PROSE-3 INDIGO

                            Louis Fischer

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q.1.Why did Gandhiji go to Lucknow in December 1969 ? Who met him there and why?

Ans:- Gandhiji went there to attend the annual conversation of the Indian national congress. A poor peasant named Rajkumar shukla met him there. He was from champaran. He wanted Gandhiji to come to Champaran and help the poor sharecroppers

Q.2. Why did Rajkumar Shukla go to meet Gandhi?

Ans:- Rajkumar Shukla was a poor peasant from Champaran. He went to meet Gandhiji at Lucknow. He wanted him to come to champaran and help the poor sharecroppers 

Q.3. Why did Rajkumar Shukla want to take Gandhiji to Champaran?

Ans:- The peasant of Champaran were sharecroppers. They were bound by an ancient agreement with the British planters. Rajkumar Shukla was one of the peasants. He wanted Gandhiji to come to Champaran and help the poor peasants in their fight against the unjust landlord system in Bihar.

Q.4. How did shukla succeed in persuading  gandhiji to visit campervan?

Ans:- Rajkumar shukla was a resolute person. He accompanied Gandhiji everywhere. He did not leave him until the latter gave his consent to visit Champaran. At last, Gandhiji had to say,” I will be in Calcutta on such and such date. Come and meet me and take me from there.

5. What did Rajkumar shukla tell Gandhiji about the landlord system in Bihar?

Ans :- Rajkumar shukla told Gandhiji that in Bihar, there was a cruel landlord system. The peasants were sharecroppers. They were exploited by the British planters. Rajkumar wanted Gandhiji to come and see the situation for himself. 

6. How did Rajkumar meet Gandhiji in Calcutta and where did they go from there?

Ans:- When Gandhiji arrived in Calcutta, Rajkumar was already waiting for him at the appointed  spot. When Gandhiji  was free, they boarded a train for Patna. There Rajkumar took Gandhiji to the house of Rajendra Prasad who later became the president of India.

7. What happened when  Rajkumar took Gandhiji to the house of Rajendra Prasad In Patna?

Ans:- At that time, Rajendra Prasad was out of town. However, the servants allowed the two to stay on the ground of the house. The servants mistook Gandhiji for an untouchable. They did not permit him to draw water from the well.

Q.8. Why do you think the servants thought Gandhiji to be another peasant?

Ans:- Gandhiji was very simple in his dress and manners. He never made himself out as a great leader. That was why the servants thought him to be another peasant.

Q.9. Why did Gandhiji decide to go Muzzafarpur? Where did he stay there?

Ans:- Muzzafarpur was on the way to Champaran. Gandhiji wanted to have a true picture of the zamindari condition in the district. That was why he decided to go there.  He stayed there at the house of professor Malkani who was a teacher in a government school.

Q.10. What did the peasants pay the British landlords as rent? What did the British now want instead and why? What would be the impact of synthetic indigo on the prices of natural indigo?

Ans:- The peasants had to grow indigo on fifteen percent of the land. All the produce went as rent. But when synthetic indigo was developed, the landlords did not want to grow natural indigo. The process had fallen. Now the landlords wanted compensation for not growing indigo on their land.

Q.12. Why did Gandhiji chide the lawyers and what conclusion did he come to?

Ans:- The lawyers were charging very high fees from the poor peasants. Gandhi chided them for this. He concluded that it was no good going to court. When the peasants were fear- stricken, law courts were useless. Therefore, the first need was to rid the peasants of their fear.

Q.13.  How did Gandhiji  help the peasants of champaran?

Ans:- Gandhiji fought a long battle for the poor peasants of champaran. At last, after one year, he was able to get justice for them. Gandhiji worker on the social level also. He arranged for the education, health,  of the poor peasant families.

Q.14. How was Gandhiji able to influence the lawyers?

Ans:- Gandhiji  influence the lawyers by his example of selfless service. He was prepared to go to jail for the sake of the poor peasants who were quite strangers to him. The lawyers were deeply impressed. They too became ready to go to jail.

Q.15. Why dud Gandhiji agree to the planters’ offer of a 25 percent refund to the farmers?

Ans:- The British planters wanted some excuse to prolong the dispute with the peasants. But Gandhiji proved to wise for them. He at once ended the deadlock by accepting what the planters wanted. The British had to surrender part of the money and also their prestige.

