INDIGO PLANTATION AND

EFFECTS
BY AMARDEEP SINGH XII-B
TEACHER= Anishaa Kochhar
 INDEX
 CERTIFICATE
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
 About Indigo plantation
 Causes of Indigo Revolt
The effect on the British Rulers in India
Role of Gandhi and other lawyers
CERTIFICATE
 This is to certify that AMARDEEP SINGH of Oxford Sr. Sec. School studying in class XII
C have successfully completed theirEnglish project on the topic ‘INDIGO PLANTATION
AND ITS EFFECTS’ under my guidance during the academic session 2021-2022 as per the
guidelines issued by Central Board Of Secondary Education. They have taken proper care
and shown sincerity in the completion of the project.

 SIGN:
 NAME: ANISHA KOCHAR
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

 I have taken efforts in this project. However, it would not have been possible without
the kind support and help of many individuals. I would like to extend my sincere
thanks to all of them.
I am highly indebted to my English teacher for her guidance and constant supervision
as well as for providing necessary information regarding the project and also for her
support in completing the project. Her constant guidance and willingness to share her
vast knowledge made us understand this project in great depths and helped us to
complete the assigned task in time.
About indigo plantation

The Indigo Rebellion took place in Bengal in 1859-60 and was a revolt by the farmers
against British planters who had forced them to grow indigo under terms that were
greatly unfavourable to the farmers. In 1859–60 peasant farmers who grew indigo in
the Bengal region of north eastern  India rebelled against the British planters who
controlled the industry. Their widespread violent rebellion is variously known as
the Indigo Revolt, the Indigo Rebellion, the Indigo Riots, the Blue Mutiny, or the
Blue Rebellion. Indigo is a plant that yields a rich blue dye. Before man-made blue
dyes were created, natural indigo dye was highly valued by cloth makers around
the world. By the early 19th century, India supplied the vast majority of the indigo
imported into Britain. Much of that indigo was grown by peasants in Bengal (a
region now divided between India’s West Bengal state and Bangladesh). The
Indigo Revolt led to the near collapse of the indigo industry in Bengal
 Causes of Indigo Revolt
 Indigo cultivation started in Bengal in 1777.
 Indigo was in high demand worldwide. Trade in indigo was lucrative due to the demand for blue dye in Europe.
 European planters enjoyed a monopoly over indigo and they forced Indian farmers to grow indigo by signing
fraudulent deals with them.
 The cultivators were forced to grow indigo in place of food crops.
 They were advanced loans for this purpose. Once the farmers took loans, they could never repay it due to the
high rates of interest.
 The tax rates were also exorbitant.
 The farmers were brutally oppressed if they could not pay the rent or refused to do as asked by the planters.
 They were forced to sell indigo at non-profitable rates so as to maximize the European planters’ profits.
 If a farmer refused to grow indigo and planted paddy instead, the planters resorted to illegal means to get the
farmer to grow indigo such as looting and burning crops, kidnapping the farmer’s family members, etc.
 The government always supported the planters who enjoyed many privileges and judicial immunities.
 The revolt was largely non-violent and it acted as a precursor to Gandhiji’s non-violent
satyagraha in later years.
 The revolt was not a spontaneous one. It was built up over years of oppression and
suffering of the farmers at the hands of the planters and the government.
 Hindus and Muslims joined hands against their oppressors in this rebellion.
 It also saw the coming together of many zamindars with the ryots or farmers.
 The revolt was a success despite its brutal quelling by the government.
 In response to the revolt, the government appointed the Indigo Commission in 1860. In
the report, a statement read, ‘not a chest of Indigo reached England without being
stained with human blood.’
 A notification was also issued which stated that farmers could not be forced to grow
indigo.
 By the end of 1860, indigo cultivation was literally washed away from Bengal since the
planters closed their factories and left for good.
 The revolt was made immensely popular by its portrayal in the play Nil Darpan and also
in many other works of prose and poetry. This led to the revolt taking center stage in the
political consciousness of Bengal and impacted many later movements in Bengal
 Role of Gandhi and other lawyers
 When the indigo production collapsed in Bengal (after the Revolt or Great Rebellion
of 1857), the European planters (of indigo) shifted their operations to Bihar. With
the discovery of synthetic dyes in the late nineteenth century their business was
severely affected, but yet they managed to expand production. When Mahatma
Gandhi returned from South Africa, a peasant from Bihar persuaded him to visit
Champaran and see the plight of the indigo cultivators there. Role of Mahatma
Gandhi: Mahatma Gandhi's visit in 1917 marked the beginning of the Champaran
movement against the indigo planters. The European planters oppressed the
peasants and forced them to grow indigo and sell their product at cheaper rate,
Gandhiji reached Champaran in 1917 to witness the miserable conditions of the
peasants. The District Officials ordered him to leave Champaran but he refused to
comply the orders and started the Satyagraha. It was victory for Gandhiji. A
commission was appointed to examine the activities of the plantation owners in
which Gandhiji was also kept as a member.   Gandhi asked the lawyers what they
would do if he was sentenced to prison. They said that they had come to advise
him. If he went to jail, they would go home. Then Gandhi asked them about the
injustice to the sharecroppers. The lawyers held consultations. They came to the
conclusion that it would be shameful desertion if they went home. So, they told
Gandhi that they were ready to follow him into jail.