2. About the Author…
Louis Fischer (1896 – 1970)
• Was a Jewish-American journalist.
•A Leftist
•Major Works:
i. The God that Failed (1949)
ii. The Soviets in World Affairs (1930)
iii. The War in Spain (1937)
iv. Men and Politics (autobiography)
v. The Essential Gandhi (editor) (1962).
vi. The Life of Lenin (1964).
4. Main Issue In Champaran…
Most adorable land in Champaran owned by Englishmen and worked by Indian tenants.
The chief commercial crop was indigo.
The landlords compelled all tenants to plant three twentieths or 15 percent of their holdings with indigo.
The entire indigo harvest was to be surrendered as rent. • This was done by a long-term contract.
5. Indian National Congress - 1885
Allan Octavian Hume -
founder
it was the first modern
nationalist movement to
emerge in the British Empire
in Asia and Africa.
After 1920, under the
leadership of Mahatma
Gandhi, Congress became
principal leader of the Indian
independence movement. •
influenced other anti-
nationalist movements in the
British Empire.
• Congress led India to
independence from
Great Britain
6. Lucknow Session – December 1916
Lucknow Pact - b/w Indian National Congress & Muslim League - hope
for Hindu-Muslim unity
Cordial relations were established between extremist(garam dal) &
moderate(naram dal) factions of Indian National Congress.
2301 delegates & many visitors attended the session
Here, Gandhiji met a sharecropper named Rajkumar Shukla who
requested Gandhiji to come to Bihar with him and told him about the
injustice of the landlord system in Champaran .
7. Rajkumar Shukla
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony”
- M.K Gandhi
•Was the person who convinced Mr.
M.K. Gandhi to visit Champaran
village in Bihar.
•Was a villager who became famous
for his association with Mahatma
Gandhi during Champaran
Satyagrah and this struggle was a
turning point in India's fight for
independence.
8. Gandhiji And Rajkumar Shukla
During the 31st session of the Congress in Lucknow in 1916, Gandhiji
met Raj Kumar Shukla, a representative of farmers from Champaran, who
requested him to come and see for himself the miseries of the indigo
ryots (tenant farmers) there..
Shukla followed Gandhi everywhere and begged him to fix a date to
come to his district
Gandhi was much impressed and fixed a schedule.
Gandhi and Shukla reached Patna to meet Dr. Rajendra prasad but he
was out of town.
10. Rajendra Prasad (1884-1963)
o Lawyer by training
o A major leader from the region of
Bihar
o 1946 - Minister of Food and
Agriculture
o 1947 - President of the Constituent
Assembly of India, which prepared
the Constitution of India
o The first President of India, in office
from 1952 to 1962
11. Gandhiji in Muzzafarpur
* When they didn’t met Rajendra Prasad in Patna, they decided to go to
Muzzzafarpur first to get detailed information about Champaran sharecroppers.
* Sent telegram to J B Kriplani and stayed in Prof. Malkani Home- a
government servant.
* Indians were afraid to show sympathy to supporters of home rule.
* The news of Gandhi’s arrival spread- sharecroppers gathered in large numbers
to meet their champion.
* Gandhi chided the Muzzafarpur lawyers for taking a high fee from poor
sharecroppers.
12. Jivatram Bhagwandas Kripalani- (1888-
1982)
1947 - President of INC
A Gandhian socialist, environmentalist, mystic
and independence activist.
The husband of Sucheta Kriplani
Kripalani was a familiar figure, from the Non-
Cooperation Movements of the 1920s to the
Emergency of the 1970s one of Gandhi's most
ardent disciples
13. Later Developments
Ӝ Germany developed synthetic indigo.
Ӝ Landlords obtained agreements from the sharecroppers to pay them
compensation for being released from the 15 per cent arrangement.
Ӝ Many peasants signed & paid willingly; others who went to court were
threatened/intimidated by landlord's thugs.
Ӝ Peasants came to know of synthetic indigo & they demanded their
money back.
Ӝ Thus arose the conflict - Gandhiji arrived at this point
14. ”खुद वो बदलाव बनिए जो आप दुनिया में देखिा चाहते हैं।”
“खुद को खोजिे का सबसे अच्छा तरीका है, खुद को दूसरों की सेवा में खो दो।”
- महात्मा गाांधी
15. Narayandas Malkani (1890–1974)
A social worker and freedom fighter from
Rajasthan.
Malkani left teaching, joined Mahatma Gandhi
and became his close confidant.
He was conferred the Padma Bhushan award in
1973 by the Government of India.
He was a member of Rajya Sabha for two
terms.
16. Gandhiji’s Approach
• Gandhiji had a very systematic approach to the problem- he along with
his lawyer friends gathered as much information about the problem in
Champaran.
• Gathered evidence & documents to support their case - everything was
documented(written down) -convinced the British officials - who finally set
up an official commission of enquiry.
• Commission awarded 25% refund to the peasants.
17. Eradicating fear & Infusing
Confidence
• Gandhi explained that the amount of the refund was less
important than the fact that the landlords had been obliged to
surrender part of the money and, with it, part of their prestige.
• Now the peasant saw that he had rights and defenders.
• He learned courage. He gained confidence