Indigo By Louis Fischer - (English - XII)

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15 Jan 202107:17

Summary

TLDRThe story recounts Gandhi's pivotal role in the Champaran movement, initiated after meeting Raj Kumar Shukla, a peasant suffering under oppressive landlords. Gandhi traveled to Bihar, investigated the plight of farmers forced to grow indigo, and defied British orders to leave. Through civil disobedience, Gandhi won the first legal victory for India's independence, leading to the abolition of unjust landlord contracts. Beyond legal battles, Gandhi sought to uplift the district socially and culturally, emphasizing Indian self-reliance over foreign aid and laying groundwork for future peaceful resistance.

Takeaways

🌍 Gandhi met Raj Kumar Shukla in 1916, who urged him to visit Champaran to help oppressed peasants.
🚂 Shukla's persistence led Gandhi to agree to visit Champaran, demonstrating Gandhi's interest in the peasants' plight.
🏠 Gandhi visited Rajendra Prasad's house but was initially mistaken for a peasant by the servants.
🛑 Gandhi began gathering information in Champaran, despite being ordered to leave by the British authorities.
👨‍⚖️ Gandhi's refusal to obey the order and the subsequent court case highlighted the strength of civil disobedience.
🤝 Gandhi's efforts united local lawyers, who decided to support him, marking a significant step in the Champaran movement.
📜 The case against Gandhi was eventually dropped, signifying a victory for civil disobedience in India.
🔍 Gandhi led an investigation that resulted in the British landlords agreeing to refund 25% of the compensation to the peasants.
🌾 The Champaran movement succeeded in empowering the peasants and led to the eventual departure of British landlords.
🇮🇳 The movement was a pivotal moment in India's independence struggle, emphasizing self-reliance and peaceful protest.

Q & A

Who is the author of the story 'Indigo' and what is it about?
-'Indigo' is written by Louis Fischer. It recounts Mahatma Gandhi's involvement in the Champaran movement, where he helped peasants fight against the oppressive British landlords.
Who was Raj Kumar Shukla, and why did he approach Gandhi?
-Raj Kumar Shukla was a peasant from Champaran. He approached Gandhi at the Indian National Congress session in 1916 to seek his help in addressing the grievances of the farmers being exploited by British landlords.
How did Raj Kumar Shukla convince Gandhi to visit Champaran?
-Raj Kumar Shukla followed Gandhi persistently throughout his travels, eventually impressing Gandhi with his determination. Gandhi agreed to visit Champaran after a few months.
What was the main issue faced by the peasants in Champaran?
-The peasants in Champaran were forced by British landlords to grow indigo on 15% of their land and give it as rent. When synthetic indigo was developed, the landlords tried to exploit the peasants further by demanding compensation for releasing them from this obligation.
How did Gandhi respond to the legal fees being charged to the peasants?
-Gandhi was appalled by the high legal fees charged by lawyers to represent peasants. He believed that legal proceedings were not as effective as freeing the peasants from their fear of the landlords.
What action did Gandhi take when ordered to leave Champaran by the British authorities?
-Gandhi refused to obey the order to leave Champaran and was summoned to court. He admitted to disobeying the order but justified his actions as being humanitarian in nature.
How did the local authorities react to Gandhi's presence and refusal to leave Champaran?
-The local authorities were confused by the large support Gandhi received from the peasants. They eventually consulted higher officials and postponed Gandhi's trial, allowing him to stay in Champaran without bail.
What was the outcome of Gandhi’s trial in Champaran?
-The case against Gandhi was dropped on the orders of the Lieutenant Governor. This marked the first victory for civil disobedience in India.
What role did Gandhi play in the enquiry commission set up in Champaran?
-Gandhi was the sole representative of the peasants on the enquiry commission. He gathered evidence from 10,000 peasants, leading the British planters to agree to refunds.
How did Gandhi contribute to the social and cultural improvement of Champaran?
-In addition to securing justice for the peasants, Gandhi worked to improve the social, cultural, and health conditions in Champaran. Volunteers from his ashram came to educate and treat the people in the district.
Why did Gandhi refuse to seek help from Charles Freyr Andrews, an English follower?
-Gandhi believed that seeking help from an Englishman would be a sign of weakness. He emphasized that Indians needed to be self-reliant and learn to fight their own battles.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 Gandhi's Journey to Champaran Begins

