Indigo : Class 12 | Indigo Question Answer AHSEC | Indigo Notes | Study Corner

Short Question : 2 Marks

Question : When and where did Gandhi decide "to urge the departure of the British"
and why ?

Ans: The idea that the British must quit India came to Gandhi's mind in 1917. He took up the cause of the poor peasants in Bihar in 1916. Gandhi later on went to Champaran to wage a struggle against the cruel British landlords. The Champaran episode made Gandhi clear that the British must quit India sooner or later.

Question : How did Shukla succeed in persuading Gandhi to visit Champaran ? Or

    What made Gandhi to surrender to the wish of Rajkumar Shukla and board a train to Patna in Bihar ?

Ans: Rajkumar Shukla wanted Gandhi
to visit Champaran to take up the cause of sharecroppers there. Gandhi told Shukla that he had an appointment in Kanpur. He was also committed to go to other parts of India. Shukla followed Gandhi to the ashram. He went to Calcutta when Gandhi arrived there. Gandhiji was impressed by his tenacity and story. They boarded the train for Patna.

Question : Why did Rajkumar Shukla want to take Gandhi to Champaran ?

Ans - Rajkumar Shukla was a poor peasant sharecropper from Champaran in Bihar. He had come to the Congress session to meet Gandhiji. He wanted Gandhiji to visit Champaran to see the miserable condition of the peasant Sharecroppers at the hands of the British indigo planters. They were
victims of the injustice of the landlord system in Champaran.

Question : What did the servants at Rajen- dra Prasad's house take Gandhi to be? Why was he not allowed to draw water from the well ?

Ans : Shukla led Gandhi to Rajendra Prasad's house in Patna. He was out of town. Dr. Prasad's servants knew that Shukla was a sharecropper. So they took Gandhi also to be a poor peasant of a low caste. He was not allowed to draw water from the well because he could pollute the water.

Question : Why didn't Gandhi go straight to Champaran but stayed first at Muzaffarpur ?

Ans: Gandhi thought it would be advisable to go first to Muzaffarpur. It was enroute to Champaran. He wanted to collect more information about the conditions prevailing there. Therefore, he sent a telegram to Professor J.B. Kripalani. He stayed for two days in the home of Professer Malkani. Even Muzaffarpur lawyers called on Gandhi to brief him.

Question : Why did Gandhi chide the lawyers of Muzaffarpur ?

Ans : Muzaffarpur lawyers called on Gandhi to brief him. They had frequently represented peasants in courts. Gandhi chided them for collecting big fees from the poor peasants. When peasants were so poor and crushed, it was inhuman to charge heavy fees from them.

Question : The settlement of 25% refund to the farmers appeared rather small. Why did Gandhi agree to it and how did events justify his position ?

Ans: According to the settlement, the planters were to refund 25% of the compensation money to the farmers. The achievement appeared to be rather small but events justified his position. But for Gandhi the amount of refund was less important. More important fact was that the landlords were forced to surrender part of their right. So he agreed to the settlement.

Question : "The Champaran episode was a turning point in Gandhi's life." How do you justify it ?

Ans: The Champaran episode was really a turning point in Gandhi's life. It began not as an act of defiance. It was an effort to remove the distress of poor peasants. The success of champaran justified Gandhi's ways and means. It gave a message. The Britishers were dreaded and unquestioned but now they could be challenged by the Indians. The success of Champaran was the success of peaceful Civil Disobedience in modern India.

Question : How did Gandhi teach us a lesson in self-reliance? Why did he oppose taking help from C.F. Andrews ?

Ans: Gandhi wanted to mould 'a new free India'. He wanted Indians to stand on their own feet. Some of his followers wanted C.F. Andrews to stay in Champaran and help them. Gandhi opposed it. He didn't want Indians to take the help of an English man in their struggle for freedom. So he taught a lesson in self-reliance.

Question : "Gandhi's politics were intertwined with the practical day-to-day problems of the millions". Justify this statement with reference to the champaran episode?

Ans: The success of Champaran justified Gandhi's style of politics. Civil disobedience was typical pattern of Gandhian politics. His ways and means were non-violent. His politics were intertwined with the day-to-day problems of the millions. In Champaran he identified himself with the lot of poor and exploited
peasants.

Question : Why did the indigo planters obtain new agreements from the share croppers to pay them compensation ? Why did many sign willingly ?

Ans: Germany produced synthetic indigo. Now the plantation of indigo was no more profitable. The landlords wanted to free the peasants from the 15% agreement. For this freedom, they demanded compensation from the sharecroppers. Many of them signed willingly as the previous 15% arrangement was not liked by them.

Question : Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being resolute ?

Ans: Rajkumar Shukla is described as being resolute because he was fully determined to take Gandhiji to Bihar. Being an illiterate and poor sharecropper from Champaran, he had come to apprise and complain Gandhiji about the injustice of the landlord system. He was accompanied Gandhi everywhere. Gandhiji was very much impressed by his tenacity and fixed time for Calcutta.

Question : How did we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement ?

Ans: The success of the battle of champaran, paved the path of the Indians to participate in the freedom movement. Women gave up their honestly comforts and worked with their leader. There were many movements like freedom struggle, salt movement, Quit India movement and Satyagraha. These came ordinary people at the back and call of Gandhiji.

Question : Why and when did Gandhi declare "The battle of Champaran is won." ?

Ans: When Mahatma Gandhi heard that the lawyers of Champaran who withdrew to consult him in the matter of indigo sharecroppers joined Gandhi and they were ready to follow him into jail, Gandhi declared " The battle of champaran is won".

