INDIGO

BY LOUIS FISCHER
THEME: The leadership shown by Mahatma Gandhi to secure justice for oppressed people through
convincing argumentation and negotiation.
SUB-THEME
Contributions made by anonymous Indians to the freedom movement.

Q1.Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being 'resolute'?

Ans. Rajkumar Shukla was a poor and illiterate sharecropper who followed Gandhi everywhere till
he agreed to go to Champaran to help the sharecroppers against the injustice of the landlords.

Q2.Why do you think the servants thought Gandhi to be another peasant?

Ans. When Shukla took Gandhi to the house of a lawyer named Rajendra Prasad, the servants
thought that Gandhi was another peasant as he had come with an illiterate peasant and was dressed
simply.

Q3.List the places that Gandhi visited between his first meeting with Shukla and his arrival at
Champaran?
Ans. Gandhi met Shukla in Lucknow. Between his first meeting with Shukla and his arrival at
Champaran Gandhi visited Cawnpore, Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Patna, and Muzzafarpur.

Q4.What did the peasants pay the British landlords as rent? What did the British landlords
want instead and why? What would be the impact of synthetic indigo on the prices of natural
indigo?
Ans. The British landlords forced the peasants to plant 15% of their lands with indigo and submit
the full harvest as rent. When the landlords came to know about synthetic indigo they asked the
peasants to sign agreements to pay compensation for being released from the 15% arrangement. The
prices of natural indigo would decrease considerably with synthetic Indigo in the market.

Q5.List some instances from the text that link Gandhiji's working to his ideas of Satyagraha
and non-violence.
Ans. When Gandhi was summoned to court, he helped the British officials in regulating the crowd
gathered to support him. He pleaded guilty and told the court that he was not a lawbreaker but had
come to do the 'humanitarian and national service' by helping the peasants. He was ready to court
arrest for the poor peasants' cause.

Q6.Why did Gandhi agree to a settlement of 25% refund to the farmers?

Ans. Gandhi agreed to a settlement of 25% refund to the farmers because he felt that the money was
less important than the fact that the British landlords had been obliged to surrender a part of their
money and a part of their prestige.

Q7.How did the Champaran episode change the plight of the peasants?
Ans. The Champaran episode changed the plight of the peasants in the way that the peasants
understood that they had rights and defenders. So they learned courage .They got 25% refund from
the landlords. Within a few years the British landlords left their lands, the farmers got them back
and indigo sharecropping disappeared.
Q8.Why did Gandhi consider the Champaran episode as the turning point in his life?
Ans. The Champaran episode was a turning point in Gandhi's life. It started with an attempt to
lessen the sufferings of poor peasants. Gandhi started by trying to collect facts but the British didn't
help him and asked him to leave Champaran. He declared that the British could not order him about
in his own country. When he did not leave Champaran he was summoned to court. Thousands of
peasants came to support Gandhi. The British felt powerless before the crowd and took Gandhi's
help to control it. Later, the case was dropped and Gandhi was released. This was the first victory of
Civil Disobedience movement in India. The official enquiry resulted in lots of evidences against the
British landlords. Farmers got 25% refund from landlords and learned that they had rights and
defenders. Within a few years indigo sharecropping disappeared. The success of this movement
made way for other non-violent mass movements, satyagraha and Gandhi decided to urge the
departure of the British from India.

Q9.How was Gandhi able to influence lawyers?

Ans. Gandhi's sincerity and logical approach deeply influenced the lawyers. Gandhi chided the
lawyers for taking big fee from poor peasants. He was ready to go to jail for the poor peasants'
cause which impressed the lawyers and they got ready to court arrest. The lawyers thought that
C.F. Andrews, a devoted follower of Gandhi could make their case strong as he was British. Gandhi
felt that their cause was just and they did not need the services of an Englishman. Taking C.F.
Andrew’s help would show the weakness of their hearts. So he asked the lawyers to rely upon
themselves to win the battle. Thus Gandhi taught them a lesson in self reliance.

Q10.What was the attitude of the average Indian in smaller localities towards the advocates of
'home rule'?
Ans. The average Indian in smaller localities was afraid to help or show sympathy for the advocates
of home rule for the fear of ill-treatment by the British.

Q11. How do we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement?
Ans. Ordinary people like Rajkumar Shukla and the poor peasants of Champaran too contributed to
the freedom movement. Without their spontaneous demonstration outside the Motihari court the
first victory of Civil Disobedience movement would not have been possible. There were those
volunteers who offered their services for education, sanitation etc. in the villages of Champaran like
Mahadev Desai, Narhari Parikh, their wives, a doctor who volunteered his services for six months
etc.

Q13. Why did Gandhi think that freedom from fear was more important than legal justice for
the poor?
Ans. Gandhi chided the lawyers for collecting big fee from the poor sharecroppers. Gandhi said that
the peasants of Champaran were so fearful and afraid of the British that taking their cases to law
courts was useless. First of all they had to be made free from fear. Only then they could stand up to
fight for their cause.

Q14. Gandhi never contented himself with large political or economic solutions. Explain.
Ans. The Champaran movement started with an attempt to lessen the sufferings of poor peasants.
Gandhi saw the social and cultural backwardness in Champaran villages. He started a programme to
help the villagers. Primary schools were opened in the villages. Teachers like Narhari Parikh,
Mahadev Desai and their wives volunteered for the work. Many more came to help from Bombay,
Poona etc. Gandhi's youngest son Devdas and Kasturbai also came from the ashram. Mrs.Gandhi
taught rules on cleanliness and sanitation. To improve the health condition Gandhi got a doctor.
Three medicines were used. Castor oil for coated tongue, Quinine for malaria and sulphur ointment
for skin eruptions.