PEASANT MOVEMENTS

1858 Indigo Revolt

1860: Indigo Commission
Deenbandhu Mitra: Neel Darpan
1875 Deccan Riots

1879 Deccan Agriculturalists Relief Act

1880s Pabna Revolt
1859: Act X
1885: Bengal Tenancy Act
1880ssss Bankim: Anand Math
1918 UP Kisan Sabha; Gauri Shankar Dwivedi and Indra Lal Dwivedi, MMM
1920 Oudh Kisan Sabha; those supporting Non Cooperation moved away
1936 All India Kisan Sabha; Lucknow; Sahajanand Saraswati and N G Ranga
1937 Faizpur Session; second session of AIKS
Kuka: Punjab Baba Ram Rahim Singh
MHA: Ramosi Peasant Force: Balwant Phadke
Andhra: N G Ranga: Indian Peasants Institute; Summer Schools
Kerala: Krishak Sangham
Bihar: Provincial Kisan sabha: Sahajanand Saraswati; bedakhali land
Gujarat: Kaliparaj/Raniparafv against HALI

1. Revenue Settlements
a. Permanent: Zamindari-subinfeudation-community rights of peasants lost-45-15-40:John
Shore
b. Ryotwari: Government itself ONE LARGE ZAMINDAR
i. Putcut Settlement: based on entire farm, though productivity of fields differ
2. Deindustrialisation of India: reduced to AGRICULTURAL COLONY OF BRITAIN
a. Charter Act of 1813
b. One Way free trade
c. Import barriers to Indian goods in Europe
d. Railway routes oriented against indigeneous industrial development
e. Fall of cities and patronage: ex Awadh
3. Overcrowding of Agriculture: 1901-1941: 63.7% to 70%
4. Troika of Government-Zamindar-Moneylender
5. Government legitimised evictions, something socially unacceptable until now
6. Madras Torture Commission report: about Ryotwari: corruption, bribery, illegal exactions
7. Ryotwari: Madras: revenue as high as 45-55%
8. Meagre investment in agriculture; that too only irrigation:
a. 1886:
b. 47 crore total budget out of which
c. only 60 lakh expenditure on irrigation
 9. Peasants reduced to tenants paying rack rents or labourers working on starvation wages

Permanent Settlement 1793

^ 10/11 of all revenues to State
^ John Shore: revenue as % of produce
o Producer: 40%
o Zamindar: 15%
o State: 45%
^ Peasants reduced to tenants and wage labourers
^ Sun Set Clause: rigid system
Ryotwari
^ ^]o(u^ One Giant Zamindar_
^ Exorbitant rates of revenue: ex Madras 45-55%
^ Colonial government legitimised evictions by moneylenders, something socially unacceptable until
now.
o
^ Cultivators reduced to tenants, zamindars given proprietory rights
^ Peasants reduced to
o Either tenants paying rack rents
o Or agricultural labourers surviving on starvation wages
^ Commercialisation of Agriculture: forced to sell produce right after harvest at whatever price
^ Overcrowding of Agriculture: deindustrialisation due to One way free trade after Charter Act of
1813, closing of European markets to India, fall of cities
o Thus Dependence on Agriculture increased from 63.7% in 1901 to 70% by 1941
^ India became an AGRICULTURAL COLONY OF BRITAIN
Mahalwari

