FLAMINGO

INDIGO

-LOUIS FISCHER

Louis Fischer
(29 February 1896 – 15 January 1970)
was an American journalist. Among his
works were a contribution to the ex-
Communist treatise The God that Failed
(1949), a Life of Mahatma Gandhi (1950),
basis for the Academy Award-winning film
Gandhi (1982), as well as a Life of Lenin,
which won the 1965 National Book Award
in History and Biography.

"The country, thus, had its first direct object- It was during this movement when Gandhi
lesson in Civil Disobedience," Gandhi wrote in was first referred to as Bapu and Mahatma,
his autobiography. or so goes the legend.

MAIN POINTS TO BE UNDERSTOOD:

1. Character sketch of R K Shukla

2. Incident at Patna
3. Indigo problem
4. Gandhi chided lawyers
5. Gandhi got summon
6. Government baffled
7. Gandhi released without bail; half of battle won
8. Case dropped- deadlock broke
9. Gandhi agreed for 25%
10. Education- Mahadev Desai; Narhari Parikh
11. Cleanliness- Kasturba Gandhi
12. Health- castor oil; quinine; sulphur ointment
13. Gandhi refused that Andrews should stay back to help peasants

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 SUMMARY
 Introduction

 Raj Kumar Shukla shared with Gandhi the miseries of the people of Champaran.
He termed the landlord system in Bihar gravely unjust and wanted Gandhi to
help the poor peasants.

 Shukla’s Tenacity, Persistence, Resolve, Determination

 Shukla visited Gandhi in Lucknow and then in Cawnpore.

 He was told that Gandhi was scheduled to visit other places in the coming days.
 Shukla patiently followed him everywhere.
 Gandhi agreed to accompany him to Champaran after his Calcutta visit.

 Rajendra Prasad's House at Patna

 Gandhi wished to meet Rajendra Prasad, a lawyer who later became the
president of the Indian National Congress.
 But the meeting did not take place as he was out of town
 Gandhi then left for Muzzaffarpur to gather more information.
 Lawyers briefed Gandhi on the case and were chided by him for collecting high
fees from the peasants. Gandhi decided to free the poor farmers from fear.

 Ancient Settlement

 Large Indian estates were owned by the Britishers who had put a compulsion on
the Indian tenants to grow indigo in 15% land.
 Farmers were deprived of the indigo harvest.
 The entire indigo produce was taken as rent.

 German Synthetic Indigo

 Landlords did not want the indigo produce anymore as the coming of synthetic
indigo reduced natural crop cheap.
 The landlords released them from ancient agreement but charged compensation
for it.
 Some peasants signed the agreement willingly, some engaged lawyers to resist
it.
 When the news of the synthetic indigo reached the peasants, they wanted their
money back.

 Official Notice to Gandhi

 Gandhi was ordered to leave Champaran.

 He took the order but signed his refusal.
 He was summoned to appear in the court the next day.
 Rajendra Prasad arrived with influential friends.
 Peasants came in thousands and the Britishers had to take Gandhi’s help to
regulate the crowd.
 Gandhi’s Reason for Disobedience

 Gandhi disobeyed not to break law but to render humanitarian and national
service.
 He professed that he did not have any disrespect for law but for greater respect
for the voice of conscience.

 Triumph of Civil Disobedience

 Gandhi proceeded to gather testimonies about grieving farmers.

 The Lt. Governor appointed a commission of inquiry comprising landlords,
government officials and Gandhi as the sole representative of farmers.

 British planters Defeated

 When heaps of evidences were collected against landlords, they agreed to

refund the money but only 25% of it.
 They had assumed that Gandhi would not come down from his demand of
50%.
 Surprisingly Gandhi agreed to 25% as he believed that refund did not matter
but that the landlords had to surrender their prestige.
 This victory of peasants brought courage in them.
 Later on the estate holders left their holdings and the land reverted to the
peasants.

 Social, Cultural upliftment of Champaran

 To improve cultural and social lot of the people Gandhi sought volunteers for
teaching.
 His own family including wife and son volunteered.
 Primary Schools were opened and hygiene and health was taken care of.

 Chamaparan, a Turning Point

 Peasants had learnt courage and also the fact that he could fight for his rights.

