Indigo, Theme, Summary, Characters, Questions & Answers


CHAPTER: 5

Indigo                                                                                          Louise Fischer


SUMMARY

This chapter is an excerpt from the book “The Life of Mahatma” written by Louise Fischer. It involves three issues such as- self reliance, help to sharecroppers and Indian independence. It begins with the problem of sharecropping in Champaran. A peasant named Rajkumar Shukla goes to Mahatma Gandhi and requests him to visit Champaran and solve the problem of the sharecroppers. Gandhi ji goes to Champaran with him and first he visits Dr. Rajendra Prasad’s house. But he is not treated well by his servants and even not allowed to draw water from the well. Prof. G. B. Kriplani of Arts College and Prof. Malkani help him. Gandhi ji chides the lawyers who represent peasants’ cases in the law courts, for collecting big fee from the peasants. He meets the secretary of British Landlords’ association and the British official commissioner of Tirhut Division. He is asked to quit Tirhut but he disobeys. He is summoned to court but with the support of the villagers he comes out of the court without being punished and the case against him is dropped which proves to be the first victory of Civil Disobedience in Modern India. Later he meets Sir Edward Gait, the Lt. Governor of the province. The meeting results in setting up of an enquiry commission which brings out evidences against the big planters. The landlords agree to pay the refund thus indigo sharecropping disappears and lands are reverted to the peasants.

Gandhi ji worries about the social and cultural backwardness of Champaran villages. He appeals to his disciples. Several people volunteers. His son Devdas and Kasturba Gandhi also come to volunteer. They open primary schools in six villages. Gandhi ji seeks the help of a doctor also. Moreover, when the lawyers thinks of taking Charles Freer Andrews to their side, Gandhi ji chides them and asks them to be rely on themselves. Thus he teaches them self reliance as well.  Thus self-reliance, Indian independence and help of sharecroppers were all bound together.

Theme
This story revolves around the issues of help to sharecroppers, Indian independence and self-reliance. Gandhi ji visited Champaran at the entreaty of a peasant named Rajkumar Shukla to remove sharecropping system from Champaran. In his attempt to do this Gandhi ji taught them self reliance as well. Moreover, he also had the first victory of Civil Disobedience Movement in this process.

Setting
Champaran is the locale where most of the action takes place. Apart from this, some other parts of Bihar also find a mention in it.

Characters

1.    Rajkumar Shukla -   He is a peasant in Champaran and is troubled by the sharecropping                                                        system. He was illiterate but resolute. He never left Gandhi ji’s side until                                                he agreed to visit Champaran.

2.    Gandhi ji -                 He visited Champaran on the request of Rajkumar Shukla. He spent                                                      almost a year of his life there. During his stay there, he removed the                                                     problems of sharecropping, contributed in the Indian Independence                                                         struggle and also taught them self-reliance.

3.    Edward Gait -           He was Lt. Governor of the province. He ordered to drop the case against                                              Gandhi ji. Later as a result of his meetings with Gandhi ji, an enquiry                                                     commission was set up to find out the problems.

4.  Rajendra Prasad-       He was a lawyer who later became the President of Indian National                                                       Congress and also of India.

5.  C. F. Andrews -          He was an English pacifist and devoted follower of Gandhiji. He was                                                    ready to stay at Champaran and help Gandhi ji but Gandhiji opposed it.


Main Points

1.      Ganhi ji went to attend December 1916 Annual Convention of Indian National Congress in Lucknow.

2.         During the proceedings, a peasant from Champaran, named Rajkumar Shukla met him.

3.         Under an ancient arrangement, Champaran peasants were sharecroppers.

4.         Rajkumar Shukla was one of them. He was illiterate but resolute.

5.         He didn’t leave Gandhiji until he agreed to visit Champaran.

6.        Gandhi ji was to be in Calcutta on a certain date. Shukla received him from there and then they boarded the train to Patna.

7.         Shukla first took Gandhi ji to the house of  a lawyer named Rajendra Prasad who later became the President of Indian Natinal Congress and India.

8.        Rajendra Prasad was out of town and his servant didn’t allow Gandhi ji to draw water from the well thinking him to be an untouchable.

9.        Gandhi ji first decided to go to Muzzafarpur. He was received by Prof. J. B. Kriplani of Arts College, at the railway station.

10.       Gandhi ji stayed at the house of Prof. Malkani for two days.

11.    It was an extraordinary thing for Prof. Malkani to harbor Gandhi ji because in smaller   localities people were afraid to show sympathy for the advocates of home rule.

12.       As soon as Gandhi ji reached Champaran, people went to see him.

13.       The lawyers told Gandhi ji that they represented peasant groups in the court and also reported the size of their fee.

