Indigo by Louise Fletcher
(I) Short Answer-type Questions (word Limit 30-40 words)
Q1. Who was Rajkumar Shukla? What impression do you make about him from the text?
(Important)
Ans. Rajkumar Shukla was a sharecropper from Champaran. He was illiterate. He had strong willpower. His patience forced Gandhiji to give him a fixed date to reach Champaran
Q2. Why did Rajkumar Shukla want to meet Gandhiji? How would you prove that he was a man of strong willpower? Important
Ans. Raj Kumar Shukla requested Gandhiji to go to Champaran to help the poor farmers. But Gandhiji had no time. Shukla followed Gandhiji wherever he went. His patience made Gandhi ji give him a fixed date.
Q3.How did Rajkumar Shukla succeed in persuading Gandhiji to visit Champaran? Important
Ans. Raj Kumar Shukla requested Gandhiji to go to Champaran to help the poor farmers. But Gandhiji had no time. Shukla followed Gandhiji wherever he went. His patience made Gandhi ji give him a fixed date.
Q4. What happened when Rajkumar took Gandhiji to the house of Rajender Prasad in Patna? Important
Ans. They did not let Rajkumar Shukla and Gandhiji sleep inside the house at night. Gandhiji was also not permitted to draw water from the well so that it might not get polluted.
Q5. Why was Gandhiji not allowed to draw water from the well of Dr. Rajender Prashad? Important
Ans. Dr. Rajender Kumar’s servants in the house could not recognize Gandhiji. They thought him to be a peasant like Rajkumar Shukla. So they did not permit (allow) Gandhiji to draw water from the well.
Q6.Why did Gandhiji decide to go to Muzzafarpur? Where did he stay there? Important
Ans. Muzzafarpur was on the way to Champaran. So Gandhiji wanted to get the full and real information about the sharecroppers of Champaran. He stayed there at Professor Malkani’s house.
Q7. Why did Gandhiji call his staying at Professor Malkani’s house an extraordinary affair? Important
Ans. Gandhiji says that it was an extraordinary thing to harbor (stay) a man like Gandhiji, an advocate of home rule in India. People in small localities were afraid of showing sympathy to the freedom fighters.
Q8. What did the lawyers of Mujaffarpur tell Gandhiji about themselves? Why did Gandhiji chide them? Important
Ans. They told Gandhi that they fought for the problems of the peasants in courts. They also told him about the size of fees they took from the peasants. Gandhiji chided them for taking hefty fees from the poor peasants.
Q9. What did Gandhiji advise the lawyers of Mujaffarpur about the peasants? Important
Ans. Gandhiji told the lawyers that by taking the peasants’ cases to courts would not serve any purpose because the peasants were very crushed and fear-stricken. The real relief to them would come when they became free from fear.
Q10. What was the ‘long-term’ compromise between the sharecroppers and the English landlords? Important
Ans. The main commercial crop was indigo. According to the contract, the landlords forced the tenants to plant indigo in three twentieths or 15 percent land as rent for the land.
Q11. What was the dispute between the sharecroppers and the English landlords at present? What thing was irksome for the peasant? Important
Ans. The agreement of paying money to the landlords was irksome (irritating) to the peasants. It was an injustice to the peasants to pay money. They were not breaking the contract.
Q12. When did the police superintendent’s messenger say to Gandhiji on his way to Champaran to receive a notice? What did Gandhiji write on the notice? Important
Ans. Gandhiji was on his way to Champaran then. He had to come back to his place. The messenger also served him with an official notice to quit (to leave) Champaran immediately. But Gandhiji wrote on its receipt that he would disobey it.
Q13. How did the situation go out of control at the court where Gandhiji was to appear for disobeying the orders of the district administration? How did Gandhiji help them? What did it all show to the British officials? Important
Ans. People in thousands crowded around the courthouse. He helped them regulate the crowd. Gandhiji showed to the British officials that their might (power) could be challenged by the Indians.
Q14. What did Gandhiji do when he understood that the judge was delaying the proceedings in the court? (Important)
Ans. Gandhiji did three things. (i) He protested against the delay. (ii) He read a statement calling himself guilty. (iii) He disregarded the order to leave Champaran. So, he asked for the penalty due.
Q15. How was the first civil disobedience won in Champaran? How did it start? (Important)
Ans. Gandhiji disobeyed the orders to leave Champaran at once.. After that, a big crowd of Gandhiji’s followers assembled in the court. So the case against Gandhiji was dropped. Thus the first civil disobedience won in Champaran.
Some More Questions/ Answers
Q16. Describe Gandhiji’s meeting with the secretary of the British landlord’s association.
Ans. The secretary told Gandhi ji that information would not be given to an outsider. Gandhiji answered emphatically (by laying stress) that he was not an outsider. Gandhiji objected to it by saying that he was not an outsider.
Q17. Describe Gandhiji’s meeting with the commissioner of the Tirhut division.