 Self-Reliance

 Charles Freer Andrew's, a pacifist and a devout disciple of Gandhi came to bid
him farewell.
 The lawyer friends urged him to stay on in Champaran for the support of
Indians.
 But Gandhi was against the proposal as he wanted the Indians to face the crisis
on their own.
 The Indian peasants learnt self-reliance and courage
 MAIN POINTS TO REMEMBER

RAJ KUMAR SHUKLA –character sketch / power of common man

1. Was determined, had strong will power; was resolute

2. Followed Gandhi everywhere to take him to Champaran; Had patience
3. Convinced Gandhi and finally Gandhi agreed to go with him

PATNA INCIDENT \ Gandhi realised problems of common men

1. Gandhi and Raj Kumar Shukla went to Patna to the house of Rajendra Prasad
2. Rajendra Prasad was not at home
3. Servants thought that Gandhi was untouchable due to his simple appearance
4. They disallowed Gandhi from drawing water from the well

GANDHI CHIDED LAWYERS

1. Gandhi came to know that lawyers were taking high fee from the poor peasants
regarding Champaran problem
2. He got angry and told them it was wrong to take high fees from them who were
already so poor.

INDIGO PROBLEM

1. Peasants / sharecroppers were forced to grow indigo on 15% of their land

2. They were forced to give/surrender the harvest [indigo] to the landlords
3. Germany developed synthetic indigo
4. Landlords told peasants not to grow indigo
5. They forced peasants to pay compensation for not growing indigo

GANDHI GOT SUMMON

1. Gandhi got news of a peasant badly treated in a nearby village

2. He was on the way to the village but police stopped him and gave him notice
3. He signed the notice, did not go but wrote that he would disobey
4. So he got summon from Motihari Court

GOVERNMENT BAFFLED [ Power of common man]

1. At Motihari, the streets were full of peasants who wanted to see Gandhi, the
champion of their rights
2. Police could not control them and were baffled
3. They requested Gandhi to control

GANDHI REFUSED TO TAKE BAIL

1. Government lawyer wanted more time and told Gandhi to take bail
2. But Gandhi said he did not want time
3. He said he had done everything for mankind and should be punished if he had done
wrong and released if he was right. He was left without bail.
HALF OF BATTLE WON

1. As the case against Gandhi proceeded, there was a fear that Gandhi would be jailed.
2. The local leaders met together and decided if Gandhi was jailed they would follow
him one by one.
3. Seeing their unity, Gandhi told that half of the battle is won.

DEADLOCK BROKE

1. Landlords thought Gandhi would ask for 100% compensation

2. Gandhi asked for 50%
3. Landlords told 25%
4. Gandhi agreed due to two reasons: peasants overcame fear and landlords lost their
prestige

SOCiAL UPLIFTMENT

1. Gandhi worked for education and hygiene

2. His two disciples started giving education; Mahadev Desai and Narhari Parikh
3. Three medicines were provided: sulphur ointment; quinine; castor oil
4. Kasturba Gandhi told women to wear clean sarees

GANDHI DID NOT ALLOW ANDREW TO STAY BACK

1. Gandhi did not want peasants to become dependent.

2. He wanted them to be fearless & self reliant
3. He wanted them to fight for their own rights

GLOSSARY

Recounted – narrated Emaciated – thin or feeble

Sharecroppers – farmers who give part Resolute – determined
of their crop as rent to the owner of the
land
Tenacity – steadfastness; persistence Haunches – the tops of the legs and
buttocks

Yeoman – farmer Pestered – troubled by asking again

and again
Harbor – given shelter to Advent – arrival
Chided – criticized or blamed Arable – fit for cultivation
Surrender – give up Irksome – annoying or irritating
Thugs – violent persons especially Bully – frighten
criminals
Multitude – extremely large number of Maltreated – ill treated
people
Regulate – control Hitherto – until now
Dreaded – feared Baffled – confused completely
Furnish – provide Reconvened – met again after a
break
Upshot – outcome; conclusion Desertion – abandonment
Far flung – spread over a wide area Throbbed – pulsated
Vehement – forceful Protracted – prolonged
Entreaty – request Unlettered – illiterate
Deceitfully – dishonestly Extorted – obtained by using force
or threats
Adamant – determined not to change Reverted – returned back to the
one’s mind original owner

Trenches – long deep holes dug in the Alleviate – to lesson

ground
Abstractions – existing as a mental Distress – hardship
concept
Intertwined – very closely connected Pacifist – a person who believes in
peace

 The Champaran peasant movement was launched in 1917-18. Its objective was
to create awakening among the peasants against the European planters.

 The causes of the Champaran Satyagraha are rooted in two facts. Firstly, the
introduction of synthetic dye, the demand of indigo decreased which led the
zamindars or planters to shred off their burden by increasing the rent burden on
the peasants, which added to the existing plight of the peasants.

 The Champaran Movement was India's first civil Disobedience Movement. The
results of the Movement include : 1. Champaran Agrarian Bill was passed which
gave great relief to the indigo cultivators and land tenants.

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