Login

What did swaraj mean for plantation workers?

 Workers too had their own understanding of Mahatma Gandhi and the notion of swaraj. For plantation workers in Assam, freedom meant the right to move freely in and out of the confined space in which they were enclosed, and it meant retaining a link with the village from which they had come. Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859, plantation workers were not permitted to leave the tea gardens without permission, and in fact they were rarely given such permission. When they heard of the Non-Cooperation Movement, thousands of workers defied the authorities, left the plantations and headed home. They believed that Gandhi Raj was coming and everyone would be given land in their own villages. They, however, never reached their destination. Stranded on the way by a railway and steamer strike, they were caught by the police and brutally beaten up.

  • 63
View Full Answer
Swaraj in the Plantations:
            Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859,the plantation workers were not allowed to leave the tea gardens without permission.
      Thousands of workers defied the authorities, left the plantations and headed home.
      They believed that Gandhi raj was coming and everyone would be given land in their own villages.
  • 32
  • In the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh, a militant guerrilla movement spread in the early 1920s
  • Here, the colonial government had closed large forest areas, preventing people from entering the forests to graze their cattle, or to collect fuelwood and fruits.
  • This enraged the hill people.
  • their livelihoods were affected and their traditional rights were being denied.
  • When the government began forcing them to contribute beggar for road building, the hill people revolted.
  • Alluri Sitaram Raju was their inspiration. he claimed that he had a variety of special powers
  • Captivated by Raju, the rebels proclaimed that he was an incarnation of God.
  • Raju was inspired by the Non-Cooperation Movement, and persuaded people to wear khadi and give up drinking.
  • he also asserted that India could be liberated only by the use of force, not non-violence.
  • The Gudem rebels attacked police stations, attempted to kill British officials and carried on guerrilla warfare for achieving swaraj.
  • Raju was captured and executed in 1924
  • 4
What are you looking for?