Short Answer Type Questions

2 Marks (30-40 Words)

1. What did Gandhiji do about the social
and cultural upliftment of a
Champaran villages ? Delhi 2019
Ans When Gandhiji saw the cultural and social
backwardness in the Champaran villages, he
wanted to do something about it immediately
He appealed for teachers. Mahadev Desai and
Narhari Parikh, two young men who had just
joined Gandhi as disciples, and their wives,
volunteered for the work. Others also joined
from other parts of India. Primary schools
were opened in six villages. Kasturba taught
the ashram rules on personal cleanliness and
community sanitation. As the health
conditions were miserable. Gandhiji got a
doctor to volunteer his services for six months.

2. Though the sharecroppers of

Champaran received only one-fourth of
the compensation, how can the
Champaran struggle still be termed a
huge success and victory? All India2018
A n s mparan
The Champ episode began as an
ufferings of a large numberattempt
ease the suf
of poor
to
easants. Gandhiji admits that what he
pea
had done
was a very ordinary thing.He
Rritish could not order him declared that the
about his own
spontaneous
He got country.
support of thousands of
The efforts of Gandhiji and people.
support of people made
champaran struggle a huge success and
victory.
a. Why was Gandhiji oppose CF
3.
Andrews
helping him in
Champaran?
AllIndia; Delhi 2016
orWhy did Gandhiji oppose when his friend
Andrews offered to stay in Champaran and
help the peasants? Foreign 2014
Ats Gandhiji was opposed to his friend, CF
Andrews,
helping him in Champaran as he thought that his
cause was just and urged his lawyer friends
on themselves. He also considered taking help from
to rely
an Englishman a weakness.

4. Why did Gandhiji agree to a settlement of

mere 25%? Delhi2016

or Why did Gandhiji agree to 25%

compensation? Delhi (C)2015
or Why did Gandhiji agree to the planters'
offer of a 25% refund to the farmers?
AllIndia (C)2012,11:Delhi2009
Ans Gandhiji agreed to a settlement of 25% refund to
the farmers in order to break the deadlock between
the landlords and peasants. The fact that the
landlords had been obliged to surrender a part of
their prestige with the money gave a moral victory
to the farmers.

5. How did Rajkumar Shukla establish that

he was resolute? All India2015
described as
or Why is Rajkumar Shukla
being resolute'? Delhi (C) 2015 resolute
himself as a
ANS. Rajkumar Shukla established wherever he
man by going along
with Gandhiji
to go to Champaran
Went until Gandhiji agreed
of the peasants
with him to solve the problems
there.
at Rajendra
. How was Gandhiji treated
Prasad's house? AlI India 2015 took
Prasad's house
An. at Rajendra h
The servants
untouchable peasant. So,
another
Gandhiji to be water from the well lest
to draw
was not allowed the entire
bucket pollute
from his
Some drops
source of water.
 7. What were the terms of the
Contract between the Britishindigo
landlords
and the Indian
peasants? AIl Indla 2015
orWhat did the
peasants pay the British
landlords as rent?
to
Ans The British Forelgn 2011
landlords had entered into a
long-term contract with the farmers according to
which they
compelled them to plant 15% of their
holdings with indigo and the farmers had to
surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent.
8. Why did
Gandhiji feel that taking the
Champaran case to court was useless?
Delhi2014
Ans Gandhiji got the details of the case and came to
the conclusion that taking such a case to the
court would do little
good. He also felt that as
the peasants were
fear-stricken, the real relief
would be to make them fearless.
9. How did the
Champaran peasants react
when they heard that a Mahatma had
come to help them?
All India (C]2014
Ans A large number of
peasants from Champaran
came to Muzaffarpur when they came to know
that a Mahatma (Gandhiji) had come to
help
them. They came by foot and by conveyance to
meet their champion.
10. What made the Lieutenant Governor
drop
the case against Gandhiji? All India (C) 2014
Ans When Gandhiji appeared in the court at
Motihari, thousands of peasants held a
demonstration. The officials felt helpless and the
trial was postponed, and Gandhiji was released
without bail. All this made the Lieutenant
Governor drop the case against Gandhiji.
11. What made Gandhiji demand 50% refund
from the British landlords? Delhi(C) 2012
Ans Gandhiji demanded 50% refund of the money
collected from the peasants by the landlords as
he had a lot of evidence against the landlords.
He also wanted to break the deadlock between
the peasants and landlords.
12. While at Champaran how did Gandhiji
keep a long distance watch on his
ashram? AllIndia (C) 2012
Ans Gandhiji kept a long distance watch o
ashram by sending regular instructions by mail.
This way he asked for the financial accounts of
the ashram and gave instructions to the
concerned persons there.
 13. How were Shukla and Gandhiji received
in Rajendra Prasad's house?
Delhi 2012
Ans The servants at Rajendra Prasad's house knew
Shukla as he used to come there to meet
Rajendra Prasad. However, they thought that
Gandhiji was just another untouchable peasant
and hence did not allow him to draw water
from the well.
14. The battle of Champaran is won!" When
and why did Gandhiji exclaim this?
All India (C) 2012
or "The battle of Champaran is won!" What
led Gandhiji to make this remark?
Foreign 2010
Ans The lawyers first decided to return home if
Gandhiji was arrested. But. when they declared
that they would fight for the peasants' cause in
the event of Gandhiji's arrest and volunteered to
court arrest, Gandhiji exclaimed, "The battle of
Champaran is won!"
15. Why did Gandhiji decide to go to
Muzaffarpur before going to
Champaran? Foreign 2011
Ans Rajkumar Shukla had given a lot of information
to Gandhiji about the indigo sharecroppers of
Champaran. However, Gandhiji visited
Muzaffarpur to inquire from the lawyers about
the issue, as they frequently represented the
sharecroppers in the court.

