INDIGO

—Louis Fischer

Summary
Rajkumar Shukla, The Resolute Peasant
Gandhi starts narrating the incident which made him decide to spur the exit of the British from India.
The incident occurred in 1917. Gandhi had gone to the December, 1916 annual convention of the
Indian National Congress Party in Lucknow. A poor and emaciated peasant, Rajkumar Shukla,
approached Gandhi there. Shukla was one of the sharecroppers of Champaran. Shukla wanted
Gandhi to visit his district and look into the condition of the peasants there. He came to the Congress
Session to complain about the injustice of the landlord system in Bihar.Gandhi had other
commitments but Shukla accompanied him everywhere; for weeks, he never left Gandhi’s side.
Gandhi was very impressed by his tenacity and agreed to accompany him to Champaran. He told
him to come to Calcutta and take him from there. When Gandhi went to Calcutta after some months,
he found Shukla already present there.

Visit to Rajendra Prasad’s House and then to Muzaffarpur

Shukla and Gandhi went to Patna, Bihar, to meet a lawyer named Rajendra Prasad, the man who
later became the President of the Congress Party and of India. Rajendra Prasad was out of town. The
servants knew Shukla as a poor peasant, who pestered their master to help the indigo sharecroppers.
As Gandhi accompanied him, they thought him to be another farmer. Gandhi was not allowed to
drink water from the well as they thought he was an untouchable.Gandhi decided to visit
Muzaffarpur before Champaran to obtain more complete information about the conditions prevalent
in the area.

Gandhi Chided the Lawyers

The news of Gandhi’s arrival spread like wildfire. Sharecroppers from Champaran began arriving in
large numbers. Muzaffarpur lawyers met Gandhi. They told him about their cases and reported the
size of their fee.Gandhi chided the lawyers for collecting huge fee from the poor sharecroppers.
Gandhi concluded that the peasants were so crushed and fear-stricken that going to law courts was
useless. The real relief for them was to be free from fear.

The Sharecropping Arrangement

Most of the land fit for cultivation in 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.

Gandhi Disobeys the Official Order

Gandhi visited the Secretary of the British landlord’s association in order to piece together all the
facts. He was met with resistance. He then visited the British Commissioner. Gandhi was later served
with an official notice to quit Champaran when he came back from Motihari. Gandhi signed a receipt
of the notice and further wrote that he would disobey the order. As a result, he was summoned to
appear in the court the next day.

Spontaneous Demonstration of the Peasants

Thousands of peasants reached Motihari and started demonstrating around the courthouse. They had
merely heard that a certain Mahatma who wanted to help them was in trouble with the authorities.
Gandhi felt that this was the beginning of their liberation from fear of the British.The officials felt
powerless, but Gandhi helped them regulate the crowd. He gave them proof that the British tyranny
will no longer be borne. The government was baffled.The trial was postponed. Gandhi protested
against the delay. He confessed that he broke the law but only because of the voice of his conscience.

Gandhi Influences the Lawyers

Rajendra Prasad, along withViany prominent lawyers, conferred with Gandhi. Gandhi asked them
what they would do if he was sent to jail. The senior lawyer replied that they were there to help
Gandhi; if he was arrested, they would go home. Gandhi reprimanded them about the injustice to the
sharecroppers.The lawyers consulted among themselves. They thought that when Gandhi, a total
stranger, was ready to go to jail for the sake of the peasants in their region, it would be shameful for
them if they left the peasants, whom these lawyers claimed to serve.They told Gandhi that they were
ready to follow him to jail. Gandhi exclaimed, ‘The battle of Champaran is won’.

Civil Disobedience Triumphs, Lieutenant-Governor Summons Gandhi

Gandhi was informed that the Lieutenant- Governor of the province had ordered the case to be
dropped. Civil disobedience had triumphed for the first time in modern India.Inquiries into the
grievances of the farmers over a wide area began. About ten thousand testimonials were reported.
Notes were made of the evidence. The whole area throbbed with activity and the landlords protested
vehemently against the inquiries.The Lieutenant-Governor, after having four protracted meetings
with Gandhi, appointed an official commission to enquire into the situation.

