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Indigo, -by Louis Fischer, In this Chapter., • Chapter Summary, • Word Meaning, • Chapter Practice, Chapter Summary, Chapter Sketch, This chapter is an excerpt from, Fischer's book The Life of Mahatma, Gandhi'. The book has been reviewed, by the Times Educational Supplement, as one of the best books ever written, on Gandhi. The author visited Gandhi, in 1942 and Gandhi narrated him the, ncident which prompted him to fight, against the British. Rajkumar Shukla, a, poor peasant, came to Gandhi with, he problem of exploitation in his, district Gandhi visited the place and, feed the people of Champaran from, ranny, Rajkumar Shukla The Resolute Peasant, The author had visited Gandhiji for the first time in 1942 at his ashram in Sevagram., There Gandhi started narrating the incident which made him decide to spur the exit of, the British from India in 1917. Gandhi had gone to the December 1916 annual, convention of the Indian National Congress Party in Lucknow. A poor and emaciated, peasant, Rajkumar Shukla, approached Gandhi there. He wanted Gandhi to visit his, district and look into the condition of the peasants there., The, peasants of Champaran including him were sharecroppers. He had come to the, Congress Session to complain about the injustice of the landlord system in Bihar and, was advised to seek Gandhi's help., Shukla was illiterate but was very resolute. Even though Gandhi told him about his, commitments, Shukla did not leave his side. Impressed with his tenacity, Gandhi, finally asked Shukla to meet him in Calcutta on a particular data to go to Champaran., Visit to Rajendra Prasad's House and then to Muzaffarpur, When the date came near, Gandhi found Shukla waiting for him in Calcutta. When, Candhi got free, they went to Patna, Bihar, to meet a lawyer named Rajendra Prasad., Rajendra Prasad was out of town, but the servants knew Shukla as a poor peasant who, pestered their master to help the indigo sharecroppers. As Gandhi accompanied him,, they thought him to be another farmer and let them stay on the grounds. However,, Gandhi was not allowed to drink water from the well as they thought that he was an, untouchable.

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Before going to Champaran, Gandhi decided to visit, Muzaffarpur to obtain more information about the, conditions prevalent in the area. So, he sent a telegram to, Professor JB Kriplani, who received them at the station, with a large body of students on 15th April, 1917. Gandhi, stayed in Muzaffarpur for two days in the home of Professor, Malkani, a government school teacher., He recalled that his stay in the house of a government, servant was an extraordinary thing in those days' as many, Indians were afraid to show sympathy for advocates of, home rule., Gandhi Scolded the Lawyers, The news of Gandhi's arrival spread like wildfire., Sharecroppers from Champaran began arriving in, large numbers to meet Gandhi. Muzaffarpur lawyers also, met Gandhi and told him about their cases., When they reported the size of their fee Gandhi scolded, the lawyers for collecting a huge fee from the poor, sharecroppers. Gandhi concluded that the peasants were so, crushed and fear-stricken that going to law courts was, useless. The real relief for them was to be free from fear.

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The Sharecropping Arrangement, According to the sharecropping agreement most of the land, fit for cultivation in Champaran was divided into large, estates. These estates were owned by Englishmen but, worked on by Indian tenants. The landlords forced the, Indian tenants to plant 15% of their holdings with indigo, and surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent. This was, done by a long term contract., After the landlords learned that Germany had developed, synthetic indigo, they asked for compensation from the, sharecroppers for being released from the 15%, arrangement. The sharecropping arrangement was irksome,, so many peasants signed willingly. At the same time, some, peasants opposed it. Meanwhile, the information about, synthetic indigo reached the peasants who felt cheated. The, peasants now wanted their, money, back., Gandhi Disobeys the Official Order, It was amidst such chaos that Gandhi arrived in Champaran, and started his enquiry. First he visited the Secretary of, the British landlord's association but the Secretary told him, that no information would be given to an outsider. He then, visited the British Commissioner of the region. Here,, Gandhi reported that he was bullied and asked to leave., Gandhi did not leave and proceeded to Motihari, the capital, of Champaran. There, using a house as headquarters, he, continued his investigations. A report came in that a, peasant had been maltreated in a nearby village. Gandhi, decided to check the matter himself.

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On the way, he was ordered by a police superintendent's, messenger to return to the town. Thereafter, he was served, with an official notice to quit Champaran. Gandhi signed a, receipt of the notice and further wrote that he would disobey, the order. As a result, he was summoned to appear in the court, the next day., Spontaneous Demonstration of the Peasants, Gandhi could not sleep the whole night. He telegraphed, Rajendra Prasad to come from Bihar with influential friends, report, and sent instructions to the ashram. He also wired a full, to the Viceroy. C, Next day, several thousand peasants reached Motihari and, started demonstrating around the courthouse. They had heard, that a Mahatma who wanted to help them was in trouble with, the authorities. Gandhi felt that this was the beginning of their, liberation from fear of the British., The government and the officials felt powerless. So, Gandhi, regulated the crowd and gave them a concrete proof that their, power could be challenged by Indians., The crowd baffled the Britishes who wanted to postpose the, trial. The British authorities wamted to consult the superiors., But, Gandhi protested against the delay. He confessed that he, broke the law but only because of the voice of his conscience., Soon, the judge announced that he won't make a judgement for, days. This allowed Gandhi to remain free.

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Gandhi Influences the Lawyers, Rajendra Prasad, alongwith many prominent lawyers,, conferred with Gandhi. Gandhi asked them what they would de, if he was sent to jail. The senior lawyer replied that they were, there to help Gandhi; if he was arrested, they would go home., Gandhi reprimanded them about the injustice to the, sharecroppers., The lawyers consulted among themselves. They thought that, when Gandhi, a total stranger, was ready to go to jail for the, sake of the peasants, it would be shameful for them to leave the, peasants, whom they claimed to serve., They told Gandhi that they were ready to follow him to jail. To, this, Gandhi exclaimed, The battle of Champaran is won'., Civil Disobedience Triumphs,, Lieutenant-Governor Summons Gandhi, Some days later Gandhi was informed that the Lieutenant-, Governor of the province had ordered the case to be dropped., Civil disobedience had triumphed for the first time in modern, India., Inquiries into the grievances of the farmers over a wide area, began. About ten thousand testimonials were reported and, notes were made of the evidence. The whole area throbbed, with activity while the landlords protested vehemently against, the inquiries.