In 1942, Louis Fischer recalls his first visit to Gandhi's ashram. Gandhi shares how, in 1916, he was approached by Raj Kumar Shukla, a peasant from Champaran, at the Indian National Congress in Lucknow. Shukla sought Gandhi’s help to address the exploitation by landlords in Bihar. Gandhi was initially unable to help due to other commitments, but Shukla's persistence impressed him. Gandhi eventually agreed to meet him months later in Calcutta. Together, they traveled to Patna and visited Rajendra Prasad's house. However, Gandhi faced discrimination, as people assumed he was untouchable. Gandhi then traveled to Muzaffarpur to gather more information, where he was hosted by Professor Malkhani, a rare supporter of the anti-British cause. His arrival attracted attention, and peasants from Champaran, as well as local lawyers, began to gather around him. Gandhi was dismayed by the high legal fees charged to peasants and decided that legal action alone would not help. The crux of the problem was the exploitative contracts forcing peasants to grow indigo. When synthetic indigo was invented in Germany, landlords tried to extort compensation from the peasants. Learning of this, Gandhi visited both landlords and officials for more information but was denied help. In Champaran’s capital, Moti Hari, Gandhi was ordered to leave but refused, resulting in his arrest. His defiance galvanized the local population, leading to his temporary release and setting the stage for civil disobedience.

05:01

✊ Gandhi's First Victory for Civil Disobedience

After Gandhi's defiance in Champaran, the local support grew. Gandhi’s refusal to leave prompted his trial, but the local authorities were perplexed by the massive support he received. This led to the postponement of his trial, and he was released without bail. His local lawyer friends pledged to support him, marking a pivotal moment in the Champaran movement. A few days later, Gandhi was informed that the case against him had been dropped on the orders of the lieutenant governor, marking his first victory through civil disobedience. Following this, Gandhi and his team gathered evidence from over 10,000 peasants, which convinced the lieutenant governor to set up an inquiry commission. Gandhi represented the peasants in the commission, and the landlords eventually agreed to a 25% refund to the peasants. Though it was not a full refund, Gandhi believed this partial victory would empower the peasants to recognize their rights. Over the following years, the British landlords left, and the land was returned to the peasants. Gandhi spent nearly a year in Champaran not only fighting for the peasants' rights but also working to improve the district’s social, cultural, and health conditions. Volunteers from his ashram contributed to education and healthcare initiatives. The Champaran movement highlighted the power of civil disobedience and Gandhi's focus on self-reliance. Despite pressure to involve Englishman Charles Freyr Andrews, Gandhi insisted that Indians had to learn to fight their own battles without depending on outsiders. This movement became a vital precursor to India's independence struggle.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Champaran

Champaran is a district in Bihar, India, that was under the control of oppressive British landlords. In the video, Champaran is significant as it became the center of Gandhi's first major civil disobedience movement in India, where he worked to improve the lives of peasants oppressed by the British.

💡Raj Kumar Shukla

Raj Kumar Shukla was a peasant from Champaran who approached Gandhi to help the farmers against the exploitation by British landlords. His determination and persistence in seeking Gandhi's help eventually led to the Champaran movement, showing how ordinary individuals can spark significant social change.

💡Indigo farming

Indigo farming refers to the cultivation of indigo plants, which were used to make dye. The British landlords forced Champaran peasants to grow indigo on 15% of their land as part of an exploitative system. The introduction of synthetic indigo in Germany made natural indigo less valuable, leading to a major conflict between the landlords and peasants.

