INDIGO SUMMARY

INDIGO SUMMARY

 'Indigo’ Louis Fischer describes how Mahatma Gandhi took an interest in the poor peasants/farmer of Champaran in 1916. The sharecroppers of Champaran were forced to grow indigo according to an old agreement. The cruel and cunning landlords extorted money from the poor and illiterate peasants. They made them sign a new agreement. They wanted more money for freeing their land. Gandhi’s long and heroic struggle ended with the victory of the civil disobedience. The English landlords were compelled/forced to return twenty-five percent of the money they had extorted/taken from the sharecroppers.

1. The idea of the departure of the British

Gandhi Ji tells Louis when the idea of the departure of the British came in his mind. It was in 1917. Gandhi Ji had gone to the December 1916 annual convention/meeting of the Indian national convention of the Indian national congress in Lucknow. A poor peasant came up to him. It was Rajkumar Shukla. He was from Champaran. He wanted him to come to his district. Gandhi had never heard of the place. It was near the kingdom of Nepal in Bihar. Shukla was a sharecropper.

2. Shukla was resolute

Rajkumar Shukla was illiterate but resolute. He had come to the congress session to complain against the injustice of the landlord system In Bihar. Gandhi had an appointment in Kanpur and had to go to other parts of India as well. Shukla accompanied him to the ashram in Ahmadabad. He begged Gandhi to fix a date. Gandhi was impressed with Shukla’s determination. He asked Shukla to meet him in Calcutta and take him from there. In Calcutta, he waited till Gandhi was free. Then the two boarded a train for Patna. There Shukla led him to the house of a lawyer named Rajendra Prasad who later became president of India. But he was not there.

3.In Muzaffarpur

Gandhi decided to go first to Muzaffarpur. He wanted to obtain more complete information about the condition of Champaran. Professor J.B. Kripalani waited for Gandhi at the station with a large body of students, a teacher in a government school. But he supported to Gandhi. Gandhi stayed for two days in the home of professor Malkani. The news of Gandhi’s arrival spread quickly through Muzaffarpur and then to Champaran. Sharecroppers from Champaran arrived on foot to meet their champion. Muzaffarpur lawyers called on Gandhi to brief him. Gandhi chided them for collecting huge fees from the poor sharecroppers.

4. English landlords of Champaran

Most of the arable land in Champaran was owned by Englishmen. Indian tenants worked on the land. Germany had developed synthetic indigo. Now indigo plantation was not very profitable. Therefore, they obtained agreements from the sharecroppers to pay to the landlord's compensation for being released from the 15% arrangement. According to the previous agreement, English landlords compelled all tenants to plant 15% of their land with indigo. They had to surrender the whole indigo crop to the landlords as rent. Those who opposed were tortured by their hired bullies. Meanwhile, the illiterate peasants saw through the trick of the landlords they were not ready to pay the compensation. Those who had signed wanted their money back.

 5. Gandhi received a summons to appear in court

Gandhi met the secretary of the British landlord’s association, But he didn’t give him any information. Gandhi met the commissioner. He only warned him and advised him to leave the Place. Gandhi didn’t leave. He proceeded to Motihari, the capital of Champaran. A huge crowd greeted Gandhi at the station. Then he got an official notice to quit Champaran immediately Gandhi Ji made it clear that he would disobey the order. So Gandhi received a summon /an order to appear in court the next day. All night Gandhi remained awake. He prepared a full report to the viceroy. The next morning thousands of peasants demonstrated in support of Gandhi. It was the beginning of their liberation from the fear of the British. The officials felt helpless. Gandhi helped them to regulate/control the crowd.

6. The voice of conscience

The government was baffled/surprised. The authorities wanted to postpone the trial. Gandhi protested against the delay. Gandhi told the court that he was involved/caught in a ‘conflict of duties’. It was his duty not to set a bad example as a lawbreaker. On the other hand, he wanted to do justice to thousands of poor sharecroppers. He decided not to leave Champaran. Gandhi had full respect for lawful authority. But in the end, he heard ‘the voice of his conscience. The court didn’t deliver the judgments for several days. Meanwhile, Gandhi was allowed to stay in Champaran.
 

7. Battle of Champaran won

 Rajendra Prasad and many other prominent/famous lawyers had arrived from Bihar. They supported to Gandhi. What would they do if Gandhi was sent to jail? The lawyers decided to follow him into jail. Gandhi exclaimed: The battle of Champaran is won.” Several days after the lieutenant-governor of the province decided to listen to the case.

8. Commission of Inquiry

Gandhi had four interviews with the lieutenant-governor. He appointed an official commission of inquiry into the indigo sharecroppers’ situation. Gandhi was representative of the peasants/farmers. He remained/stayed in Champaran for more than seven months. There were many evidences/proofs against the landlords and British officers. They had illegally extorted /taken money from the sharecroppers. Gandhi demanded back for 50%. The planters/landlord offered to refund only 25%. Gandhi agreed because the British government first time bent down in Indian history. The deadlock was broken.

9. Social Work in Champaran

Gandhi saw the cultural and social backwardness in the Champaran villages. He wanted to do something about it immediately. Mahadev Desai and Narhari Parikh, two young men joined Gandhi as disciples. Even their wives volunteered for the work. Many more came from Bombay, Poona and other distant parts. Gandhi’s son Devdas also joined them. Primary schools were opened in six villages. Kasturbai's wife of Gandhi Ji taught lessons of cleanliness and sanitation.

10. Champaran Episode-A turning point

The Champaran episode was a turning point in Gandhi’s life. It was not a simple victory; it awoke the soul of the poor peasants. Gandhi tried to mold/change a new free Indian. He wanted to stand them in his own feet and thus make India free. Some people wanted C.F. Andrews to stay in Champaran and help them. But Gandhi opposed it. He didn’t want that Indians should take the help of an Englishman in their own struggle for freedom. In this way, Gandhi taught them self-reliance.