Q.16. Why  do you think Gandhi considered the champararn episode to be a turning point in his life?

Ans:- This episode proved that the British could not order Gandhiji about in his own country. He considered to leave champaran, but he refused. Gandhiji presented his case forcefully. At last, the government had to drop the case.

Q.17. How was Gandhiji able to influence the lawyers?

Ans:- Gandhiji influenced the lawyers by his example of selfless service. He was prepared to go to jail for the sake of the poor peasants who were quite strangers to him. The lawyers were deeply impressed. They too become ready to go to jail.

Q.18.. What  was the attitude of the average Indian in smaller localities towards advocates of ‘home rule ‘?

ANS:- The average Indian in smaller localities was scared of the British. He had not the courage to say anything against the rules. Naturally the average Indian was afraid to show sympathy   for advocates of home rule.

Q.19. How  did Gandhiji help the peasants of champaran?

Ans:- Gandhiji  fought a long battle for the poor peasants of champaran. At last, after one year, he was able to get justice for them. Gandhiji worked on the social level also. He arranged for the education, health and hygiene of the poor peasants families.                                                                                                            

Textual questions

Q.1. why is Rajkumar  Shukla described as being  ‘resolute’?

Ans:-   Rajkumar Shukla wanted Gandhiji to accompany him to his district named champaran. Gandhiji was busy at the time and had several engagements. But shukla never left Gandhiji’s  side. He followed him wherever hr went. At last, Gandhiji had to find time to go with him. It shows how resolute shukla was.

Q.2 . why do you think the servants thought Gandhi to be another peasant?

Ans:- Gandhiji was very in his dress and manners. He never made himself out as a great leader. That was why the servants thought him to be another peasant.

Q.3. Why did Gandhiji agree to a settlement of 25 percent refund to the farmers?

Ans:- The British planters wanted some excuse to prolong the dispute with the peasants. But Gandhiji proved too wise for them. He at once ended the deadlock by accepting what the planters wanted . Even so the British had to compromise with their pride.

Q.4. How did the episode change the plight of the peasants?

Ans:- The peasants now gained courage. They saw that they had rights and they had also defenders of their rights. By and by, the British planters left their estates. These estates now came back to the peasants. Indigo sharecropping now disappeared for ever.

Q.5. How do we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement?

Ans:- The ordinary people stood with Gandhiji at every juncture .  At Motihari, they flocked in thousands when they came to know that mahatma had some trouble with the authorities. They were ready to do anything  at his bidding. Thus the ordinary man’s contribution to the freedom was no le4ss in any way.

Long questions

LONG-ANSWER QUESTIONS

Q.1. Who was Rajkumar shukla? How did he take Gandhiji to champaran and why?

Ans:- Rajkumar shukla was a poor peasant from champaran. he met Gandhiji in December, 1619 at Lucknow. It was during the annual convention of the Indian national congress. He requested Gandhiji to accompany him to champaran. There he wanted him to see the miserable plight of the sharecroppers. Gandhiji was very busy at that time. But shukla followed Gandhiji wherever he went. Impressed by Shukla’s tenacity, Gandhiji asked him to meet him in Calcutta. On the appointed day and place, the two met at Calcutta. From there, they went by train to patna. Shukla wanted to introduce Gandhiji to Rajendra  Prasad there but the latter was out of town. Now they proceeded for champaran.  on the way, Gandhiji stayed at Muzzafarpur. There, he wanted to collect all the information he could about the plight of the sharecroppers. Thus at last, shukla was able to take Gandhiji to champaran.

Q.2.What did Gandhiji do respect of the cultural and social backwardness in the champaran villages?

Ans:- Gandhiji noticed the cultural and social backwardness in the champaran villages. He wanted to something about it. He appealed for teachers. Mahadev Desai and Narhari Parikh were two young men who had just joined Gandhiji as disciples. They and their wives volunteered themselves for the work. Several more came from Bombay, Poona and other parts of the country. Gandhiji wife kasturbai and his youngest son, devadas, arrived from the Ashram. Primary schools were opened in six villages. Kasturbai taught the rules on personal cleanliness and community sanitation. Health conditions were miserable. Gandhiji got a doctor to volunteer his services for six month. Three medicines were available castor oil quinine and sulphur ointment. Anybody who showed a coated tongue was given a dose of castor oil. Anyone with malaria fever received quinine plus castor oil.  And one with skin eruptions received ointment plus castor oil.