16. Why do you think Gandhiji considered

the Champaran episode to be a turning
point in his life? Delhi 2019; AllIndio 2011
Ans The Champaran episode began as an attempt to
reduce the distress of poor peasants. It proved to
be a turning point in Gandhiji's life because it
was a loud proclamation that made the British
realise that he could not be ordered about in his
own country.

17. Why did the servants think Gandhiji to

be another peasant? Delhi2010
Ans The servants knew that Rajkumar Shukla was a
poor farmer who pestered their master, Rajendra
Prasad to help the indigo sharecroppers. Since
Gandhiji accompanied Shukla and was dressed
simply, they mistook him to be a peasant.
 18. How did Gandhiji help the peasants of
Champaran? allIndla 2010
Ans Gandhiji helped the peasants of Champaran hu
Ans
afighting with the British authoritics and getting
their land and money back. He.alsoopened primary
schools and arranged doctors for them.

19. How was Gandhiji able to influence the

lawyers at Champaran? AllIndia2010
Ans Gandhiji's sincerity towards the peasants' cause ana
convincing arguments and negotiations, thorouohi
influenced the lawyers. He criticised them for
overcharging the peasants and encouraged them to
court arrest for the peasants' noble cause.

20. Why did Rajkumar Shukla want to take

Gandhiji to Champaran? Foreign 2010
Ans Rajkumar Shukla wanted to take Gandhiji to
Champaran to see the injustice caused to the
peasants of Champaran due to the landlord system
in Bihar. He wanted Gandhiji to solve the issues
faced by the peasants.
21. How did Shukla succeed in persuading
Gandhiji to visit Champaran? Foreign2010o
Ans. Shukla wanted to take Gandhiji to Champaran to
see the injustice of the landlord system in Bihar. As
Gandhiji had a few meetings scheduled in various
cities, he followed Gandhiji everywhere till Gandhiji
was impressed by his tenacity and fixed a date to
visit Champaran.

