Indigo

Notes By 💗 RT Network                                     Louis Fischer

Very Short Type Question :

1. Who is Sir Edward Gait?
Ans:- Sir Edward is the Lieutenant Governor.
2. Who was Rajkumar Shukla?
Ans:- Rajkumar Shukla was one of the poor Sharecroppers of Champaran.
3. Who did Gandhi and Shukla proposed to meet at Patna?
Ans:- Gandhi and Shukla proposed to meet Rajendra Prasad at Patna.
4. Who was Rajendra Prasad?
Ans:- Rajendra Prasad was a layer, later became President of the Congress party 
and India.
5. Who was J.B. Kripalani?
Ans:- J.B. Kripalani was a Professor of the Arts college in Muzzafarpur.
6. Who was J.Z. Hodge?
Ans:- J.Z. Hodge was a British missionary in Champaran.
7. Who was Mahadev Dasai and Narhari Parikh?
Ans:- Mahadev Desai and Narhari Parikh were teachers who had just joined 
Gandhi as disciples.
8. Who was Devadas Gandhi?
Ans:- Devadas Gandhi was Gandhi`s youngest son.
9. Who was Kasturbai Gandhi?
Ans:- Kasturbai Gandhi was Gandhi`s wife.
10. Who was Charles Freer Andrews?
Ans:- Charles Freer Andrews was the English Pacifist.
11. Who was Malkani?
Ans:- Malkani was a Professor, he worked as a teacher in a government school.
12. Who accompanied Rajendra Prasad?
Ans:- Rajendra Prasad was accompanied by Brij Kishor Babu, Maulana Mazaharl 
Huq, and several other prominent lawyers to Motihari.
13. Where is the capital of Champaran?
Ans: - Motihari is known as the capital of Champaran.
14. Why was Gandhi visit Lucknow in 1942?
Ans: - Gandhi visit Lucknow in 1942 to attend the annual convention of the Indian 
National Congress.
15. What did Shukla want Gandhi to do?
Ans:- Shukla Wanted Gandhi to visit his district and seek a way out of the unfair 
situation prevailing there owning to the injustice of the landlord.
16. What was Gandhi`s politics intertwined with?

Ans:- Gandhi`s politics were intertwined with the practical day-to-day problems 
of the millions.
B. Short Type of Question :
1. Why do you think Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a 
turning point in his life? Or
Why was the Champaran episode so significant in Gandhi`s life?
Ans: - The Champaran episode began as an attempt to ease the sufferings of a large 
number of poor peasants. He got the Spontaneous support of thousands of people. 
Gandhi admits that what he had done was a very ordinary thing. He declared that 
the British could not order him about in his own country. Hence he considered the 
Champaran episode a turning point in his life.
2. What was the incident that prompted Gandhi to raise his voice of protest 
against the British?
Ans:- At the request of Rajkumar Shukla, a sharecropper peasant, Gandhi went to 
his district Champaran to find a way out of the unfairness done to the Sharecropper 
by the landlords. He, at last, forced a way for an honorable settlement of the 
peasants. This episode of Champaran prompted Gandhi to protest against the 
British as it made him clear that they must quit India sooner.
4. Why did Gandhi choose to go to Muzzafarpur first before going to 
Champaran?
Ans:- Gandhi decided to go to Muzzafarpur first before going to Champaran to 
obtain more complete information about the condition then Shukla was capable of 
imparting.
C. Essay Type Questions :
1. Describe the exploitation of the Indigo Sharecroppers by the English 
landlords. Did Gandhi help them to get an honorable settlement?
Ans:- The English landlords in Champaran Compelled all Sharecroppers to plant 
15% of their holdings with indigo. They had to surrender the entire indigo harvest 
as rent to the landlords, this was done by long-term contract then Germany 
developed synthetic indigo. The plantation of natural indigo was no more a 
profitable business for English landlords. They decided to free the Indian 
Sharecroppers from the 15% contract, they were to pay compensation for this 
freedom the peasants saw through the trick and fraud of the landlords, and 
therefore they refused to pay the compensation to those who had signed the 
agreement demanded their money back.
 Gandhi went to Bihar to take up the cause of poor peasants there was 
a huge demonstration of thousands of peasants the very next day the government 
was battled. A commission of inquiry was constituted. Gandhi was the sole representative of the peasants the landlords decided to refund money to the 

peasants, at last, they settled for 25% the amount of refund was less important the 

more important thing was the victory of the civil disobedience in India.

2. Describe the efforts made by R.K. Shukla to persuade Gandhi to go to 

Champaran?

Ans:- Rajkumar Shukla a poor peasant from Champaran went to the annual 

convention of the Indian National Congress party in Lucknow to meet Gandhi. He 

told Gandhi that he wanted him to come to their district. Gandhi told Shukla that 

he had an appointment in Cawnpore, from Cawnpore he had to visit other parts of 

India. Shukla followed Gandhi everywhere then Gandhi returned to his Ashram 

near Ahmadabad and Shukla followed him to the Ashram also. He did not leave 

Gandhi`s side for weeks and pleaded with Gandhi to fix a date to come Champaran 

Gandhi was impressed by Shukla`s steadfastness and asked the letter to come to 

Calcutta on such and such a date Gandhi asked him to come and take him from 

there, months later Shukla met Gandhi at the Calcutta station and both left for 

Champaran.

3. “The battle of Champaran is won”, Gandhi exclaimed explaining the 

context in which this was said?

Ans:- Gandhi was summoned to appear in the court when he did not pay heed to 

the court order. The following day Motihari town witnessed a huge gathering as 

thousands of peasants held demonstration around the court house to support 

Gandhi. The authorities felt to powerless without Gandhi`s cooptation. The 

government was totally battled. The prosecutor prayed, the judge to postpone the 

trial Gandhi protested and claimed that he was guilty of an offence which was 

solely meant to render humanitarian service. He briefed before the court that he 

was involved in a conflict of duties not to set a bad example as a low breaker. He 

disregarded the order to leave in obedience to the voice of conscience the court did 

not deliver the judgement for several days. Finally Gandhi was set free without the 

bail Gandhi put a question before the prominent lawyers what would they do if he 

was sentenced to prison. After the initial indecisiveness they finally decided to 

follow him in to the jail this emboldened Gandhi. He exclaimed the battle of 

Champaran is won.

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