Q.3. Why do you think Gandhiji considered the champaran episode to be a turning point in his life?

OR

        Describe how champaran turned out to be a turning point in Gandhi’s life. How did the success of champaran justify the ways and means adopted by Gandhi during the civil disobedience?

Ans:- Champaran was a new experience for Gandhiji. Here he came to understand the common Indian people and the British rulers in a better manner. He saw that the common Indians could be taught to be brave. They had the courage to fight for their right. They folioed him faithfully. They understood him well. The Champaran episode also broke the myth of the dreadful British power. Gandhiji was ordered first to leave Tirhut but he refused. Again he got the notice to leave Champaran immediately. Gandhiji received the notice but wrote o it that he would disobey the order. At the court, he gave sound reasons for it. He said that he was no lawbreaker. But he had to do his moral duty to hs people. Thousands of people rallied in support of Gandhiji. The government was confused. At last, the case against Gandhiji had to be dropped. Thus Gandhiji found that the British could not order him about in his own country. The myth of their dreadful power was broken.       

Q.4. Write a brief note on the sharecropping system in champaran?

OR

        Describe the exploitation of the indigo sharecroppers by English landlords in Champaran. How did Gandhi help them to get an honorable settlement?

Ans:- There were big indigo estates in the district of Champaran. All these belonged to the British planters. The peasants working on these estates were all Indians. By an ancient long-term contract, the planters had bound the peasants to a cruel system. Under this agreement, the peasants had to plant indigo on fifteen percent of the land. The entire produce went as rent to the landlords. This system was irksome to the peasants but they were helpless. The British planters now found that producing natural indigo on their lands was not profitable. So they forced the peasants to give compensation for releasing them from the contract. It was grave injustice and the peasants opposed it. There was a long struggle under Gandhi’s leadership. The landlords agreed to return 25 percent of the compensation they had extracted illegally. Thus at last sharecropping system came to an end. By and by, the British planters left their estates. These lands now came back to the actual peasants.

Q.5. Describe the trail of Gandhi in Motihari court during the Champaran movement. When and why did Gandhi declare: “The battle of Champaran is won.”?  

Ans:- Gandhi came to Motihari, the capital of Champaran. he had already quipped himself with the necessary facts and information. Gandhi called on the British commissioner. He tried to bully Gandhiji and advised him to leave the place at once.

                  Gandhiji did not leave the place. Instead he proceeded to Motihari. A huge crowd greeted him at the station. He received an official notice to quit Champaran immediately.

                Thousand of peasants held a spontaneous demonstration around the courthouse. The government was baffled. Gandhiji was in a ‘conflict of duties’. Finally, he heard “the voice of his conscience?. He decided to defy the order. He was set free without the bail. Gandhiji asked the prominent lawyers what they would do if he was sent to jail. After the initial hesitation, they finally decided to accompany Gandhi to jail. This emboldened Gandhiji. He declared: “The battle of Champaran is won.” The case against Gandhiji was dropped. Thus, Civil disobedience had triumphed for the first time in modern India.

Q.6. How did Gandhiji use satyagraha and non-violence at Champaran to achieve his goal?

Ans:- The news of Gandhiji arrival spread quickly through Muzzffarpur to Champaran. The peasants were crushed and fear-stricken. Gandhiji aim was to make them free from fear. He collected all the facts and met the commissioner. He tried to bully Gandhiji and advised him to leave the place. Gandhiji did not leave. Gandhiji decided to launch a peaceful ‘Satyagraha’ and non-violent movement. Next morning there were spontaneous demonstrations in Motihari. Thousand of peasants challenged the might of the British. The government was baffled. After showing early hesitations, the prominent lawyers declared their unqualified support to Gandhi’s case was dropped. Civil disobedience had triumphed for the first time in India.

           Gandhiji peaceful non-violent civil disobedience and Satyagraha’ bore the desired results. A commission of enquiry was constituted. The landlords agreed to refund 25 percent of the compensation money. The amount of the refund was less important. The more important thing was that the peasants got their right and defenders. Within a few years indigo sharecropping disappeared.