Indigo

Given below is the Question Bank which has been divided into 3 sections. Answering the highlighted questions of
Sections A and B is compulsory. You may attempt to answer the challenging questions Section C too. Write the
answers in your note book.

Section A

1. What was the Indigo problem? /What were the terms of the indigo contract between the British landlords
and the Indian peasants?

The arable land in the Champaran district was divided into estates which were owned by Englishmen and worked by
Indian tenants. The chief commercial crop was indigo. The landlords compelled all tenants to plant 15 per cent of
their holdings with indigo and surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent.

2. ‘He was illiterate but resolute.’ Who was this person? What does the statement tell you about the person?

Rajkumar Shukla- an indigo peasant in Champaran- he had made up his mind to take Gandhiji to his village- knew
only he would help to find solution- told him about the plight of the peasants- convinced him to go there- stayed
with him until Gandhiji was ready to go- that changed the history of India- led to first Civil Disobedience Movement

3. Why was Gandhiji not allowed to draw water from the well at Rajendra Prasad’s residence?

He was with Rajkumar Shukla - the servants knew Shukla as a poor peasant of Champaran who often came to
Rajendra Prasad’s house and pestered him to take up the cause of the indigo sharecroppers of Champaran- a simply-
clad Gandhiji accompanied Shukla- the servants mistook him to be another peasant- did not know whether he was
an untouchable- so did not allow him to touch the water which the high caste people drank

4. Why did he ‘chide’ the lawyers?

Gandhiji chided the lawyers - over-charging the poor peasants- poor and crushed- inhuman to charge heavy fees –
ought to have given them proper counsel- Gandhiji’s selfless service and devotion - put the lawyers to shame.

5. Why was the sharecropping arrangement ‘irksome’?

A system of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops
produced on the land- here the peasants had to hand over the entire harvest to the land-owners to pay rent- the
little that they used to get for themselves- not enough to survive- as a result always caught in the vicious cycle of
debt

6. Why did the British not want to grow indigo anymore?

Not profitable anymore- Germans had invented synthetic indigo- cheaper

7. What kind of reaction did he get from the British officials at Champaran?

The authorities believed his visit would cause a law and order problem- they were used to the docility of the
peasants- knew that Gandhiji could cause an uprising

8. Why did Gandhi accept the notice to quit Champaran? Did he quit? Why/why not?

He began trying to get facts and visited the secretary of the British landlord's association- who told him that he was
not at liberty to disclose information to an outsider- Gandhi called on the British official commissioner of the Tirhut
division in which Champaran district lay- who bullied him and advised forthwith to leave Tirhut- Gandhi proceeded
to Motihari instead but he could not go far as the police superintendent's messenger overtook him and ordered him
to return to town in his carriage- served with an official notice to quite Champaran- he was a lawyer himself-knew he
had to accept court notice- did not want to give the British any reason to say that he had defied law- so accepted the
notice but did not leave. He believed that the British had no right to drive him away from his own country- also the
peasants neede him to guide them- so he disobeyed the order

9. How much bail was Gandhi asked to furnish? Did he pay the money? What was the result?
10. What question did Gandhi ask the prominent lawyers regarding his going to jail? What was their answer?
Why did they change this later on?
11. Who were the members of the commission? What decision did they come to?
12. Why did majority of the sharecroppers decide to pay their British Landlords?

They did not know their rights- were afraid of the thugs- were used to the bullying of British- accepted it as a way of
life

13. Why did they later demand their money back?

Got to know they were being cheated- knew about the German indigo- realized that they did not have to plant
indigo anymore- wanted the money which they had paid for their freedom

14. What preparations did Gandhi make before he appeared at the court?
15. What was the initial plan of the lawyers, in case Gandhi was sent to jail?
16. What was 'conflict of duties' in which Gandhi was involved?

The situation between not wanting to set a bad example as a law breaker and secondly, wanting to render the
humanitarian and national service for which he had come

17. How did the Indian peasants react to the new agreement releasing them from sharecropping arrangement?
18. What other spheres besides political or economic fields received Gandhi’s attention during his long stay in
Champaran?

The cultural and social backwardness of the Champaran areas pained Gandhi- appealed for teachers- several persons
responded to his call- established Primary schools - in six villages- Kasturba taught the ashram rules on personal
cleanliness and community sanitation- doctor and three medical staff- tried to fight the miserable health conditions.

19. Why was Gandhi summoned to appear in the court? How did civil disobedience triumph for the first time in
India?
20. How was the Champaran incident a turning point in Gandhiji’s life?

