Subject-English

Lesson-5 (Flamingo)

Indigo

Short Answer Type Questions:-

Question 1.
Why did Gandhiji agree to the planters’ offer of a 25 percent refund to the farmers?
Answer:
Gandhiji had asked the indigo planters for a 50 percent refund to the farmers but they offered
only 25 percent. Gandhiji still agreed to their offer because for him the amount of the refund
was of less importance. More important was the fact that the planters had been forced to
surrender part of their rights. So he agreed to their settlement.

Question 2.

How was Gandhiji able to influence the lawyers at Champaran?

Answer:

Gandhiji chided the lawyers for over-charging the poor peasants. When the peasants were so poor and
crushed, it was inhuman to charge heavy fees from them. Gandhiji’s selfless service and devotion to the
cause of the peasants put the lawyers to shame.

Question 3:

Why did Gandhiji feel that taking the Champaran case to court was useless?

Ans. When Gandhiji learned about the plight of the peasant groups in Champaran from his discussions
with lawyers, he concluded that the poor peasants were so crushed and terrified that the law courts
were useless in their case. Going to court cost the sharecroppers a lot of money in legal fees. What was
really needed was to free them from their fear.

Question 4: Why did Gandhiji object to CF Andrews’ stay in Champaran?

Ans. CF Andrews, an English pacifist, was a devoted Gandhiji follower. The lawyers believed that
Andrews, as an Englishman, could be of great assistance to them in their battle of Champaran. Gandhiji,
on the other hand, was opposed because he believed that enlisting the assistance of an Englishman
demonstrated weakness. Their cause was just, and they needed to win by relying on themselves. This
would enable them to be self-sufficient.
Question 5: Why do you think the servants thought Gandhi to be another peasant?

Ans. Rajkumar Shukla, the servants knew, was a poor farmer who pestered their master to help the
indigo sharecroppers. They mistook Gandhiji for a peasant because he accompanied Shukla and was
dressed simply. Gandhiji’s modesty and lack of assertiveness led to the misconception that he was a
peasant.

Question 6: “The battle of Champaran is won!.” What led Gandhiji to make this remark?

Ans. If Gandhiji was arrested, the lawyers first decided to return home. But they quickly realized their
error. When they declared that they would fight for the peasants’ cause if Gandhiji was arrested and
volunteered to go to court for the sharecroppers’ cause, Gandhiji was overjoyed and exclaimed, “The
battle of Champaran is won!”

Question 7: Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being resolute?

Answer:

Rajkumar Shukla established himself as a resolute man by going along with Gandhiji everywhere that he
went until the time Gandhiji agreed to help him. He was adamant to take Gandhiji to Champaran to
solve the problems faced by sharecroppers there and so he resolutely went everywhere with Gandhiji
until, impressed with his tenacity, Gandhiji agreed.

Question 8:

What were the terms of the indigo contract between the British landlords and the Indian peasants?

Or

What did the peasants pay to the British landlords as rent?

Answer:

The terms of the indigo contract between the British and the peasants were that the peasants were
sharecropper tenants, had to plant 15% of the land holding with indigo and surrender the entire indigo
harvest to the British landlords as rent.

Question 9:

Why did Gandhi tell the court that he was involved in a ‘conflict of duties?

Answer:
Gandhi told the court that he was involved in a ‘conflict of duties’, i.e. he must not set a bad example by
breaking the law (by refusing to comply with the eviction order), but he must also render the
humanitarian and national service for which he had come to Champaran.

Question 10:

What made the Lieutenant-Governor drop the case against Gandhiji?

Answer:

Thousands of peasants held a spontaneous demonstration in Motihari. The officials felt helpless and the
government was baffled. The pressure of the people was mounting. The judge didn’t want to aggravate
the situation. He held up the sentence for several days and finally released Gandhi without bail, thus
dropping the case against Gandhiji.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1:

Why is the Champaran episode considered to be the beginning of the Indian struggle for Independence?

Answer:

The Champaran episode was one of the major events in the struggle for independence. It was in the
course of this small but significant movement that Gandhiji decided to spur the exit of the British from
India.A close examination of the problem of the Champaran peasants opened Gandhiji’s eyes to the
unjust policies of the British.

He realised that people had to be made free from fear and only then could they be freed from foreign
oppression. The spontaneous demonstration of the people proved that Gandhiji had the nation’s
support in his fight against the Britishers.

The triumph of the civil disobedience at Champaran motivated the launching of the movement on a
large scale during the freedom movement. Gandhiji swinning the case of the sharecroppers proved that
British authority could be challenged. Hence, the Champaran episode served as a stepping stone to the
Indian struggle for independence.

Question 2:

The Champaran episode was a turning point in Gandhiji’s life. Elucidate.

Answer:
The success of the Champaran episode made Gandhiji decide to speed up the exit of the British from
India. Gandhiji concluded that the root cause of the problem was fear, so going to law courts to solve
the dispute was useless. It brought him face to face with reality and he became aware of the miserable
condition of the poor, illiterate farmers. He also realised the exploitation that lay beneath the policies of
the Britishers.

The spontaneous demonstration by the peasants was the beginning of their liberation from fear of the
British. Civil disobedience had’triumphed for the first time in modern India. Gahdhiji declared that the
British could not order him about in his own country. Thus, it was a turning point in his life, which also
served as a source of strength and motivation for his future movements.

Question 3:

“Civil disobedience had triumphed the first time in modern India”. How? Explain with reference to the
chapter “Indigo.”

Answer:

When Gandhiji visited Champaran to look into the grievances of the peasants, he was served with an
official notice to quit Champaran immediately. Gandhiji returned the notice with the remark that he
would disobey the order. This was the beginning of civil disobedience.As a result, Gandhiji was ordered
to appear in the court next day. Thousands of peasants put up a demonstration at the courthouse.

The powerless officials appealed to Gandhiji to help them manage the crowd, which he no doubt did.
The magistrate demanded Gandhiji to furnish bail, but Gandhiji did not comply with the orders. Then he
released Gandhiji without bail. After several days, the case was dropped by the Lieutenant- Governor.
This was the start of the triumph of civil disobedience in India.