INDIGO
1. 1.Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being
resolute?
Ans- Rjkumar Shukla is described as resolute because of his
determination for talking Gandhi to Champaran. Even after Gandhi’s words of
being busy, Rajkumar Shukla never gave up on his decision to take Gandhi with
him. He requested Gandhi to fix a date for his visit to his native district of
Champaran too. His resolution and determination finally impresses Gandhi and
latter complied with his request goes with him to Champaram.
2. 2.Why do you think Gandhi considered the Champaran
episode to be a turning point in his life?
Ans- The Champaran episode was a turning point for Gandhi
because he had solved various events and problems faced by the poor peasants
and sharecroppers. They were relieved from the torture they were facing by the landlords
i.e. the British landlords. Thousands of people supported him. This was
considered as an turning point because he didn’t want the British to order him
in his own country and in his work he got support from thousands of peasants
and people. Several primary schools were opened in six villages. Personal
cleanliness and community sanitation were also taught by Kasturbai. Many medicine
were provided to the people like castor oil, quinine and Sulphur ointment .
There were quit a development done by Gandhi and also the works were for the
people. Gandhi explained what he did was a very ordinary thing, but he decided
that the British could not order him in his own country, he was self-reliable. This
incident all together made a turning point for Gandhi.
3. 3.How was Gandhi able to influence lawyers? Give
instances.
Ans- Gandhi asked the lawyers about their action, i.e. what
would the lawyers do; if he was sentenced to jail. The lawyers answered that
they will return back, as the lawyers were there with Gandhi to advise him. Gandhi
then asked them about the plight of the peasants. This made the lawyers realize
their duty towards the social issue and so they decided to go jail with Gandhi.
Gandhi also convinced the lawyers not to seek support from an Englishman and be
self-reliant.
4. 4.Why did Gandhi decide to go first to Muzaffarpur
before going to Champaran:
Ans- Gandhi wanted to know more about the condition than Shukala
was capable of imparting. Before going to Champharan he wanted to know the
details of the condition of the sharecroppers’ problem.
5. 5.Why did Gandhi agree to a settlement of 25%
refund to the farmers?
Ans- Gandhi agreed to a settlement of 25% refund to the
farmers because it’s not the money that was important but the fact that he
forced the British landlords to return part of the money and with it, part of
their prestige.
6.
1.
Describe the effort of R.K. Shukla to persuade
Gandhi to go to Champaran.
Ans- R. K. Shukla was a poor Sharecroppers from Champaran.
He was illiterate but resolute. He went to the annual convention of the Indian
National Congress party in Lucknow, to meet Gandhi. He told Gandhi that he
wanted him to come to their district and see the injustice of the landlord
system.
Gandhi told Shukala that he had an appointment in Cawnpore,
from there he had to visit other parts of India. Shukla followed him everywhere,
he did not leave Gandhi’s side for weeks and pleaded him to fix a date.
Impressed by the Sharecroppers tenacity Gandhi asked Shukla
to come to Culcutta on such and such date and take him from there. Month passed
but R.K. Shukla waited till Gandhi was free. Later both boarded a train and
left for Champaran. Thus, R.K.Shukla was
successful to persude Gandhi to go to champaran.
2.
Describe the exploitation of the Indigo
Sharecroppers by English landlords in champaran. Did Gandhi help them to get an
honourable settlement?
Ans- The English landlords in Champaran compelled all
sharecroppers to plant 15% of their holdings with Indigo. They had to surrender
the entire Indigo harvest as rent o the landlords. This was done by a long term
contract. After Germany developed synthetic Indigo, the plantation of natural
Indigo was no more a profitable business
for English landlord. Therefore the English landlords decided to free the Indian
Sharecroppers from the 15% contract. They were to pay compensation for this freedom.
The sharecroppers saw through the trick and fraud of the landlords. So, they
refused to pay the compensation. Those who had signed the agreement demanded
their money back.
Yes,
Gandhi helped them, he went to Bihar to take up the case of poor peasants. A
commission of inquiry was constituted. Gandhi was the sole representative of
the peasants. At last they settled for 25%. The amount of refund was less
important. The more important thing was the victory of the peasants and the
victory of the Civil Disobedience in India.
3.
Battle of Champaran is won. Explain
Ans- The condition of the farmers was very pitiable in the
year 1917. When Gandhi was denied by the secretary of the British landlord’s
association to give any information and also was threatened to leave the place,
Gandhi disobeyed the order. He was summoned to the court the next day. The lawyers
played a very vital role in the Champaran movement. The news of Gandhi’s advent
spread among the lawyers of Muzaffarpur. They called on Gandhi to brief him,
Gandhi chided the lawyers for collecting big fees from the poor sharecroppers.
Gandhi
was going to be tried in the court. Rajendra Prasad and several other prominent
lawyers had arrived to support him. Later when asked by Gandhi what would
happen to the Sharecroppers if he went to jail, all the lawyers who were
supposed to go home were ashamed of themselves and decide to follow Gandhi to
jail. The support from the layers and all other people made Gandhi more than
satisfied. This confidence led him to exclaim
“ the battle of Champaran is
won.”
Paragraph 34-35/ The official settlement was adopted...indigo sharecropping disappeared. (pg 51-52)
key points-
- As Gandhi agreed to the 25% refund, the commission reached an unanimous decision on the refund of the money.
- Later Gandhi explained why did he agree to the 25% refund. According to him the money was secondary. the most important thing was that by refunding the money the landlords had to accept that had taken the money illegally and deceitfully and above all they had to surrender their prestige as they thought themselves as lords and even above the law.
- on the other hand from the perspective of the sharecroppers, they learnt three things. one they have their rights, second they have defenders like Gandhi and the lawyers, and third they learnt courage to raise their voice of protest against the British.
- The event that followed the agreement proved that Gandhi was right in accepting 25% refund.
- Because within one year the landlord left the land because they were ashamed as they had to bow down in front of the illiterate farmers and the sharecroppers got back their own land.
- Thus, Indigo sharecropping disappeared from Champaran.
- The champaran episode was a turning point in Gandhi's life. It was because for the first time in champaran Gandhi urged that the British to quit country. 2. for the first time in India Gadhi applied his unique method like Civil Disobedience, non violence, Satyagraha and achieved success which encouraged him to apply these method in the freedom struggle. 3. The champaran for the first time Indians achieved success against the British and Gandhi was established as a nation leader.
- But Gandhi was a very simple man. Inspite of such a landslide achievement in Champaran he said that what he did in Champaran was very simple. He only declared that the British could not order the Indians in their own country.
- Then the author tries to clear that the Champaran movement was not an act of defiance where Gandhi only defied the order of the authority. In fact it was an act to eliminate the distress, sufferings from the poor peasants.
- According to the author, it was the typical Gandhi pattern of politics. His politics was always concerned to the day to day problems of the common mass. He was not loyal to any politcal ideologies but he was always loyal to the common human being and that was the greatness of Gandhi as a political leader.
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