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What is the theme and message of the chapter indigo ?

INDIGO by Louis Fischer   POINTS TO REMEMBER   Rajkumar Shukla- A poor sharecropper from Champaran wishing to meet Gandhiji.
  • Raj Kumar Shukla- an illiterate but resolute hence followed Gandhiji Lucknow, Cawnpore, Ahemdabad, Calcutta, Patna, Muzzafarpur & then Champaran.
  • Servants at Rajendra Prasad’s residence thought Gandhiji to be an untouchable.
  • Gandhiji considered as an untouchable because of simple living style and wearing, due to the company of Rajkumar Shukla.
  • Decided to go to Muzzafarpur first to get detailed information about Champaran sharecropper.
  •  Sent telegram to J B Kriplani &stayed in Prof Malkani home- a government servant.
  • Indians afraid to show sympathy to the supporters of home rule.
  • The news of Gandhiji’s arrival spread- sharecroppers gathered in large number to meet their champion.
  • Gandhiji chided the Muzzafarpur lawyer for taking high fee.
  •   Champaran district was divided into estate owned by English people, Indians only tenant farmers.
  • Landlords compelled tenants to plant 15% of their land with indigo and surrender their entire harvest as rent.
  • In the meantime Germany had developed synthetic indigo –British landlords freed the Indian farmers from the 15% arrangement but asked them to pay compensation.
  •  Many signed, some resisted engaged lawyers, and landlords hired thugs.
  • Gandhiji reached Champaran- visited the secretary of the British landlord association to get the facts but denied as he was an outsider.
  • Gandhiji went to the British Official Commissioner who asked him to leave Trihut, Gandhiji disobeyed, went to Motihari the capital of Champaran where a vast multitude greeted him, continued his investigations.
  • Visited maltreated villagers, stopped by the police superintendent but disobeyed the order.
  •  Motihari black with peasants spontaneous demonstrations,    Gandhiji released without bail Civil Disobedience triumphed.
  •  Gandhiji agreed to 25% refund by the landowners, it symbolized the surrender of the prestige.
  • Gandhiji worked hard towards social economic reforms, elevated their distress aided by his wife, Mahadev Desai, Narhari Parikh.
  • Gandhiji taught a lesson of self reliance by not seeking help of an English man Mr. Andrews.
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NCERT QUESTIONS SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS   Q1 Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being ‘resolute’? Ans. Rajkumar Shukla ,an illiterate sharecropper, came all the way from Champaran district to Lucknow to invite Gandhi to visit his district. When Gandhi mentioned about his prior engagements to go to Cawnpore and other parts of India, Shukla accompanied him everywhere. He also followed Gandhi to his ashram and stayed there for weeks till Gandhi asked him to meet him at Calcutta. Because of his strong will power and determination, he is described as being ‘resolute’.   Q2.Why do you think the servants thought Gandhiji to be another peasant? Ans. As Gandhi was in the company of Rajkumar Shukla ,a poor yeoman ,the servantsat Rajendra Prasad’s house assumed that he was another peasant. Moreover,Gandhi’s emaciated looks and simplicity could have led to his mistaken identity.   Q3.List the places that Gandhi visited between his first meeting with Shukla and his arrival at Champaran. Ans.Between his first meeting with Shukla and his arrival at Champaran ,Gandhi visited Cawnpur ,Calcutta ,Patna and Muzaffarpur.   Q4.What did the peasants pay to the British landlords as rent? What did the British now want instead and why? What would be the impact of synthetic indigo on the prices of natural indigo? Ans. The British landlords compelled the peasants to plant 15% of the land with indigo and to surrender the entire harvest as rent. Now that Germany had developed synthetic indigo ,Britishers wanted the tenants to pay them compensation for being released from 15% agreement. As the demand of the natural indigo would reduce due to the advent of synthetic indigo, its price would go down.   Q5.Why did Gandhi agree to a settlement of 25 percent refund to the farmers? Gandhi agreed to a settlement of 25% refund to the farmers to break the deadlock between the landlords and the tenants. For Gandhi the amount of the refund was less important than the fact that the landlords had been forced to return part of the money and with it, part of the peasants’ prestige. He wanted to establish that the landlords were not lords above law and their rule could be challenged.
Q 6 How was Gandhi able to influence lawyers? Give instances Gandhi chided the lawyers for charging hefty fee from the peasants to fight their case.Later his words encouraged the lawyers to court arrest in case he was arrested. He also dissuaded them from seeking Charles Andrews’ assistance in their battle against the injustice of the Britishers in order to be self reliant.   Q7.What was the attitude of the average Indian in smaller localities towards advocates of ‘home rule’? Being afraid of inviting the wrath of the Britishers, the average Indian in small localities were reluctant to show any sympathy towards the advocates of ‘home rule’.    
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Short Questions
  1. Why did Rajkumar Shukla go to meet Gandhi?( To complain about injustice of the landlord system in Bihar.) (SP)
  2. How did Shukla pursue Gandhi to visit Champaran. (2008)
  • (showed great patience and perseverance
  • accompanied Gandhiji wherever he went
  • waited for him at Calcutta
  • impressed him with his determination)
  1. What proves that Gandhiji was an unknown figure in Patna?
  2. Why was Gandhi not allowed to draw water from the well of Dr. Rajendra Prasad’s house ?(p-47 ,2nd last para ,last 4 lines “But Gandhi was not permitted….”)
  3. Where did Gandhi stay in Muzaffarpur ? How does he comment about it ? ( p-48 ,1st para“Gandhi stayed there…...home rule.)
  4. What was the ‘conflict of duties’ that Gandhiji underwent ?How did he resolve it ? (p-50 ,7th para – Gandhi protested against the delay …)
  5. . What did Gadhiji say to his friends when they suggested that Charles Andrews should be retained for the sake of the Champaran movement ? (2009) (p-54 ,3rd last para)
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  • In the chapter ‘Indigo’, the main theme covered by the author is how effective leadership can overcome any problem. The chapter tells us about the leadership shown by Mahatma Gandhi to secure justice for the oppressed people through convincing argumentation and negotiation.
  • The story ‘Indigo’, written by Louis Fischer narrates Gandhi's struggle for the poor peasants of Champaran. The peasants were sharecroppers with the British planters. According to an old agreement, the peasants had to produce indigo on 15 per cent of the land and give it as rent to the landlords. Around 1917, it was told that Germany had developed synthetic indigo. So the British planters now no longer desired the indigo crop. To release the peasants from the old 15 per cent agreement, they demanded compensation from them. Most of the illiterate peasants agreed to it. However, others refused. Lawyers were engaged to go to the court. At that time, at the request of Rajkumar Shukla a sharecropper, Gandhi appeared in Champaran. He fought for the poor peasants a long battle for one year and managed to get justice for them. The peasants now got the courage and became aware of their rights. Along with the political and economic struggle, Gandhi worked on the social level also. He made arrangements for the education, health and hygiene of the families of poor peasants by teaching the lesson of self¬reliance. It was one of the ways to forward the struggle for Indian independence.
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