This document contains a summary of the chapter "Indigo" from Kritika Gupta's class project. It discusses how Mahatma Gandhi helped the poor peasants of Champaran, Bihar, who were forced by British planters to grow indigo under an unfair agreement. It describes the nij and ryoti systems of indigo cultivation, the effects on the peasants, and how Gandhi's movement secured justice for them. It recognizes the Champaran movement as a turning point for Gandhi that showed the power of nonviolence and civil disobedience.

1. BY: KRITIKA GUPTA

2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
At the outset, I express a great sense of gratitude
towards my guide Ms Sunita Singh for her writing
effort and guidance which she has culminated in
this project. I am also grateful to her for giving me
an insight into the various aspects with regards
to my project work. I would also like to thank
my esteemed principal ma’am for giving me the
opportunity to complete my work with full
determination. Finally, I am thankful to my
acquaintance.

3. CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Kritika Gupta of
Class XII(Science) has completed
her project under the guidance and
supervision of Ms Sunita Singh .I Certify
that this project is up to the expectation
of CBSE guidelines.
Teacher’s sign……………..

4. ABOUTTHE AUTHOR
LOUIS FISCHER:
Louis Fischer, the son of a fish peddler, was born
in Philadelphia on 29 February 1896. After studying at
the Philadelphia School of Pedagogy from 1914 to 1916, he
became a school teacher.
He also served as a volunteer in the British Army between
1918 and 1920.
While in the Soviet Union Fischer published several books
including Oil Imperialism: The International Struggle for
Petroleum (1926) and The Soviets in World Affairs (1930).
In 1934, American Max Eastman criticized Fischer
for Stalinism in a chapter called "The 'Revolution' of April 23,
1932" in his book Artists in Uniform.

5. INDEX
TOPIC PAGE NO.
1. About the author 6
2. introduction 6-7
3. Reason for Champaran movement 7-8
4. Need of indigo 8
5. Methods of indigo cultivation 9-10
6. Champaran- a turning point 11
7. Methods of indigo cultivation 11-12
8. Message 13
9. Photo gallery 14
10. bibliography 15

6. INTRODUCTION
In the chapter ’Indigo’, the author describes the struggle
of Gandhi for the poor peasants of Champaran, who had
to share their crops with the British planters. This made
their life miserable as they were forced to grow indigo
according to an agreement.
The main theme covered by the author is that how an
effective leadership can overcome any problem. The
chapter tells us about the leadership shown by Mahatma
Gandhi to secure justice for the oppressed people
through convincing argumentation and negotiation.

7. REASON FOR CHAMPARAN
MOVEMENT
When the indigo production collapsed in Bengal, the
European planters of Indigo shifted their operations to
Bihar. The farmers of Champaran, a village in Bihar, were
forced to grow indigo by the European planters instead of
the food crops which were necessary for their survival.
The European planters were destroying the productivity of
the land which was the main reason for the protest.
Mahatma Gandhi was invited by some of the peasants to
look after their misery.
Gandhi Ji accepted an invitation and started a mass
movement after seeing the plight of the indigo cultivators.

8. NEEDOF INDIGO
The British needed Indigo to produce the blue dye
in clothes. Such clothes were in great demand in
Britain and most of Europe following the industrial
revolution.
Indigo is about how Mahatma Gandhi struggled for
the underprivileged peasants of Champaran. They
were the sharecroppers with the British planters.
The peasants use to live a wretched life and were
under an agreement to grow Indigo.

9. METHODSOF INDIGOCULTIVATION
There were two main systems of indigo cultivation – nij and Ryoti .
Within the system of nij cultivation, the planter produced indigo in
lands that he directly controlled. He either bought the land or
rented it from other zamindars and produced indigo by directly
employing hired labourers.
NIJ SYSTEM:
In this type of cultivation, the planters used their land to cultivate
Indigo. The land in which they cultivated was either owned by them
or was leased by them from the Zamindar. They hired labourers to
grow indigo. The indigo crop required high nutrition for healthy
growth so for the cultivation of indigo on large scale large area of
land was required, for this, the land owned by peasants was
bought or taken on rent leaving them without any means of
leaving.

10. RYOTI SYSTEM:
Generally, under the ryots system, Indigo cultivation
was done by the ryots. The planters and ryots signed
agreements or contracts to ensure transparency in the
deal. The village headman was allowed to sign
contacts on behalf of the ryots, this was a loophole in
the agreement that was extensively used by the
peasants as they forced the headman to sign the
contracts.

11. CHAMPARAN - a turning point
Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a turning
point in his life because he realised that civil
disobedience, which had triumphed for the first time,
could go a long way in the freedom struggle.
Moreover, he had succeeded in making the peasants
aware of their rights and becoming confident.
This success, thus, proved the effectiveness of Gandhi’s
method of non-violence and non-cooperation.
Gandhi had done a simple thing by declaring that the
British had no right to order him in his own country and
this simple act had its subsequent effects. Therefore,
Gandhi may have considered the Champaran episode to
be a turning-point in his life.

12. EFFECTS OF INDIGOCULTIVATION
The indigo planters persuaded the peasants to plant indigo instead of
food crops.
But this plantation was not liked by the farmers because once you
plant indigo , it will absorb all the minerals and nutrients from the soil
and they couldn't grow anything else. This would barren the whole
land.
The indigo planters persuaded the peasants to plant indigo instead of
food crop.
They provided loans, called at very high interest rate.
The Prices paid by the planters was meagre 2.5% of the market price.
The farmers could make no profit by growing indigo.
The farmers were totally unprotected from the indigo planters, who
restored to mortgages or destruction of the property if they were
unwilling to obey them.

13. MESSAGE
The indigo farmers all united together against the
Englishmen. They all participated and played a major
role in first war of 1857. Though their revolt was crushed
cruelly, but they successfully​ brought​ the end to the
East India Company and thus also they wrote a Golden
Page in Indian History.
The story 'Indigo' highlights the unequal economic
system that existed during colonial British rule. It
resulted in Indian peasants suffering, while the British
planters exploited them. It also highlights the
importance of Gandhi's decision to take up their case,
which exposed the unjust system.

14. PHOTOGALLERY

15. BIBLIOGRAPHY
www.slideshare.net
 www.google.co.in
 Chemistry NCERT (XII)