14.       Gandhi ji chided the lawyers for collecting such a big fee and told them its no use taking their cases to the law courts.

15.       The chief commercial crop in Champaran was Indigo. The landlords compelled all tenants to plant three twentieths or 15 percent of their holdings with indigo and surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent.

16.      Meanwhile Germany developed synthetic Indigo. The landlords asked the peasants to pay   them compensation for being released from the 15% agreement.

17.       Later when the peasants came to know about the synthetic Indigo, they wanted their money back.

18.       Gandhi ji reached Champaran at this stage.

19.      Gandhi ji first went to the Secretary of the British Landlord’s association and then to the British Official Commissioner of Tirhut Division. None of them helped Gandhi ji instead he was asked to leave Tirhut.

20.       But Gandhi ji, instead of leaving Tirhut, went to Motihari.

21.      There again he got an official notice to quit Champaran. Gandhi ji signed a receipt for the order but he wrote on the back that he would disobey the order.

22.       In consequence, he got summons to appear in the court.

23.     Gandhi ji informed all about it and the next morning all the people gathered in the court premises.

24.       The officials felt powerless without Gandhi ji’s cooperation.

25.      Gandhi ji helped them to regulate the crowd but he had given them proof that their might   could be questioned.

26.       Gandhi ji told the court that he was caught in a conflict of duties. On the one hand, he didn’t want to set a bad example as a law breaker and on the other hand, he wanted to do national and humanitarian service.

27.       When the court was reconvened, the judge said the he would deliver the judgement several days later and meanwhile he allowed Gandhi ji to be at liberty.

28.       Later the Lt. Governor ordered the case to be dropped against him and it proved to be the first victory of Civil Disobedience in Modern India.

29.       In June Gandhi ji was summoned by Sir Edward Gait. They had four protracted meetings as a result of which an enquiry commission was set up.

32.       The enquiry brought crushing mountain of evidences against the big planters.

33.       Gandhi ji asked 50% refund but the planters wanted to pay only 25%.

34.       Gandhi ji agreed even to that. He said the amount of 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.

35.       Gandhi ji was also concerned about the social and economical backwardness of Champaran villages.

36.        He appealed to the people to volunteer their services.

37.       Primary schools were opened in six villages. Kasturbai taught the ashram rules on personal   cleanliness and community sanitation.

38.       Health conditions were also miserable. Three medicines were available- castor oil, quinine    and sulphur ointment.

39.       Gandhi ji’s politics was intertwined with the practical day to day problems of the millions. His was not a loyalty to abstractions; his was the loyalty to living human beings.

40.    Gandhi ji’s lawyer friends wanted Charles Freer Andrews who was Gandhi ji’s devoted follower to stay in Champaran and help them but Gandhi ji was vehemently opposed. He told them to rely on themselves instead of seeking a prop in Mr. Andrews.

GLOSSARY
Urged                          -           Pressed, Prompted
Departure                    -           Exit, Withdrawal
Convention                 -           Meeting, Assembly
Delegates                    -           Representatives, Deputes
Emaciated                   -           Thin, Skinny
Resolute                      -           Determined, Firm
Tenacity                      -           Stubbornness, Obduracy
Yeoman                       -           Attendant, Farmer
Impart                         -           Give, Render
Harbour                       -           Shelter, Shield
Brief                            -           Inform, Report
Arable                         -           Cultivable, Productive
Bully                           -           Threaten, Intimidate
Maltreated                   -           Illtreated, Abuse
Complied                    -           Obeyed, Agreed
Summons                    -           Order to appear in the court of law
Spontaneous                -           Natural, Instinctive    
Liberation                    -           Freedom, Emancipation
Hitherto                       -           So far, Till now
Baffled                                    -           Confused, Puzzled
Apparently                  -           Clearly, Evidently
Confer                         -           Discuss, Consult
Sentenced                   -           Penalized, Condemned
Disregarded                -           Ignored, Overlooked
Upshot                                    -           Result, Outcome
Adjoining                    -           Nearby, Neighbouring
Desertion                     -           Abandonment, Withdrawal
Far-flung                     -           Remote, Distant
Deposition                   -           Evidence, Testimony
Protracted                   -           Long, Extended
Entreaty                      -           Request, Appeal
Deadlock                     -           Stalemate, Impasse
Contented                   -           Satisfied, Happy
Disciple                       -           Pupil, Student
Trench                         -           Ditch, Pit
Pacifist                                    -           Peace lover, Disarmer
Vehemently                 -           Strongly, Fiercely
Prop                             -           Support, Help

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1.         What was the sharecropping system in Champaran?
Ans:    The chief commercial crop in Champaran was indigo. The landlords compelled all tenants to plant three twentieths or 15 percent of their holdings with indigo and surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent.

