Louis Fischer describes in his book how Mahatma Gandhi took interest in the poor sharecroppers of Champaran in 1916 who were forced to grow indigo and pay unfair rents to cruel landlords. An illiterate peasant, Rajkumar Shukla, persistently asked Gandhi for help. Gandhi's investigation and civil disobedience movement resulted in the first victory against the British, compelling them to return 25% of the extorted money to the sharecroppers and liberating them from fear of the landlords. The Champaran movement established Gandhi's strategy of non-violent resistance and left the peasants empowered with a sense of their own rights and courage.

1. ‘INDIGO’
PART -I
By
N. RAM
CBSE ENGLISH

2. Today, I will tell you about the author,
introduction and main points of the lesson
INDIGO class xii
written by LOUIS FISCHER

3. =Louis Fischer(1896-1970) was born in Philadelphia.
= He served as a volunteer in the British Army between 1918 and
1920.
=Fischer made a career as a journalist and wrote for The New York
Times, The Saturday Review and for European and Asian
publications.
=He was also a member of the faculty at Princeton University.
=The lesson INDIGO is an excerpt from
his book- ‘The Life of Mahatma Gandhi.’
Louis Fischer(1896-1970)

4. =In 'Indigo’ Louis Fischer describes how Mahatma Gandhi took an
interest in the poor peasants of Champaran in 1916.
=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 to return twenty-five
percent of the money they had extorted from the poor
sharecroppers.

5. =During annual convention of
the Indian National
Congress party, a peasant
came to meet him
looking like any other
peasant in India.
Indian National Congress
=He was Rajkumar Kumar Shukla

6. =He was illiterate but resolute. Gandhi told that he had an
appointment in Cawnpore and
he also had to go in other parts
of India.
=Shukla accompanied
Him every where.

7. .
Sewagram ashram

8. =“I have to be in Calcutta on such-and such a date. Come there and
meet me and take me from there.”
=Shukla met him in Calcutta on the appointed date.
=When Gandhi was free, both boarded in a train for the city of Patna.

9. =Rajendra Prasad was out of town.
=The servants knew Shukla as a poor yeoman who pestered their
master to help the indigo sharecroppers.
=Gandhi was treated as poor Peasant .The servants let Gandhi stay
on the ground with his companion. Gandhi was not permitted to
draw water from the well lest drops from his bucket pollute the
entire source.

10. =He sent a telegram to Pro. J.B.
Kriplani of the arts college in
Muzzafarpur.
= Pro. Kriplani received him at the
station on 15Apil 1917 at midnight.
=Gandhi stayed two days in
the home of Pro. Malkani,
a teacher in govt. school .
Muzzafarpur Jn.

11. =The news of Gandhi’s advent and
of the nature of his mission spread
quickly.
=Muzzafarpur lawyers called on Gandhi
to brief him:
=they frequently represented
peasant groups in courts.
J. B. Kripalani

12. He said,
=“I have come to the conclusion that we should stop going to the
law courts. Peasants are so crushed and fear stricken, law courts
are useless.
=The real relief for them is to be free from fear.”

13. =The chief commercial crop-indigo.
=As per the long term contract, the landlords compelled
all tenants to plant three twentieths or 15% of their
holdings with indigo and surrender the entire indigo
harvest as rent.
Indigo Plant The indigo root

14.  synthetic indigo Natural vs synthetic indigo

15. =The sharecropping arrangement was irksome to the
peasants and many signed willingly.
INDIGO CULTIVATION, TIRHUT

16. Indigo FieldsGandhi at Champaran

17. =The commissioner of the Tirhut division advised him to leave Tirhut.
Gandhi did not.
=Instead he proceeded to Motihari.
=At the railway station, a vast multitude greeted Gandhi.
=He received a message that a peasant had been maltreated in a
nearby village.
=Gandhi decided to go there and see.

18. GANDHI SMARAK, MOTIHARI

19. =Gandhi signed a
receipt for the
Notice and wrote
to disobey the
order.

20. =All night he remained awake and called Rajendra Prasad
with influential friends.-sent instructions to ashram-wired
a full report to the Viceroy.
= Morning found the town of
Motihari black with peasants.
=Their spontaneous demonstration
in thousands around the court
house was the beginning of the
liberation from fear of the Britishers.

21. .
Motihari court house

22. .
Indigo revolt Civil disobedience Public non-cooperation"

23. =Gandhi protested against the delay. Even refused to furnish bail.
Gandhi refused bail
Gandhi refused bail Motihari Court house trial of Gandhi

24. .
Gandhi meets peasants Gandhi in champaran

25. =Gandhi asked –if he was sentenced to jail ,what would
they do.
=The senior lawyer replied, they had come to advise and
help him ; if he went to jail, they would go home.
=“What about the injustice to the sharecroppers”, Gandhi
demanded.
=The lawyers realised their
mistake, they were ashamed
and ready to follow
him into jail if he was
arrested.

26. =Several days later, Gandhi received a written communication from
the magistrate informing him that the Lieutenant-governor of the
province had ordered the case to be dropped.
=Civil disobedience had triumphed, the first time in modern India.
=A far –flung inquiry was conducted .
=Gandhi had four interviews with the Lieutenant Governor, then an
official commission was appointed to enquire the matter.
=Nearly after one year the Britishers offered to refund to the extent
of the 25%, and Gandhi agreed.

27. = Gandhi explained- 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 the part of their prestige.
=Now the peasant saw that he had rights and defenders. He learned
courage.

28. 1.Why was R.K. Shukla considered as resolute?
2.Why did Gandhi chide the lawyers?
3.How was Gandhi able to influence lawyers? Give examples.
4.Why was Gandhi not permitted to draw water from the well, by the
servants of Rajendra Prasad?
5-Why did Gandhi agree to a settlement of 25% refund to the
farmers?

29. THANK
YOU.