Overall Features:
o A story of evolution: regional, limited demands of Indigo, Pabna, Deccan to an All India
Kisan Sabha, and the height of integration at Faizpur session 1937: influenced manifesto
o Support of Intelligentsia: early movements: Dinbandhu and Harish Chandra Mukherjee for
Indigo; Bankim, RC Dutt, Banerjea for Pabna, Ranade for Deccan revolts
o ’}vuv[}Z : initial movements with limited demands, not severe repression
but when merged with nationalist movement: severe ex Moplah revolt
o Hindu Muslim Unity: initially yes, post Moplah strained
o All India Organised effort: formation of provincial Kisan Sabha, All India Kisan Sabha 1938
Lucknow
o Regional efforts, Diversity: Krishak Sangham, Kisan Kirti, Naujawan Sabha, NG Ranga
Peasants Institute, Summer Schools///Eka, Kuka, Ramosi Peasant Force
 o Peak of Civil Disobedience movement: ex Forest Satyagraha in Central provinces, Bengal
Bihar-no chowkidari tax; no revenue UP
o Aligned with national movement: Jawaharlal Nehru and other leaders first session of AIKS
at Lucknow; great reception; Congress ministries 1937 as well as Faizpur manifesto-
influenced by AIKS
o Maintained difference between legitimate and illegitimate dues: only against illegitimate
demands
o Did not envision to overthrow the systems of Zamindari, revenue adminsitration etc.
o National and regional leadership: esp after CDM, leaders needed constructive channel.
Sardar Patel regional also after 1928 Bardoli; Sahjanand Saraswati N G Ranga from Bihar -
Andhra go national
o Courage, sacrifice, organisational skills
o Constitutional struggle meets popular effort: Legal system to use: ex Pabna/ Bardoli-
writing letters to Governor as well as mobilising Chhawanis

Limitations:
1. Lack of understanding about exploitative nature of colonialism: Pabna: Ryots under Queen
2. Lack of alternative vision about society, ideology or politicla programme
3. Territorial reach limited: Indigo revolts: Bengal
4. Lacked Continuity of struggle or long term organisation: thus recurring themese of revolt in same
region; leaving behind no successors
Indigo revolt: 1859-60 (right after 1857)
^ Why
o Forced to cultivate Indigo on their best land
o Any resistance, force of lathiyals and government machinery
o Most of the Indigo planters were European
o Essence: forcefully grow Indigo and not pay for it
o Advance contracts: peasants both unable and not allowed to pay back
o Not given market price, not even a meagre due far below the market price
o Planters part of Government machinery: Je rakhak se bhakak
^ The movement
o Misreading a government document: District Magistrate: disallowed forceful cultivation and
allowed possession of land
o Message like wildifire, time to act
o DIGAMBAR BISWAS AND BISHNU VISHWAS of Govindpur Village, Nadia District led it
o Massive repression led by planters via lathiyals and State machinery
o Cultivators responded with whatever they had: pots and pans and stones and spears
o Later relied on their zamindari rights: increasing rent and forceful eviction, nothing worked
^ Marked Features/Components
o Use of legal machinery to their benefit
o Intelligentsia support
Harish Chandra Mookherjee: Hindoo Patriot
Dinbandhu Mitra: Neel Darpan
o Hindu Muslim Unity
o Leadership: richer ryots, zamindars, ex-planters
^ Government Response
o Hand in gloves with European planters, but the memory of Santhal Rebellion and Revolt of
1857 very fresh
o +Influence of Intelligentsia participation and Missionaries so clamp down not very severe
o Established Indigo Commission 1860! eventually: highlighted the crisis: corruption,
bribery, force; but by then European planters shut shop
o 1860 notification: force disallowed, legal resolution to any disputes
^ Other Stakeholders
o Missionaries: supported cause
Pabna Revolt 1880s: Yusufshahi Pargana: peace and legality are the keywords
Why?

x Zamindars effort at disallowing tenant occupancy under Act X of 1859 through illegal evictions and
fraud
x Peasants had enough, organised themselves as a group/league first at Yusufshahi Pargana in Pabna
District
Movement:

x Peaceful effort, use of legal machinery

x Any violence far and few
x Zamindars backed off fearing long drawn litigation costs
x Government supported zamindars where violence took place but in legal process maintained
neutrality
Marked features:

x Contours of legality: marvel of pursuing demands through court, kutcheries, legal system
x Increased awareness about own righs
x tv}^ Ryots under the Quvl}`v_
x Government also had to act within laws therefore
x No Anti Colonial edge, no abolition of Zamindari
x Wanted what was promised in law to them
x Hindu Muslim Unity
x Intelligentsia
o Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, R.C. Dutt
o Indian Association: Surendranath Banerjea, Anand Mohan Bose, Dwarkanath Ganguly
Mobilised support for Rent Bill
Pushed for Rent Bill that will ensure
land to be given to the actual tillers, not to end up with middlemen/jotedars
Government Response:

x Bengal Tenancy act 1885: imperfect yet effort at securing rights of tenants
x Why the reconciliatory effort vs clampdown of Santhals?
o Legal means used
o Limited grievances, no Anti Colonial push
Deccan Riots:1875

Why?

x Moneylenders were exploitative and were outsiders: Gujarati/Marwaris

x Cotton Boom and Bust: American Civil War---resumption of supply chainsv shift away from India
x Government increased revenue assesment by 50%(kaise log hain bhai!)
x Increased reliance on Moneylenders
x True to their exploitative nature tried to increase grip over peasants through unfair means
Movement

x Began as social boycott

x Bullotedars(servants of village): told not to serve moneylenders
x Took a sort of violent turn where record books were burnt, some places moneylender house and
shops burnt
x But violence not the defining feature; the tool of their exploitation: record books was burnt
Marked Features

x Intelligentsia support: Mahadeo Govind Ranade: Poona Sarvjanik Sabha

Government Response

x Not severe repression; limited grievances and demands of peasants

x Deccan Agriculturalists and Relief Act 1859!
Assesment of Peasant movements 1857-1920
Features:
1. Peasants as main force of agrarian movements, princes, chiefs crushed or coopted
2. Specific and limited objectives: ex Deccan riots: burning recordbooks
3. Colonialism not the target: Pabna league: ryots wanted to be ^Z˙}vv_
4. Ending exploitative systems of Zamindari not goal: ex Pabna league just wanted security of tenure
and legal occupancy under Act X of 1859
5. Territorial reach limited: Indigo revolts: Bengal
6. Lacked Continuity of struggle or long term organisation: thus recurring themese of revolt in same
region; leaving behind no successors
7. Not against the Colonial State
8. Moved by strong nations of legitimacy: what was right and what was not: so wanted to pay their
dues/ just resisted what was illegal/unfair
9. Foreign planter not a problem, should be fair
10. Courage, spirit of sacrifice, remarkable organisational abilities
11. Intelligentsia support
12. Hindu Muslim unity; something strained by the time Mappila happens in 1920s
13. Development of parallel literature: Anandmath, Dinabandhu
14. Qualitatively different Government response
a. Legal relief: Bengal Tenancy Act 1885, Indigo Commission, Deccan Agriculturalists Relief Act
b. Not clampdown like Munda Santhal revolts
Limitations:
5. Lack of understanding about exploitative nature of colonialism: Pabna: Ryots under Queen
6. Lack of alternative vision about society, ideology or politicla programme
7. Territorial reach limited: Indigo revolts: Bengal
8. Lacked Continuity of struggle or long term organisation: thus recurring themese of revolt in same
region; leaving behind no successors
But these were vacuums for the mainstream national movement to fill.
 PEASANT MOVEMENT IN 1920S
1920s:
Keywords:
^ Kisan Sabha
^ UP Kisan Sabha: Feb 1918: Gauri Shankar Mishra, Indra Narayan Dwivedi; MMM support
o Baba Ramchandar inviting Nehru
^ Oudh Kisan Sabha: 1920: hari begar bedakhali
^ Eka Movement: Madari Pasi: northern districts of UP
^ Mappila: Malabar: against jenmies;
^ Bardoli: 1928 Kaliparaj---
^ Indistinguishable struggle
^ National goes regional
^ Organised effort
^ Bottom up
^ Constitutional and popular effort
^ Trends of national politics
^ Communalisation
^ Violence
^ restraint
Key Features
“ National politics meets popular peasant struggle
“ Indistinguishable struggle
o Home Rule League: UP
o Khilafat NCM agitation: Mappila
o NCM: Awadh, UP
“ Beginnings of organised effort: Kisan Sabha Movement developed as AIKS
“ Trends of 1920 politics: Communalisation (Mappila)//Constructive work: Bardoli: uplift of Kaliparaj
oppressed by Ujlaraj
“ National leadership goes regional: Wo]v]}o}o]^˙PZUu^^_
epithet given by the women of Bardoli///Baba Ramchandar invites Nehru to visit UP-closer to
peasant cause
“ Constitutional struggle goes hand in hand with popular effort
o Patel writes letter to Governor of Bombay, simultaenously mobilising people
“ Bottom up mobilisation
o Ex Eka Movement//politicisation at Bardoli since announcement of Gandhi leading a civil
disobedience movement there in 1922 before Chauri Chaura happened
Kisan Sabha Movement:
^ Awadh
^ Return of Taluqdars in power after 1857
^ Bedakhali: illegal evictions, high rents, renewal fees: nazrana exploitation +++ World War I distress
^ UP Kisan Sabha 1918 Feb is born:
o Gauri Shankar Mishra
o Indra Lal Dwivedi
o MMM supported
^ Efforts of Home Rule League primarily
^ Rise of Non cooperation in Calcutta-influence here also
^ Non cooperators vs constitutional struggle
o MMM believed in Constitutional
o Those who believed in Non Cooperation 1920 Oudh Kisan Sabha is born
^ Other key leader: Baba Ramchandra Singh: born Maharashtra, indentured labour in Fiji, Tulsidas
Ramayan----asked Nehru to visit the rural areasv brings him closer to rural India
^ Local figures led violencev massive suppression via Seditious Meetings Act
^ Meanwhile, Oudh Rent (Amendment) act brings some relief
^ Marked feature: participation of all castes high and low

