Indigo

Here is a summary of the chapter “Indigo” and the answers to the questions, based on the provided sources.

Summary of “Indigo”

The chapter “Indigo” is an excerpt from Louis Fischer’s book, The Life of Mahatma Gandhi. It portrays Mahatma Gandhi in action, specifically focusing on his efforts to help peasants secure legal justice. The theme of the unit is the leadership shown by Mahatma Gandhi to secure justice for oppressed people through convincing argumentation and negotiation. A sub-theme is the contributions made by anonymous Indians to the freedom movement.

The narrative recounts how Gandhi decided to urge the departure of the British in 1917, after meeting Rajkumar Shukla, a poor and emaciated sharecropper from Champaran. Shukla was illiterate but resolute. He came to the Congress session to complain about the injustice of the landlord system in Bihar. After much persistence from Shukla, Gandhi agreed to visit Champaran.

Gandhi first travelled to Muzzafarpur to gather more information about the conditions of the sharecroppers. The news of his arrival spread, and sharecroppers came to see their “champion”. Lawyers also briefed Gandhi on their cases, mentioning their fees.

Under an ancient arrangement, the Champaran peasants were sharecroppers. They were required to plant 15 per cent of their holdings with indigo and surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent. When Germany developed synthetic indigo, the British landlords wanted compensation from the sharecroppers for being released from this arrangement. Many peasants signed willingly because the arrangement was irksome, but those who resisted hired lawyers, while the landlords hired thugs. When the illiterate peasants who had signed learned about synthetic indigo, they wanted their money back.

Gandhi’s intervention led to an official commission of inquiry being appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor. The commission included landlords, government officials, and Gandhi as the sole representative of the peasants. This inquiry gathered a “crushing mountain of evidence” against the planters. The planters agreed to make refunds. Gandhi, surprisingly, asked for only 50 per cent repayment, but when the planters offered 25 per cent, Gandhi accepted it, breaking the deadlock. This settlement meant that the peasants were refunded part of the money and, more importantly, the landlords were forced to surrender part of their money and prestige. The episode taught the peasants courage and self-reliance. Gandhi also worked to improve the social and cultural backwardness of Champaran, opening primary schools and arranging for a doctor.

The Champaran episode was a turning point in Gandhi’s life. He demonstrated his method of working by disregarding an official order to leave, citing obedience to “the higher law of our being, the voice of conscience”. He also taught a lesson in self-reliance, insisting that the Indians must rely on themselves to win the battle for justice.

Answers to Questions

Here are the answers to the questions from the provided excerpts related to “Indigo”:

Questions from Page 47:

1. Strike out what is not true in the following.
   • a. Rajkumar Shukla was (i) a sharecropper. (ii) a politician. (iii) delegate . (iv) a landlord.
     • The incorrect options are (ii) a politician, (iii) delegate (he attended the session but wasn’t stated to be a delegate), and (iv) a landlord. Rajkumar Shukla was a sharecropper.
   • b. Rajkumar Shukla was (i) poor. (ii) physically strong. (iii) illiterate.
     • The incorrect option is (ii) physically strong. Rajkumar Shukla was described as poor and emaciated and illiterate.
2. Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being ‘resolute’? 🤔💪 Rajkumar Shukla is described as ‘resolute’ because he was determined to get Gandhi to visit Champaran. He followed Gandhi everywhere he went for weeks until Gandhi finally agreed to fix a date to go with him.
3. Why do you think the servants thought Gandhi to be another peasant? 🌱👨‍🌾 The servants likely thought Gandhi was another peasant because he was with Rajkumar Shukla, who was known to them as a “poor yeoman” who pestered their master. Gandhi’s appearance was probably simple, similar to that of other peasants, not revealing his status.

Questions from Page 49:

1. List the places that Gandhi visited between his first meeting with Shukla and his arrival at Champaran. 🌍➡️📍 After his first meeting with Shukla at the Indian National Congress convention in Lucknow, Gandhi had an appointment in Cawnpore. He also went to other parts of India, with Shukla accompanying him. Then Gandhi returned to his ashram near Ahmedabad. Finally, he went to Calcutta and from there took a train to Patna before deciding to go first to Muzzafarpur, which was en route to Champaran. So, the places visited or committed to before arriving near Champaran were Cawnpore, other parts of India, his ashram near Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Patna, and Muzzafarpur.
2. What did the peasants pay the British landlords as rent? What did the British now want instead and why? What would be the impact of synthetic indigo on the prices of natural indigo? 💸🔄🌿📉
   • As rent, the Champaran peasants had to plant 15 per cent of their holdings with indigo and surrender the entire indigo harvest.
   • Instead, the British landlords now wanted compensation money from the sharecroppers. They wanted this because Germany had developed synthetic indigo.
   • The development of synthetic indigo would likely lower the prices of natural indigo, making it unprofitable for the landlords to cultivate it and thus they wanted to release the peasants from the old arrangement. (This part about the impact on prices is inferred from the text, as synthetic alternatives typically lower the demand and price of natural products).

Question from Page 51:

1. The events in this part of the text illustrate Gandhi’s method of working. Can you identify some instances of this method and link them to his ideas of satyagraha and non-violence? 🙏🕊️
   • Disregarding the official order to leave: Gandhi received a summons to appear in court after disregarding an order to leave Champaran. He told the court he disregarded the order “not for want of respect for lawful authority, but in obedience to the higher law of our being, the voice of conscience”. This is an instance of civil disobedience, a key component of Satyagraha, where one peacefully defies unjust laws based on moral conviction.
   • Pleading guilty in court: Gandhi read a statement pleading guilty, accepting the penalty due, rather than trying to evade the law. This aligns with the principle of Satyagraha, which involves openly accepting the consequences of one’s defiance.
   • Conducting a far-flung inquiry: Gandhi and lawyers meticulously gathered depositions from about ten thousand peasants and collected documents, building a “crushing mountain of evidence”. This shows a commitment to truth and justice (Satya), another core aspect of Satyagraha – relying on factual evidence to expose injustice.
   • Negotiation based on evidence: Armed with evidence, Gandhi negotiated with the Lieutenant-Governor, leading to the commission of inquiry and the planters agreeing to refunds. Although initially firm on 50%, accepting 25% was a strategic move to secure a moral victory and break the deadlock, demonstrating a practical application of non-violent negotiation and compromise after exposing the truth.
   • Emphasis on self-reliance: Gandhi insisted that the Indians should rely on themselves to win the battle for justice, refusing the help of Mr. Andrews simply because he was an Englishman. He taught them a lesson in self-reliance. This is linked to the broader goal of the freedom movement and empowerment, an essential outcome of successful non-violent resistance.

Question from Page 53:

2. How did the episode change the plight of the peasants? ✨🙌 The Champaran episode significantly changed the plight of the peasants.
   • They were granted a refund of a portion of the money the landlords had illegally extorted.
   • More importantly, the episode taught the peasants that they had rights and defenders. They learned courage.
   • They saw that the landlords had been forced to surrender part of their money and prestige.
   • Within a few years, the British planters gave up their estates, which reverted to the peasants, and indigo sharecropping disappeared.
   • Gandhi’s work also addressed their social and cultural backwardness by opening primary schools and arranging for health services.