Gandhiji came to Champaran to fight against the injustice of the landlord system there. Most of the land in
Champaran was divided into large estates owned by Englishmen who hired Indian tenants to grow indigo there.
The Indian peasants were sharecroppers and had to surrender 15 per cent of the indigo harvest as rent to the
British. After synthetic indigo was developed the Englishmen obtained fresh agreements from sharecroppers to
pay them compensation.

Many refused to sign and others wanted their money back. At this point Gandhiji arrived in Champaran with an aim
to free the peasants from fear. He collected all the facts and met the commissioner who tried to bully him and
advised him to leave the place. Gandhiji did not leave. In the course of securing justice for the oppressed farmers of
Champaran, Gandhiji had to clash with the British authorities several times before he could persuade them to agree
to his viewpoint.

The Champaran episode turned out to be Gandhiji’s loud pronouncement that the Britishes could not order him
about in his own country. It established the effectiveness of non¬cooperation as a means of fighting for justice. The
Champaran episode revealed Gandhiji’s principles in the political field. Even after winning the peasants’ battle
against the English landlords Gandhiji stayed in Champaran for the cultural and social uplift of the poor and the
backward of the villages of Champaran.

21. Give an account of Gandhiji’s efforts to secure justice for the poor indigo sharecroppers of Champaran.

Gandhiji took up the cause of the indigo sharecroppers at Champaran. He fought against the injustice of the cruel
British landlords who extorted money from the poor sharecroppers. Gandhiji collected all the facts and met the
Commissioner. He tried to threaten Gandhiji and advised him to leave from there. But Gandhiji was undeterred.
He decided to launch a peaceful ‘satyagraha’ and non-violent movement. This led to spontaneous demonstrations in
Motihari. Thousands of peasants challenged the Britishers and the government was baffled. Despite earlier
hesitations the prominent lawyers declared their unconditional support to Gandhiji. Finally Gandhiji’s peaceful and
non-violent civil disobedience bore the desired results. The indigo sharecroppers at Champaran secured justice and
the landlords agreed to refund 25 per cent of the compensation money.

Section B

22. Where did Gandhi stay in Muzzafarpur? Why was it an ‘extraordinary’ thing?

In the place of a professor – taught in a Government College- to defy the government which being employed by
them was dangerous- yet he too the risk willingly to board Gandhiji, who was a well-known agitator against the
government

23. What did Gandhi mean when he said, ‘the real relief for them is to be free from fear?’

Gandhiji's style of politics stressed on the self-reliance of the Indian populace so that they could stand up for the
injustices meted out to them without the need for an advocate. The movement in Champaran began as an act of
defiance, it grew out of an attempt to alleviate the distress of the multitude of poor peasants which was emblematic
of the typical Gandhian pattern. His politics was intertwined with the practical, day-to-day problems of the millions.
He did not have any loyalty to abstractions, he owed allegiance to living, human beings. Everything that Gandhi did
was an attempt to mould a new free Indian who could stand on his own feet and make India free.

24. ‘The government was baffled’. Why?

25. When and why did Gandhi say, ‘The battle of Champaran is won?’
26. How did Gandhi prove that the voice of conscience was above law?
27. How did Gandhi lower the prestige of the British landlords?
28. What episode in Patna showed Gandhi the existence of a rigid caste system?
29. What made the British realise that the Indians could challenge their might hither to unquestioned?
30. What according to him was the real relief for the sharecroppers?
31. What according to Gandhi was the beginning of the poor peasants 'liberation from fear of the British'?
32. How did the Champaran Movement change the course of Indian history and also, Gandhiji’s life?

Gandhiji came to Champaran to fight against the injustice of the landlord system there. Most of the land in
Champaran was divided into large estates owned by Englishmen who hired Indian tenants to grow indigo there. The
Indian peasants were sharecroppers and had to surrender 15 per cent of the indigo harvest as rent to the British.
After synthetic indigo was developed the Englishmen obtained fresh agreements from sharecroppers to pay them
compensation.

Many refused to sign and others wanted their money back. At this point Gandhiji arrived in Champaran with an aim
to free the peasants from fear. He collected all the facts and met the commissioner who tried to bully him and
advised him to leave the place. Gandhiji did not leave. In the course of securing justice for the oppressed farmers of
Champaran, Gandhiji had to clash with the British authorities several times before he could persuade them to agree
to his viewpoint.

The Champaran episode turned out to be Gandhiji’s loud pronouncement that the Britishes could not order him
about in his own country. It established the effectiveness of non¬cooperation as a means of fighting for justice. The
Champaran episode revealed Gandhiji’s principles in the political field. Even after winning the peasants’ battle
against the English landlords Gandhiji stayed in Champaran for the cultural and social uplift of the poor and the
backward of the villages of Champaran.