Long Answer Type Questions

6 Marks [120-150 Words)
1. Gandhiji said, "Freedom from fear is more
important than legal justice for the poor."
How does it become clear from the lesson
Indigo' that freedom from fear is an
essential condition for justice?
AllIindia 2019
Ans. When Gandhiji learned about the conditions of the
easants of Champaran, he concluded that the
peasants were so crushed and fear-stricken that
to the law courts useless. The real relier
going was
would come if they were free from fear. The
conclusion that Gandhiji reached is still true in
tne
every sense. The Indian poor are very much like
Champaran peasants. The peasants of Champara
 ere exploited by the foreign rulers, while the
poo of India today are victimised by the
bureaucrats, moneylenders and corrupt
politicians. Years of exploitation has destroyed all
hopes and dreams of the poor.
So they don't try to challenge injustice, as they
fear that the oppressors will find some way to
orove them guilty. This fear prevents them from
taking any action or step which would help them
get justice. There 1S no leader among them who
can encourage them to fight against their
tormentors. They live miserably and will
Continue to do so until they are free from fear
itself.

2. What did Gandhiji do to remove the

cultural and social backwardness in the
Champaran villages? Delhi(C 2015
or Gandhijïs loyalty was not a loyalty to
abstractions; it was a loyalty to living
human beings. Why did Gandhiji
continue his stay in Champaran even
after indigo sharecropping disappeared?
AllIndia2014
Ans After the Champaran battle was won and the
land given back to the peasants, Gandhiji
continued to stay there as he saw the cultural
and social backwardness of the people of
Champaran and wanted to do something about it
immediately. His loyalty was, indeed, to living
human beings and he took the initiative and
began the work of eradicating their cultural and
social backwardness. Primary schools were
started so that the poor peasants and their
children could be educated. Gandhiji appealed to
teachers, and many of his disciples, including his
wife and son, volunteer for the work.
Health conditions in the area were also miserable.
Gandhiji got a doctor to volunteer his services for
six months. All this goes to prove that Gandhijï's
loyalty was not to abstractions, but his politics
was always intertwined with the practical day to
day problems of the millions.

3The Champaran episode was a turning

point in Gandhiji's life. Elucidate.
AllIndia 2012
or How did the visit to Champaran became a

turning point in Gandhiji's life? How does

his show Gandhiji's love and concern for
the common people of India? Delhi(C]2015
 or Why do you think Gandhiji considered the
Champaran episode to be a turning point in
his life? All India
2011
Ans Gandhiji himself accepted the proposition that the
Champaran episode was a turning point in his life.
It was then that he decided to urge the departure
of the British from India.
In fact the Champaran episode was the first
experiment of Civil Disobedience in India. When
Gandhiji was on his way to Champaran, he stayed in
Muzaffarpur, where he met the lawyers who were
fighting cases for the sharecroppers. The peasants
were so crushed and fear-stricken that Gandhiji
concluded that law courts were useless. The real
relief for them was to be free from fear. The
spontaneous demonstration by the peasants when
Gandhiji was produced in court showed that they
were instilled with a new
strength and spirit.
Gandhiji showed the poor peasants how to fight the
British with satyagraha. He
mnad them aware of their
powers and the power of ahimsa. He fought for the
peasant's concerns and stayed there (in
Champaran) to help them.
This episode laid the foundation of his future
movements and served as a great source of
strength and motivation for all Indians.
4. Why is the Champaran episode considered
to be the beginning of the Indian
struggle
for independence? All India 2014
Ans The Champaran episode was one of the
major
events in the struggle for independence. It was in
the course of this small but significant movement
that Gandhiji decided to urge the departure of the
British from India.
A close examination of the problems of the
Champaran peasants opened Gandhiji's eyes to the
unjust policies of the British. He realised that
people had to be made free from fear and only then
could they be freed from foreign oppression. The
spontaneous demonstration of the people proved
that Gandhiji had the nation's support in his fight
against the Britishers. It also aroused patriotism in
the heart of the Indians.
The triumph of the civil disobedience at
Champaran motivated the launching of the
movement on a large scale during the freedom
struggle. Gandhiji's winning the case of the
sharecroppers proved that the British authority
could be challenged. Hence, the Champararn
episode sefved as á stepping stone to the Indian
struggle for independence.
 5. Describe how, according to Louis
Fischer, Gandhiji succeeded in his
Champaran campaign. Delhi (C) 2014
Ans The Champaran campaign was an attempt to
free the poor peasants of
injustice and exploitationChamparan
from
at the hands of the
Britishers. Gandhiji succeeded in this
using his method of satyagraha and campaign
non-violence. He visited Muzaffarpur to obtain
complete information about the actual
condition of the sharecroppers. He first
appealed to the concerned authorities, but when
there was no positive response, he organised a
mass civil disobedience movement with the
support of the peasants.
Gandhiji's main objective was to remove the
fear of the British landlords from the heart of
the poor peasants and mould a new free
Indian,
wno coud participate in the freedom movement
of the country. He made the peasants aware of
heir rights and gave them a new-found
confidence for fighting their own battles. He
also taught them to be self-reliant by refusing to
take the help of CF Andrews, his English friend.

