most appropriate
example of an ‘act of defiance’, from the following:
She picked up the telephone terrified of what was about to come. She could hear
nobody on the other side. Meanwhile, there was a thud at the door loud enough
to scare her. Curious as she was, she wanted to open it as soon as possible. Her
mother tried to stop her several times, but she went ahead, nevertheless.
a) She picked up the telephone terrified of what was about to come.
b) Meanwhile, there was a thud at the door loud enough to scare her.
c) Curious as she was, she wanted to open it as soon as possible.
d) Her mother tried to stop her several times but she went ahead
nevertheless.

ii. Choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given
below.
Statement 1: His was not a loyalty to abstractions; it was a loyalty to living,
human beings.
Statement 2: Gandhi was a humanitarian at heart.
a) Statement 1 is the cause of Statement 2.
b) Statement 2 is the effect of Statement 1.
c) Statement 2 can be inferred from Statement 1.
d) Statement 1 and Statement 2 are independent of each other.

iii. The given extract DOES NOT talk about

a) details of the daily problems faced by human beings.
b) efforts to relieve suffering of the common people.
c) the reason for the occurrence of Champaran.
d) Gandhi’s principles in the field of politics.

iv. Which option showcases an example of action (A) -result (R), from the
passage?
(1) A= defiance
R= poor peasants
(2) A= free Indians
R= free India

(3) A= free India

R= defiance

(4) A= defiance
R= free Indians

a) Option 1
b) Option 2
c) Option 3
d) Option 4

WRITING SKILLS BASED QUESTIONS

[Link] you are Louis Fischer. Write an article for your newspaper describing
the reception of Gandhi at Champaran, specifically mentioning the legend that
the general public believed Gandhi to be.

[Link] are Raj Kumar Shukla, the peasant activist from Champaran. Write a diary
entry describing your first interaction with Gandhi.

_________________