2.         What was the conflict of duties Gandhi ji found himself caught in?
Ans:    On the one hand he did not want to set a bad example as a law breaker and on the other   hand he wanted to render national and humanitarian service for which he had come. But he couldn’t do one without violating the other. This was the conflict, Gandhi ji found himself caught in.

3.         Which incidence points to the first victory of civil disobedience?
Ans:    When Mahatma Gandhi disobeyed the order to leave Tirhut, he was summoned to court. But when the people came to know about this, they gathered around the court in thousands. The judge allowed Gandhi Ji to remain at liberty and even the case against him was dropped. This was the first victory of civil disobedience.

4.         How did Gandhi Ji’s meeting with Sir Edward Gait help?
Ans:    After Gandhi Ji’s meeting with Sir Edward Gait, he appointed an official commission of enquiry into the grievances of sharecroppers’ situation. The enquiry brought out a lot of evidences against the big planters and they agreed to make refund.
  
5.         Why did Gandhi Ji accept twenty five percent refund?
Ans:    According to Gandhi Ji, 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 that part of their prestige. He wanted to give the peasants courage and to teach them that they also have rights and defenders.

6.         How was the health condition in Champaran?
Ans:    The health condition in Champaran was very poor. Only three medicines were available. If anybody showed a coated tongue, he would be given a dose of castor oil; anybody with malaria fever received quinine plus castor oil; and anybody with skin eruptions received sulfur ointment plus castor oil.

7.         What was typical Gandhi pattern?
Ans:    Gandhi Ji’s politics was intertwined with the practical day-to-day problems of the millions. His was not a loyalty to abstractions but to living human beings. This was typical Gandhi pattern.

8.         Why, according to Gandhi ji, was it extraordinary for Prof. Malkani to harbour Gandhi Ji?
Ans:    In smaller localities people were afraid to show sympathy to the advocates of home-rule and in case of Prof. Malkani, it was more risky as he was a govt. servant and he could lose his job. That’s why it was extraordinary for Prof. Malkani to harbour Gandhi Ji.

9.         How was Gandhi ji able to influence the lawyers?
Ans:    Though Gandhi Ji was a stranger at Champaran yet he was ready to go to prison for their sake. He spent one whole year of his life just at the entreaty of a peasant. Seeing his dedication and sacrifice, the lawyers also were influenced.

Very Important Questions

Q1. Gandhi said, “The real relief for them is to be free from fear.” In what context did he say this, and how did it reflect his approach to the Champaran struggle?

Answer: Gandhi observed that the peasants’ greatest suffering was not rent or money but fear of the British planters.They never came together against the British. By insisting that freedom from fear was the real relief, he meant moral courage over legal battles, showing his belief in empowering peasants psychologically to defeat the British.

Q2. Gandhi said, “The battle of Champaran is won.” Why did he declare victory even before any formal concession from the British planters?

Answer: Gandhi realized that once the peasants had shed fear and joined him openly in defiance of unjust authority, the psychological victory was complete. For him, courage and unity were greater triumphs than legal or financial settlements.

Q3. Gandhi said, “What I did was a very ordinary thing.” In what way was it “ordinary,” and why did it have extraordinary consequences?

Answer: Gandhi called his work “ordinary” because he simply listened, investigated, and stood by the peasants. Yet, it had extraordinary consequences because it challenged colonial injustice and awakened the masses to self-reliance, boosting their morale and  giving them confidence to fight against the British.  His humility contrasted with the transformative impact of his actions.

Q4. The author notes, “Civil disobedience had triumphed, the first time in modern India.” What does this mean in the context of Champaran?

Answer: For the first time, Indians had successfully resisted unjust British authority through non-violent civil disobedience. Gandhi’s refusal to leave and the peasants’ mass support forced the administration to retreat. This triumph in Champaran became a rehearsal for India’s larger freedom struggle.

Q5. Fischer writes, “Champaran did not begin as an act of defiance. It grew out of an attempt to alleviate distress of a large number of peasants.” How does this distinction matter?

Answer: Gandhi’s entry into Champaran was humanitarian, not political. By focusing on alleviating suffering rather than confronting power, he gained trust and moral ground. This distinction shows how Gandhi’s social service naturally evolved into political resistance without losing ethical legitimacy.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1.         Both William Douglas in Deep Water and Mahatma Gandhi in Indigo highlight the crippling effect of fear on human life. Referring closely to the texts, discuss how the two authors portray fear and the ways in which it is overcome. What larger lessons about courage and freedom do these narratives offer?

Answer: In Deep Water, William Douglas recounts his childhood terror of water after a near-drowning                 experience. The fear haunted him for years, restricting his freedom and joy. However, through                     persistent effort, training, and determination, he eventually conquered it. His triumph demonstrates             that fear can be dissolved by courage, patience, and willpower.