Eka or Unity Movement

^ Born out of NCM Khilafat leadership in Northern regions of UP
^ Mainly against
o Illegal extraction of rent: almost 50% above what was stipulated
^ Soon developed independent leadership under Madari Pasi: lower caste effort
^ Meeting, hole dug symbolising River Ganga, vowed to pay rent on time but only that was mandated
+++ not leave when illegally evicted
^ Marked feature: unlike Kisan Sabha movements which did not have any zamindari participation,
this had (small) zamindari participation too
^ Did not want to follow the Congress discipline of non violence, went there own way, ultimately
suppressed

Mappila Movement
^ Mappilas were Muslim tenants in Malabar region suffering at the hands of the landlords( mostly
Hindu)
o Lack of security of tenure
o Illegal exaction
o Evictions
o Renewal fees
o High rents
^ Malabar District Congress meeting at Manjeri 1920, first recognition of demands
^ Fuelled by it, the movement arose parrallelly with Khilafat, their meetings indistinguishable
^ Government repression followed, their respected leader Ali Musaliar arrested, later rumours of
mosques being destroyed army
 ^ Moplahs up in arm, against symbols of government, jenmies: landlords
^ However, government repression and collusion of Hindu landlords with government also had a role
to play in the movement becoming Anti Hindu
^ Massive suppression followed
^ Greatest cost however that the militant Moplahs did not participate in the major nationalist
struggles hereafter