Gandhi Agrees to 25% Compensation

The evidence against the landlords was overwhelming. They asked Gandhi how much they should
repay. They thought he would demand full repayment of the money which was illegally and
deceitfully extorted from the sharecroppers. Gandhi asked for only 50%. The landlords offered to
refund 25%. To everybody’s surprise, Gandhi agreed.Gandhi explained that the amount of the refund
was not important. What mattered was that the landlords were obliged to surrender part of the
money, and with it, part of their prestige. The planters behaved as lords above the law, but after this
incident, the peasants saw that they had rights and persons to defend them. They learned courage.

The Poor Conditions of Champarann and Gandhi’s Typical Method

Gandhi wanted to do something about the cultural and social backwardness in the Champaran
villages immediately. He called for volunteers to help. His wife Kasturba and his youngest son also
arrived to help.

Primary schools were opened in six villages. Kasturba taught the ashram rules on personal
cleanliness and community sanitation. Castor oil, quinine and sulphur ointment were given to the
ailing.Gandhi noticed the filthy state of women’s clothes. He asked Kasturba to talk to them about it.
The Champaran episode was a turning point in Gandhi’s life. Champaran was an attempt to free the
poor peasants from exploitation and it didn’t begin as an act of defiance. His politics were
intertwined with the practical day-to-day problems of the millions.

Self-reliance—The Making of a Free Indian

In all the things that Gandhi did, he tried to mould a new free Indian, who could stand on his own
feet and thus make India free. Charles Freer Andrews, an English pacifist, who had become a devoted
foLkwer of Gandhi, came to bid him goodbye. Gandhi’s lawyer friends wanted Andrews to help
them. Gandhi strongly opposed the suggestion.According to him, asking for Andrews’ help was
showing the weakness of their hearts. He assured them the cause was just and they must rely upon
themselves to win the battle.Gandhi in this way taught them a lesson in self-reliance. Self-reliance,
Indian independence and help to the sharecroppers were all bound together.

Points to Remember
Gandhiji's meetings with Shukla

Gandhiji at Indian National Congress Annual Convention

Shukla, a poor Indigo peasant, requested him to come to Champaran
Gandhiji agreed to do so after completing task in Calcutta
Visited Rajendra Prasad's place in way to Champaran
peasants came to meet him at Muzaffarpur
Gandhiji met lawyers and scolded them for charging fee from poor peasants.

Problems of Peasants
Landlords forced sharecroppers to grow indigo in 15% of the land
Germany developed synthetic indigo
landlords demanded compensation for freeing the peasants from 15% arrangement.
Some agreed but later demanded money back.

Gandhiji Arrived at Champaran

-Wanted to meet Secretary of British Landlord's Association but was refused

-tried to meet Commissioner of Tirput region
-was bullied and ordered to leave Champaran but he defied orders.
-Prohibited from meeting peasants
-disobeyed notice to leave Champaran
– was summoned at court
– worked whole night to get support
– peasants gathered in large number to show support to him
– Gandhiji proved that British power was no longer unchangeable.
– authorities got afraid and postponed the case, Gandhiji, released on bail.
– lawyers decided to follow Gandhiji

First Attempt of Civil Disobedience

– case dropped against Gandhiji

– he planned Civil Disobedience
– Commission of inquiry appointed by Governor
– evidence against landlords found
– Gandhiji agreed for 25% refund as was agreed by landlords
– indigo share cropping abandoned and land given to peasants.,

Gandhiji's foresight – beyond political & economic solutions

aimed to improve social and cultural status of Champaran.

status of Champaran
aimed at improving health services
took help of volunteers
taught villagers about cleanliness and hygiene and to be self-reliant and independent
freedom from fear move important than freedom from legal justice
real relief for peasants was to be free form fear, courts were useless for fear stricken peasants
Self-reliance, strong will and courage to win battles, must protest against injustice.