indigo_1

Home Assignment Week- 9
Class 12 A&B Subject-English
Chapter 5
Indigo
Summary
Indigo is about how Mahatma Gandhi struggled for the underprivileged

peasants of Champaran. They were the sharecroppers with the British planters.
The peasants use to live a wretched life and were under an agreement to grow
Indigo. As Bihar has the landlord system back then, it worsened their condition.
Thus, Gandhi decided to fight against injustice. He waged a war which lasted
for a year to tackle the discrimination and got justice for the peasants. After that,
it helped the peasants become courageous and aware of their fundamental
rights. Moreover, Gandhiji did not just work to tackle political or economic
issues, but he also took up social issues. He worked to provide them with
education, health, hygiene and taught them self-confidence.
This story is set in 1916 where Gandhi steps up to help a bunch of poor peasants
from Champaran. It gives an account of how he struggled to bring them justice
and equality. Thus, it begins with most of the arable land of Champaran that
divides into a large estate. The owners of the estate are Englishmen and the
workers are Indian tenants. We learn that the chief commercial crop on this land
is Indigo. Moreover, we also see that the landlords compel all the tenants to
plant 15% of their Indigo and submit the whole harvest in the form of rent. The
tenants are under a long-term agreement to do so.
However, Germany starts developing synthetic Indigo. Thus, the British do not
require the Indigo crop any more. Thus, in order to release the poor peasant
from their agreement of 15%, they start demanding compensation. While some
of the uneducated peasants agreed on this, the other did not agree. Thus, we
notice that one of the sharecroppers, Raj Kumar Shukla arranges for a meeting
with Gandhi.
He meets him for the same issues and insists Gandhi to visit the place to end the
longstanding injustice. Gandhi agrees and boards a train to Patna in Bihar. After
that, Raj Kumar Shukla helps Gandhi visit the house of Rajendra Prasad, a
lawyer. As Gandhi dresses simply, the servants thought of him to be a poor
peasant. Thus, Gandhi planned before trying to get the peasants any justice. It is
because the British government are punishing anyone who is keeping national
leaders or protestors.
Thus, when Gandhi arrived in the place, the news of his arrival and mission
spread across the town like wildfire. This resulted in a lot of lawyers and
peasant groups pouring in large numbers in his support. Consequently, the
lawyers did accept that the charges are quite high and too unreasonable for a
poor peasant.
However, Gandhi was criticizing them for collecting huge fees from the
sharecroppers. He was emphasizing on counselling as this will provide the
peasants with confidence to fight their fear. Thus, he manages to get justice
after a yearlong fight for the peasants. He has also arranged for the education,
health, and hygiene for the families of the poor peasants. Finally, he teaches
them a lesson of self-sufficiency and self-confidence.
Character Sketch of Rajkumar Shukla
Rajkumar shukla was an illiterate poor sharecropper of Champaran, Bihar. He

was born on 23 August 1875 at a village Satwaria of Champaran Bihar. During
the thirty first session of the Congress in Lucknow in 1916 Shukla met
Mahatma Gandhiji as a representative of farmers from Champaran who
requested Gandhiji to visit his district to see himself miseries of Indigo
sharecroppers there. Because most of the arable lands of Champaran was
divided into large estates owned by Englishmen.
They forced the Indian tenants to plant 15% of their holdings with Indigo and
surrender the entire Indigo harvest as rent. After the landlords learned that
Germany had developed synthetic Indigo, they asked for compensation from the
sharecroppers for being released from the 15% arrangement. The sharecropping
arrangement was irksome and so many peasants signed willingly. However,
some of them engaged lawyers. Meanwhile, the news of synthetic Indigo
reached the sharecroppers and they felt cheated, unhappy and then became
resentful. They wanted their money back and one of them was Rakumar Shukla.
He wanted justice on behalf of Indian poor sharecroppers. He wanted to show
the entire episode to Mahatma Gandhi, so that Gandhiji could help them.
Though, it took a long time for Shukla to take Gandhiji to his district
Champaran but he didn't aback without taking Gandhiji to his district. He
visited with Gandhiji every village to village in his Indigo movement and made
it successful. Rajkumar Shukla was loyal with heartily honest man who raised
his voice against the landlord system. He wanted let Indigo sharecropping
should get end forever and farmers could cultivate their crops by their choice.
Question and Answers:-
Q1- Why do you think Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a turning-point in his
life?
A1- The Champaran event had solved various problems faced by the poor peasants. They
were relieved from the torture they had to face at the hands of the landlords. Thousands of
people supported him. This was considered as a turning point in the life of Gandhi. He once
said that what he did was an ordinary thing as he didn’t want the Britishers to order him in his
own country.
Q2- How was Gandhi able to influence lawyers? Give instances.
A2- Gandhi asked the lawyers about their course of action if he was sentenced to jail. They
answered that they would return back. He then asked them about the plight of the peasants.
This made them realize their duty towards the social issue and they decided to go to jail with
Gandhi.
Q3- What was the attitude of the average Indian in smaller localities towards advocates of
‘home rule’?
A3- The average Indians in smaller localities did not support the advocates of Home Rule as
they feared to go against the British government. For Gandhi it was surprising that Professor
Malkani allowed him to stay at his home even though he was a government teacher.
Q4-How do we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement?
A4- Ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement. This can be justified by the
following events:
 A large number of students accompanied Prof. J.B Kriplani to welcome Gandhi at

Muzzafarpur railway station.
 Peasants also came to see him either on foot or by conveyance.
 A large number of people gathered to demonstrate around the courtroom.
Answer these questions:-
1. What did Rajkumar Shukla want from Gandhiji?

2. Why was Gandhiji opposed to C.F.Andrews helping him in
Champaran?
3. How did Gandhiji react to the Commissioner’s advice?
4. Where did he go?
5. Why did the servent think Gandhiji to be another person?
6. “the battle of Champaran is won!” what lead Gandhijee to make
this remark?
7. Why did Gandhiji go to Lucknow in December 1916? Who met
him there and why?
8. How was Gandhiji treated at Rajendra Prasad’s house?
9. Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being resolute?
10. How did Mahatma Gandhi uplift the peasants of Champaran?

indigo_1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

indigo_1

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

indigo_1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Home Assignment Week- 9

Class 12 A&B Subject-English

Indigo is about how Mahatma Gandhi struggled for the underprivileged

Character Sketch of Rajkumar Shukla

Rajkumar shukla was an illiterate poor sharecropper of Champaran, Bihar. He

Q2- How was Gandhi able to influence lawyers? Give instances.

 A large number of students accompanied Prof. J.B Kriplani to welcome Gandhi at

Answer these questions:-

1. What did Rajkumar Shukla want from Gandhiji?

You might also like