BARDOLI SATYAGRAHA
^ Intense politicisation in the aftermath of Gandhi declaring than CDM to be launched from Bardoli,
however-Chauri Chaura happened
^ Nevertheless local leaders massive effort: Kunverji Mehta, Dayalji Desai
^ ’vZ][l}]Pv}]vP]v}(o}`v]o
^ Kaliparaj and Ujaliparaj
^ Therefore leaders made efforts
o Learnt tribal dialects
o Developed Kaliparaj literature
o Kaliparaj Conferences: one such presided over by Gandhiji
o Gandhiji renamed them as Raniparaf: those who reside in the forest
o Commission set up for Inquiry into their conditions: Narhari Parekh and other leaders
involved
^ Origin of Satyagraha: Reassesment of land revenue increasing it by 30%: unjustified illegitimate
^ Efforts of Ashram leaders, moderate politicians to petition and change-reassement to 22% too little
too late
^ Moderate politicians invited Sardar Vallabhai Patel
^ He wrote letters to Bombay Governor, simultaneously began the satyagraha
o Refusal to pay enhanced Rent
o Created Chhawanis
o Social boycott and Panchayat diktats for all to comply
o Intelligence wing: cover people who might pay the rent and also inform about possible
confiscations
^ Gandhi: Young India, Navjivan-pushed the matter nationally
^ Bombay Legislative council: K.M. Munshi and Lalji Naranji resign
^ Irwin also pushed Governor to find amicable solution
^ Maxwell and Broomsfield: led government enquiry
^ Finally, 6% enhancement only
^ Peasants never paid the enhanced rent
^ Patel become Sardar: women of Bardoli
^ Nagpur Flag Satyagaraha, Borsad Punitive Tax Satyagraha
^ Dv]vWoW^[PZ]]
^ Gandhi: Bardoli was not a direct effort at attainment of Swaraj. However, brought India closer to
Swaraj, even more than any other direct effort.
A note on Congress push for restraint
^ Interpreted as effort at safeguarding landlord interest
^ Not allowing reigns of movement passing onto the hands of the popular leaders
^ Alternatively,
o Preempting massive government repression, taking cautious approach
o Peasants themselves never raised extreme demands like end of zamindari, but only bringing
an end to the illegal exactions, illegitimate dues
o Ending the zamindari system or not giving dues, may push zamindars, including smaller ones
]v}Zo}(ZP}vuvU`˙(}uv]}vo]u}uvUvZ˙[oovl
a neutral position.
 PEASANT MOVEMENTS IN 1930s and 40s
Keywords and phrases
“ All India organisations: All India Kisan Sabha 1938 Lucknow: Swami Sahajananda and N G Ranga
“ INM-Peasant movement confluence
“ ^dZ’]}v_ v^Z]PZ}(v]}vo]}o]]_
“ Faizpur Session 1937-Congress Manifesto
“ Tebhaga Bengal, Bakasht land Bihar, Naujawan Sabha: PB, Krishak Sangham: Malabar; Hali
abolition Gujarat; Andhra: ^uu^Z}}ovZvP[Wv/v]
“ 1937 Congress vict}˙W^(]oo]_
“ Obeyed what was legitimate
“ Peasant marches
“ This phase fuelled by the
o Economic onslaught of Great depression: inflation and high rents but low revenues
o Resurgence of Mass Movement phase: Civil Disobedience Movement
“ Defining features of this phase
o All India Organised effort: formation of provincial Kisan Sabha, All India Kisan Sabha 1938
Lucknow
o Regional efforts, Diversity: Krishak Sangham, Kisan Kirti, Naujawan Sabha, NG Ranga
Peasants Institute, Summer Schools
o Peak of Civil Disobedience movement: ex Forest Satyagraha in Central provinces, Bengal
Bihar-no chowkidari tax; no revenue UP
o Aligned with national movement: Jawaharlal Nehru and other leaders first session of AIKS
at Lucknow; great reception; Congress ministries 1937 as well as Faizpur manifesto-
influenced by AIKS
o Maintained difference between legitimate and illegitimate dues: only against illegitimate
demands
o Did not envision to overthrow the systems of Zamindari, revenue adminsitration etc.
o National and regional leadership: esp after CDM, leaders needed constructive channel.
Sardar Patel regional also after 1928 Bardoli; Sahjanand Saraswati N G Ranga from Bihar -
Andhra go national
“ Conclusion
o Organised foundations of peasant movement for post Independence era in form of AIKS
1938 and provincial Kisan Sabhas along with
o new methods of peasant mobilisation like the jathas and long marches (ex the 1938 1500
mile march in Coastal Andhra)