Lesson 4: Rural Life and Society

1. What was the reform brought by Sher Shah Suri in land records?
● Land was measured and Pattas were given for the first time
● Revenue was charged depending on the fertility of the land
● In times of drought or famine the revenue was reduced, or at times even not collected

2. Describe the salient features of the Ryotwari system.

● The Ryotwari system was introduced in the Madras and Bombay presidencies
● The middlemen or the zamindars were removed.
● The settlement was made directly between the Company and the cultivators, who paid the
government about half the value of the crop.
● The revenue amount was revised after 20 or 30 years depending on the fertility of the soil.
● This system gave more security to the cultivators.

3. Explain the ill effects the British agrarian policies had on Indian agriculture.
The British agrarian policies had the following ill effects on Indian agriculture:
● The revenue charged was so high, the cultivators were driven to debt at the hands of the money
lenders.
● As many farmers could not pay the revenue, they had to sell off their land which led to the
fragmentation of land.
● These lands were sold to the highest bidder who rarely visited their farmlands. This gave rise to
absentee landlordism.
● The cultivation of cash crops was encouraged since it provided the raw materials for industry. This
resulted in food shortage. It finally led to recurring famines.

4. Write a short note on the Indigo Revolt of 1866-1868.

● Indigo was a blue dye used by cloth manufacturers
● The British forced the peasants to grow indigo in place of food grains .
● The peasants in Bengal and Bihar refused to obey and rebelled
● Champaran and Darbhanga in Bihar protested against the indigo planters.
● The rioters attacked indigo factories and the houses of British planters.
● Mahatma Gandhi fought and won some respite for indigo farmers