            Similarly, in Indigo, Louis Fischer presents Gandhi’s struggle in Champaran, where peasants lived             under constant fear of British landlords. Gandhi recognized that “the real relief for them is to be                free from fear.” By teaching peasants to resist injustice non-violently, he replaced their fear with                confidence and dignity. Their psychological liberation was as important as their economic relief.

            Both texts highlight fear as a barrier to freedom—personal or political. Douglas shows how                        individuals must face fear to live fully, while Gandhi demonstrates that entire community must                    overcome fear to achieve justice. Together, they affirm that fearlessness is the foundation of true                freedom.

2.         Both Indigo by Louis Fischer and Lost Spring by Anees Jung highlight the importance of social                and educational reform as a means to liberate the underprivileged from cycles of exploitation and             poverty. Discuss with reference to the texts.

Ans:      Both Indigo by Louis Fischer and Lost Spring by Anees Jung stress the need for social and                         educational reform to uplift the marginalized sections of society. In Indigo, Gandhi not only fought             against the economic exploitation of Champaran peasants but also realized that their real freedom              lay in social progress. He opened schools, promoted cleanliness and health awareness, and                       encouraged villagers to shed fear and ignorance. His vision of reform extended beyond political                independence to moral and educational empowerment of the people.

            Similarly, in Lost Spring, Anees Jung portrays the plight of children like Saheb and Mukesh who             are trapped in child labour due to poverty and lack of education. While Saheb is denied schooling            and forced into rag-picking, Mukesh aspires to be a motor mechanic, showing that education and skill         development are essential for breaking this cycle of deprivation.

        Thus, both texts reveal that true freedom and dignity for the poor cannot be achieved without social           change and educational opportunities. Reform in these areas is the foundation for justice, equality, and         a better future.

    

3.       “Self-reliance, Indian independence and help to sharecroppers were all bound            together.” Explain.
Ans:    Gandhi Ji’s visit to Champaran was intended to solve the problem of sharecroppers.He went to Champaran at the request of a peasant named Rajkumar Shukla, fought against the injustice to the sharecroppers as a result the sharecropping disappeared and the lands were reverted to the peasants. All this contributed to Indian independence as well as due to his defiance for government order, he was summoned to court but with the support ofall the peasants, the case against him was dropped and the civil disobedience won for the first time in modern India. Finally when Gandhi Ji’s lawyer friends wanted Charles Freer Andrews to be on their side, Gandhi Ji opposed and asked them to rely on themselves. Thus he taught them self-reliance.

4.         “Freedom from fear is more important than legal justice for the poor.” Explain with reference to the story “Indigo.”
Ans:    Freedom from fear is more important than legal justice for the poor as until one is free from fear one cannot use law for one’s benefit. On the contrary, the enemies can use one’s fear to serve their interests. The weak are always bullied and their possessions are captured by the enemies. In Indigo, the peasants were very much afraid of the British who bullied them, beat them and captured their lands, and the peasants could not do             anything. They never had the courage to rebel and protest. It was only because of the courage which Gandhi Ji’s presence passed on to them, the peasants came out in thousands and protested against the British.

PREVIOUS YEARS' QUESTIONS
(2018)    Though the sharecroppers of Champaran received only one-fourth of the compensation, how can the Champaran struggle still be termed a huge success and victory?                  [3 Marks]
(2015)    How did the visit to Champaran become a turning point in Gandhi ji’s life? How does this show Gandhi ji’s love and concern for the people of India?                                      [6 Marks]
(2015)    How did RajkumarShukla establish that he was resolute?                                        [3 Marks]
              How was Gandhi treated at Rajendra Prasad's house?                                               [3 Marks]
         What were the terms of the indigo contract between the British landlords and the Indian peasants?                                                                                                                    [3 Marks]

(2014)    Why is the Champaran episode considered to be the beginning of the Indian struggle for Independence?                                                                                                            [5 Marks]
              Gandhiji's was not a loyal to abstractions; it was a loyalty to living, human beings. Why did Gandhiji continue his stay in Champaran even after indigo sharecropping disappeared?                                                                                                                                              [5 Marks]

(2013)    Why did Gandhiji agree to a settlement of 25 percent refund to the farmers? How did it influence, the peasant-landlord relationship in Champaran ?                                  [10 Marks]

(2011)    Why do you think Gandhiji considered the Champaran episode to be a turning point in his life?                                                                                                                          [10 Marks]

4 comments:

  1. soo nice arrangement of chapter thanks

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for sharing your thoughts....🙏🙏🥰🥰🥀🥀🌹🌹💐

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for sharing your thoughts....🙏🙏🥰🥰🥀🥀🌹🌹💐

    ReplyDelete

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