6. Why did Gandhiji agree to a settlement

of 25% refund to the farmers? How did it
influence the peasant-landlord
relationship in Ch amparan? All India 2013
Ans Under an ancient arrangement, the peasants of
Champaran were sharecroppers. The landlords
forced the Indian tenants to plant 15% of their
land with indigo and surrender the entire
indigo harvest as rent. After Germany developed
synthetic indigo, the landlords wanted to
dissolve the agreement, as synthetic indigo
would be cheaper. They asked the peasants for
compensation to release them from this
arrangement. Most of them signed it willingly,
but felt cheated after they learned about
synthetic indigo. Gandhiji fought their case and
the evidence he collected was so overwhelming
that the landlords were asked to repay. When
Gandhiji asked for 50% repayment, the
landlords offered to pay only 25%, as they
wanted to create a deadlock, and thus prolong
the dispute. To everybody's surprise, Gandhiji
agreed to a refund of only 25%. Gandhiji
explained that the amount of refund was not
important. What mattered was that the
landlords were obliged to surrender a part of
their money and with it, part of their prestige.
He also wanted to end the deadlock between
the peasants and the landlords.
 CORE
account of Gandhiji's
7, Give an
secure justice for the poor indigo effortsto
sharecroppers of Champaran. All ndin.
Ans In the course of his journey to Champaran-
2012
Rajkumar Shukla, Gandhiji stayed.at Muzafwith
where he met the lawyers and concluded
that
fighting through courts was not going to solve.

problem of the poor sharecroppers of Chamn the

mparan
declared that the real relief for them was to ha. He
from fear. With this intention, he arrived in
Champaran and contacted the Secretary of tho
British Landlord's ASsOCiation. The Secretary
to provide any information to him. After
this, refused
Gandhiji met the Commissioner of the Tirut
division who served a notice on him to immedia..
leave Tirhut. Gandhiji accepted the ately
otice by signing
it and wrote on it that he would not
obey the order
He was even wiling to court arrest for the
cause of
the peasants. After four rounds of talks
with the
Governor, an official commission of inquiry was
appointed in which Gandhiji was made the sole
representative of the peasants.
Through this commission, Gandhiji succeeded in
getting 25% of the compensation award for the poor
sharecroppers from the British landowners.
8. Why did
Rajkumar Shukla invite Gandhiji
to Champaran? How did Gandhiji solve the
problem of the indigo farmers? All India 2012
Ans Rajkumar Shukla who was an illiterate and
oppressed indigo farmer from Champaran, invited
Gandhiji to visit his district so that he could solve
the problems faced by the miserable
peasants.
Gandhiji's truthfulness, sincerity of purpose and
fearless efforts enabled him to solve the problem of
the indigo farmers. He began by trying to get the
facts. The British landlords
of Tirhut were
as well as Commissioner
non-cooperative and did not
entertain Gandhiji. Lawyers from
Muzaffarpur
briefed him about court cases of these
peasants.
Gandhiji and lawyers collected depositions by about
ten thousand peasants. Notes were made on
evidence.
otne
Documents were collected. The whole arca
throbbed with the activities of the investigators aand
forceful protests of landlords. The Lieutenant
Governor summoned Gandhiji. After four long
interviews between
Gandhiji and Lieutenant
Governor, an official commission of inquiry
wa
appointed to look into the indigo sharecroppe
situation. Gandhiji was the sole the
representative
peasants. The official inquiry assembled huge
quantity of evidence against the big planter
 After gotiation a settlement of 25% refund to
le farmers was agrecd on. This was a moral
victory for the peasants. They recognised their
learncd courage.
rights and
o. How
How did
did GGandhiji use satyagraha and
on-violence at Champaran to achieve his