                            OR

       When Gandhi heard that he was not alone in his struggle but had the full support of the lawyer in the matter of indigo sharecroppers. They were ready to follow him into jail also. Then Gandhi declared : "The battle of Champaran is won".

Long Question : 5 Marks

Question : How do we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement ? 

Ans : For the success of any movement, cooperation and participation of all is must. They make the movement not only a success, but also lead to the Pinnacle. When the peasants knew about Gandhiji, they reached Muzaffarpur. Gandhiji was ordered to appear in Motihari court on the following morning. Then the multitude of peasants blackened the town of Motihari. They knew that Gandhiji, who wanted to help them, was in trouble with the authorities. It was perhaps the first kind of spontaneous demonstration of Indian against the Britishers. Seeing the situation beyond control, they sought his help to regulate unprecedented crowd. The
government was baffled. It has such an impact on the government that the civil disobedience won for the first time in 1917 in modern India.

     Side by side the government had to appoint an official inquiry commission to find out the atrocities done over the peasants. As a result, the owners had to refund the money. This opened the eyes of all. People from every nook and corner of India participated in the freedom movement. Women too gave up their homely comforts and worked with their leader. There were much movements like freedom struggle, salt movement, quit India movement, civil disobedience, Satyagraha and The boycott of foreign goods, etc. Ordinary people were there at the back and call of their leader. Consequently, India became free on 15th August, 1947.

Question : Describe the efforts made by R.K. Shukla to persuade Gandhi to go to Champaran.

Ans : Gandhiji had gone to the December 1916 Anual Convention of the Indian National Congress in Lucknow. A peasant came up to see him. He was Rajkumar Shukla. He looked like any other peasant in India. He was poor and emaciated. He was from champaran. Shukla apprised Gandhiji about the injustice of the landlord system in Champaran. Under an ancient agreement, the champaran peasants were share crappers Gandhiji told Shukla that he had an appointment in Kampur. He was also committed to go to other parts of India. Shukla accompanied Gandhi
everywhere. Gandhiji returned to his ashram near Ahmedabad. Shukla
followed him to the ashram. He begged Gandhiji to fix a date.

      Gandhiji was impressed by Shukla's tenacity and honesty. Gandhiji was to be in Calcutta on a particular day. He asked Shukla to come and take him from there. Months passed. When Gandhiji arrived Calcutta he found Shukla sitting there on his haunches. He waited till Gandhi was free. Then both of them boarded a train for Patna in Bihar. From there Gandhiji went to Muzaffarpur to get complete information about conditions in Champaran. He met Kripalani and Prof. Malkani there. Then Gandhiji proceeded to champaran.

Question : Describe the exploitation of the indigo Sharecroppers by English landlords in Champaran. Did Gandhi help them to get an honourable settlement ?

Ans : Most of the arable land in Champaran was owned by English landlords. The Indian tenants worked on the land.
The chief commercial crop was indigo. The English planters compelled all sharecroppers to plant 15% of their holdings with indigo. They had to surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent to the landlords. This was done by a long-term contract. Then Germany developed synthetic indigo. The plantation of natural indigo was no more a profitable business for English landlords. They decided to free the Indian Sharecroppers from the 15% contract. They were to pay compensation for this freedom. The peasants saw through the trick and fraud of the landlords. Therefore, they wanted their money back.

     Gandhi went to Bihar to take the cause of poor peasants. There was a huge demonstration of thousands of peasants the very next day. The government was baffled. A commission of inquiry was constituted. Gandhi was the sole representative of the peasants. The landlords agreed to refund the money to 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.

Question : "The battle of Champaran is won" Gandhiji exclaimed. Elucidate. OR

      Describe the trial of Gandhi in the Motihari court during his stay at champaran.

Ans : After his arrival at Motihari, Gandhiji used a house as the head quarters so that he can have complete investigation for the sharecroppers. At that time there came a report about maltreating of a peasant. Next morning Gandhiji went to see him but he was overtaken by the police superinten-dent's messenger with an order to return back. When he reached home Gandhiji was asked to reach champaran at once. Gandhiji signed the order but wrote to disobey the order.

      Next day Gandhiji appeared in the court. That night Gandhiji telegraphed Rajendra Prasad to come with some influential friends. When the peasants knew that Gandhiji was in trouble with the authorities, the court ground of Motihari became black with peasants. The officials felt powerless and sought his help. The trial was postponed but Gandhiji protested against the delay. In between he was left at liberty, now Gandhiji asked the prominent lawyers what they would do in case he was sent to jail. They said that they would follow Gandhiji and give the court arrest. Gandhiji exclaimed: "The battle of champaran is won."

Question : How do we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement ? 

Ans : For the success of any movement, cooperation and participation of all is must. Without the support of ordinary people the freedom movement was impossible. They make the movement not only success but also lead to the pinnacle. People from every nook and corner of India participated in the freedom movement. Women too gave up their homely comforts and worked with their leader. There were much movements like freedom struggle, quit India movement, civil disobedience, satyagraha and the boycott of foreign goods etc.

      In the case of champaran, peasants did not know about Gandhi's record in South Africa. But they came out spontaneously to the court only hearing that a Mahatma wanted to help them and he was now in trouble. The people like peasants had to suffer the most of all. After the advent of Gandhi, they began to realise the dream of a free-country. Thus the ordinary people participated in the freedom movement.