trace the development of non-cooperation and the khalifat movement
The call for non-cooperation with the British was understood and enacted in different ways by different individuals, classes and groups.
(i) Thousands of students left government-controlled schools and colleges
(ii) Many lawyers gave up their practises
(iii) British titles were surrendered
(iv) Legislatures were boycotted
(v) People lit public bonfires of foreign cloth
In most cases, the calls for non-cooperation were related to local grievances.
(i) In Kheda, Gujrat, Patidar peasants organised non-violent campaigns against the high land revenue demand of the British.
(ii) In coastal Andhra and interior Tamil Nadu, liquor shops were picketed.
(iii) In the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, tribals and poor peasants protested against the colonial state for restricting their use of forest resources. They staged a number of “forest satyagrahas”, sometimes sending their cattle into forests without paying grazing fees.
(iv) In Punjab, the Akali agitation of the Sikhs sought to remove corrupt mahants—supported by the British—from their gurudwaras.
(v) In Assam, tea garden labourers demanded a big increase in their wages. When the demands were not met, they left the British-owned plantations.
For most of the people, Gandhiji was a kind of messiah, someone who could help them overcome their misery and poverty. Peasants believed that he would help them in their fight against zamindars, while agricultural labourers felt that he would provide them with land. Slogans like “Gandhi Maharaj ki Jai” and the likening of Gandhiji to the Gods of Hindu mythology show that Gandhiji was indeed considered a divine being. People took Gandhiji’s name and undertook various actions, and when successful, they credited Gandhiji with their achievements. However, many-a- times, these actions did not conform to Gandhian ideals. For example, in Februray 1922, a crowd of angry peasants set fire to a police station in Chauri Chaura, killing twenty-two policemen. This incident led Gandhiji to call off the Non-Cooperation Movement.