33. How did Gandhi teach his followers a lesson of self-reliance?

Denied the help of an influential Englishman, C.F. Andrews - said that the Indians should learn to be confident- fight
their own battles- this will give their self-respect back- outside help will only make them weak and dependent on
others

34. How did Gandhiji help the peasants of Champaran?

British landlords forced all the tenants to plant 15 per cent of their holding with indigo - surrender the entire harvest
as rent- increased the misery of the poor tenants- when synthetic indigo was developed and indigo plantation was
no longer profitable- landlords obtained fresh agreements -pay them compensation for releasing them from the 15%
arrangement- Gandhiji - through non-violent civil disobedience -forced the landlords to refund 25 per cent of the
compensation money to the peasants.

35. On the basis of your reading of the account of Champaran in Indigo, write a brief character sketch of
Mahatma Gandhi.
36. How important do you think team work and cooperation were in Gandhiji’s success in Champaran?
37. Why did the Secretary of the British Landlords’ Association called Gandhi an outsider? Comment on the irony
of the statement.
38. Do you think it was a wise move of Gandhi to accept the settlement of 25% compensation to the planters?

Gandhiji had asked the indigo planters for a 50 percent refund to the farmers but they offered only 25 percent.
Gandhiji still agreed to their offer because for him the amount of the refund was of less importance. More important
was the fact that the planters had been forced to surrender part of their rights. So he agreed to their settlement- it
was a symbolic victory- peasants learned that they can fight for their rights against the fearsome British

39. Why is the Champaran episode considered to be the beginning of the Indian struggle for Independence?

Gandhiji said, “The battle of Champaran is won- he had been able to shake the lawyers out of their stupor and they
were ready to support him- was the triumph of humanity and selflessness over self-absorption and greed- also
marked the beginning of educated Indians taking the initiative to stand up for themselves and fight injustice and
oppression- also the beginning of the uneducated mass realizing that they had the power to unite- fight injustice-
realized that the British were not all powerful- that battles can be won even without arms

Section C

1. 'Self-Reliance, Indian independence and help to sharecroppers were all bound together'. Elucidate
on the basis of reading 'Indigo' by Louis Fischer.
2. What values do we learn from Gandhiji’s campaign to counter the present day problems of
exploitation?

Key Points

Louis describes Gandhi’s struggle for the poor peasants of Champaran who were the sharecroppers with the British
planters. They led a miserable life and were forced to grow indigo according to an agreement. They suffered a great
injustice due to the landlord system in Bihar. Gandhi waged a war for about a year against their atrocities and
brought justice to the poor peasants.

 Raj Kumar Shukla- A poor sharecropper from Champaran wishing to meet Gandhiji.
 Raj Kumar Shukla – illiterate but resolute, hence followed Gandhiji to Lucknow, Cawnpore, Ahmedabad,
Calcutta, Patna, Muzzafarpur and then Camparan.
 Servants at Rajendra Prasad’s residence thought Gandhiji to be an untouchable.
 Gandhiji considered as an untouchable because of simple living style and wearing, due to the company of Raj
Kumar Shukla.
 Decided to go to Muzzafarpur first to get detailed information about Champaran sharecropper.
 Sent telegram to J B Kriplani & stayed in Prof Malkani’s home –a government servant.
 Indians afraid of showing sympathy to the supporters of home rule.
 The news of Gandhiji’s arrival spread –sharecroppers gathered in large number to meet their champion.
 Gandhiji chided the Muzzafarpur lawyer for taking high fee.
 Champaran district was divided into estate owned by English people, Indians only tenant farmers. ·
Landlords compelled tenants to plant 15% of their land with indigo and surrender their entire harvest as
rent. 87
 In the meantime Germany had developed synthetic indigo –British landlords freed the Indian farmers from
the 15% arrangement but asked them to pay compensation.
 Many signed, some resisted engaged lawyers, and landlords hired thugs.
 Gandhiji reached Champaran –visited the secretary of the British landlord association to get the facts but
denied as he was an outsider
 . · Gandhiji went to the British Official Commissioner who asked him to leave Tirhut , Gandhiji disobeyed,
went to Motihari the capital of Champaran where a vast multitude greeted him, continued his investigations.
 Visited maltreated villagers, stopped by the police superintendent but disobeyed the order
 . · Motihari black with peasants spontaneous demonstrations, Gandhiji released without bail Civil
Disobedience triumphed.
 Gandhiji agreed to 25% refund by the landowners, it symbolised the surrender of the prestige
 . · Gandhiji worked hard towards social economic reforms, elevated their distress aided by his wife, Mahadev
Desai, Narhari Parikh.
 Gandhiji taught a lesson of self-reliance by not seeking help of an English man Mr. Andrews.