goal? Delhi (C) 2011

Candhiji reached Champaran with a goal to
Ans
all
leviate the peasants' sufferings at the hands of
the British landlords. He met the Secretary of the
Landlords' Association and the Commissioner
who told him to leave Champaran. He signed the
order but also wrote that he would disobey it and
sent a full report to the Viceroy. This was followed
by spontaneous demonstrations by thousands of
peasants around the court house. The lawyers too
resolved to follow Gandhiji to jail forcing the case
against him to be dropped. This was the first
victory of Civil Disobedience. Then an official
enquiry into the indigo sharecroppers' situation
was instituted and the landlords agreed to refund
the peasants. Gandhiji accepted the 25% refund.
The landlords surrendered a part of their prestige
with the money. So, Gandhiji achieved his
objective of removing the fear from the minds of
the poor peasants and getting justice for them
through satyagraha and non-violence.

10. Exploitation is a universal phenomenon.

The poor indigo farmers were exploited by
the British landlords to which Gandhiji
objected. Even after our independence we
find exploitation of unorganised labour.
What values do we learn from Gandhiji's
campaign to counter the present day
problems of exploitation? Delhi2013
Ans Gandhiji's campaign in Champaran is relevant

even in to counter the problems of

the present day
mind is to
exploitation. What we must keep in
teach the oppressed to be courageous. Unless theyY
be
overcome the fear within them, they will never

able to fight for their rights. Therefore, priority

the
nas to empowering and making
be given to
them the
labour class bold and fearless and to give
and exploitation.
courage to oppose injustice
remember is to focus not
Another thing we must
of thhe
on the problems but on the solution
humanitarian
problems. We must possess a
to brave hardships
approach and should be ready
and perseverance.
with non-violence, patience
the present-day
Only then can we overcome
problems of exploitation.
11. Our scriptures tell us that determination
and perseverance are cardinal virtues off a
good human being. Rajkumar Shukla
succeeded in taking Gandhiji to
Champaran with the help of these two.
How can young students today use these
two qualities to make successful careers for
themselves? Delhi(C) 2013
Ans Determination is your decision to do something
against all odds. Perseverance is to keep doing
something for the time needed to achieve your
goal no matter how long or difficult the path is. No
wonder these two qualities should be the mantra
for young students to make a successful career for
themselves. If there is one quality, one personal
trait that is most correlated with success, it is the
trait of persistence-the ability to endure till the
end. With a little more perseverance, what once
seemed a hopeless failure may turn to glorious
success. Determination and perseverance give us
hope that the righteous suffer no other failure
except that of giving up and no longer trying.
12. "Several days later, Gandhiji received a
written communication from the magistrate
informing him that the Lieutenant
Governor of the province had ordered the
case to be dropped. Civil Disobedience had
triumphed, the first time in modern India."
Since our childhood we are taught not to
indulge in disobedience to anyone. But
Gandhiji did not and finally, Civil
Disobedience won. After reading Indigo'
and the above statement, how can we
display disobedience occasionally and
succeed? Explain.
Ans Disobedience is usually not considered a
characteristic of desirable behaviour. Here, in this
chapter, we see someone as great as Gandhiji
indulge in disobedience, and still achieve success.
However Gandhiji practised disobedience
against
the unjust rules laid down by the Britishers. He
waged a peaceful war against the Britishers by
the method of Civil Disobedience. Disobedience is
not permitted in society. However, if we are
fighting for a noble cause, it does not matter if we
are disobedient. If our disobedience can solve the
problems of innocent sufferers, we may need to be
disobedient sometimes. A child should normally be
obedient to his elders, but when they are
exploiting him, then he has to be disobedient. T
disobedience will be justified because he has
right to raise his voice against exploitation.