💡Civil disobedience

Civil disobedience is a form of nonviolent resistance where people refuse to obey certain laws as a form of protest. In the context of the video, Gandhi used civil disobedience to challenge British authority in Champaran by refusing to leave the district when ordered, marking the first significant use of this tactic in India.

💡British landlords

British landlords in Champaran controlled large tracts of land and exploited peasants through unfair farming agreements, such as forcing them to grow indigo. Gandhi’s movement sought to expose and challenge their oppressive practices, eventually leading to their departure from Champaran.

💡Synthetic indigo

Synthetic indigo refers to the artificial indigo dye developed in Germany, which diminished the demand for natural indigo. This development made the British landlords' demand for indigo cultivation obsolete, and it played a critical role in the conflict between the landlords and the peasants, as the landlords continued to exploit the peasants despite this change.

💡Lieutenant Governor

The Lieutenant Governor was the highest-ranking British official in the province during the Champaran movement. Gandhi’s efforts in Champaran led to an official inquiry commission set up by the Lieutenant Governor, where Gandhi represented the peasants and achieved a settlement for them.

💡Rajendra Prasad

Rajendra Prasad, who later became the first President of India, was a significant figure in the Champaran movement. Gandhi visited Prasad's home during his stay in Bihar, and this association with prominent national leaders helped lend credibility to the movement.

💡Self-reliance

Self-reliance was one of Gandhi's core principles, which he emphasized throughout the Champaran movement. He believed that Indians must learn to depend on themselves rather than external help, and he rejected the idea of involving outsiders, such as the British, in their struggle for justice.

💡Enquiry commission

The Enquiry Commission was a formal investigation set up by the British authorities to examine the grievances of the Champaran peasants. Gandhi was the sole representative for the peasants in this commission, and his participation led to a 25% refund from the landlords, marking a victory for the civil disobedience movement.

Highlights

Louis Fischer recounts his first visit to Gandhi's ashram in Sevagram in 1942.

In 1916, Gandhi attended the Indian National Congress session in Lucknow, where a peasant named Raj Kumar Shukla approached him with a request for help against oppressive landlords.

Gandhi was impressed by Shukla’s persistence and agreed to visit Champaran months later to help the peasants.

Gandhi and Shukla went to Rajendra Prasad’s house in Patna, but Gandhi was treated as an untouchable by the servants.

Gandhi traveled to Muzaffarpur to gather more information, where he stayed at the house of Professor Malkhani, a rare act of support from a government employee.

Gandhi discovered that the peasants in Champaran were exploited by British landlords who forced them to grow indigo on 15% of their land and hand it over as rent.

The British landlords, after the discovery of synthetic indigo, began demanding compensation from the peasants to release them from the indigo-growing contracts.

Gandhi investigated the landlords' actions but was ordered to leave the district. He refused and was summoned to court, where his presence attracted a large crowd of supporters.

The British authorities were confused by Gandhi's widespread support and postponed his trial, allowing him to remain free without bail.

Gandhi’s lawyer friends offered to support him, declaring their readiness to go to jail with him. Gandhi considered this a victory in the battle of Champaran.

After many days, Gandhi received a letter stating that the case against him had been dropped. This marked the first victory for civil disobedience in India.

Gandhi collected evidence from 10,000 peasants and presented it to the lieutenant governor, leading to the formation of an inquiry commission.

The British planters agreed to a 25% refund to the peasants, which Gandhi accepted as a way to help the peasants recognize their rights and power.

Over time, the British landlords left, and the peasants gained control of the land. Gandhi spent nearly a year securing justice for the Champaran farmers.

Beyond helping the peasants, Gandhi also worked to improve the social, cultural, and health conditions of Champaran, involving volunteers from his ashram.

The Champaran movement was significant as it demonstrated the power of civil disobedience and emphasized the need for Indians to become self-reliant.