Ans. Gandhi ji also met the commissioner of the Tirhut division. The commissioner tried to bully (terrorize) Gandhi Ji and advised him to leave Tirhut. But Gandhiji was not afraid of him.
Q18. What did the British officials think about Gandhiji while serving him notices to leave the place or bullying him?
Ans. They thought Gandhiji was an ordinary Mahatma, who had come to create troubles for the authorities. They did not know Gandhiji’s track record in South Africa.
Q19. What homework did Gandhiji do at Motihari before appearing in the court?
Ans. At night Gandhiji remained busy. He telegraphed Dr. Rajendra Prasad to come from Bihar with influential friends. He also sent instructions to the Ashram and a full report to the Viceroy.
Q20. How did the people come to support Gandhiji in front of the court at Motihari? What was its result?
Ans. People in thousands thronged (crowded) around the court house. Its result was manifold. First, the officials felt powerless. Second, they had to take Gandhiji’s help in regulating the crowd. Third, the prosecutor requested the judge to postpone the trial.
Q21. What did the Judge speak when Gandhiji read a statement pleading himself guilty of breaking the law?
Ans. The judge said that he would pronounce the judgment after a two-hour recess. He also asked Gandhi to furnish (supply) bail within two hours. Gandhiji refused and the judge had to release him without bail. Later on, the case against Gandhiji was also dropped.
Q22. What did the local advocates decide to do after consulting separately among themselves?
Ans. The lawyers held a separate meeting among themselves. They also decided to help Gandhiji in his struggle. They also decided to go to jail along with Gandhiji.
Q23. What arrangements did the lawyers do in preparation for the Official enquiry into the grievances of the sharecroppers?
Ans. Depositions (Affidavits) by about ten thousand peasants were written down. Documents were collected. The whole area was full of the activity of the investigators and the protests of the landlords.
Q24. Who did the Commission of Inquiry consist of?
Ans. The commission consisted of landlords, government officials, and Gandhi as the sole representative of the peasants.
Q25. Initially, Gandhiji was adamant on getting 50% of the refund of money for the sharecroppers. But, later on, he agreed to accept only 25% of the refund? Why? [Very Important]
Ans. Gandhiji said that the amount of the refund was not so important. The important thing was that the landlords had to surrender some money. They had made it their prestige issue.
(II) Long Answer-type Questions & Answers (Essay type Qs.)
Q1. Why did Gandhij consider the Champaran episode to be a turning point in his life? (Sample Paper and 2011)
Ans. : Gandhiji fought for the sharecroppers (peasants) at Champaran. He was given the orders to leave the place Tirhut. But, he defied them. But he wrote on the notice that he would disobey the orders. In the court, in front of the judge, he gave sound reasons as to why he disobeyed the orders. Thousands of the people assembled there in support of Gandhiji. Gandhiji had to control the situation. The Govt. had to drop the case against Gandhiji. Now they understood Gandhiji’s power. Thus, the whole episode of Champaran proved to be a turning point. After that, the dread (fear) of the Britishers started declining (decreasing) in the minds of the Indians after it. Thus, for the first time, civil disobedience had won in modern India.
Q2. What did Gandhiji do in respect of the cultural and social backwardness in the Champaran villages?
Ans. Several teachers like Mahadev Desai and Narhari Parikh and two young men joined Gandhiji. Their wives also volunteered (came forward themselves) for the social work. Gandhiji’s youngest son, Devadas, and Mrs. Gandhi also arrived (came) from the Ashram. Primary schools were opened in six villages. Kasturba Gandhi taught about the ashram rules about personal cleanliness and community sanitation to the village folk. The health conditions were miserable in the villages. Gandhi ji engaged a doctor for six months. Three medicines like castor oil, quinine, and sulfur ointment were made available and distributed to people suffering from malaria and skin diseases. The women of the villages were not aware of their personal hygiene. Gandhi ji told Kasturbai to talk to them about washing clothes also.
Q3. What do you know about Rajkumar Shukla? How did he take Gandhiji to Champaran and why?
Ans. Rajkumar Shukla was a sharecropper from Champaran. He was illiterate. But his determination was great. Rajkumar Shukla requested Gandhiji to visit Champaran. Gandhiji had no time to go with him at once. Shukla needed a fixed date from Gandhiji. So he went with Gandhiji everywhere he went. He also accompanied Gandhiji to his Ashram, near Ahmedabad. Here he requested Gandhiji to give him a fixed date of his visit to Champaran. Gandhiji was very much impressed with Shukla’s patience and strong willpower He told Shukla that he would come to Calcutta on a certain date. Then he would accompany him to Champaran. After some months, Gandhiji came to Calcutta and Rajkumar Shukla went with Gandhiji to Patna by train.
Value-based Question: It is said that cleanliness is next to God. Gandhiji started a cleanliness drive in the villages of Champaran. In the same way, suggest the ways to make it practicable today in your village of city. What contribution the youth can give in the movement like ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan’.
The End
Q. Why do you think Gandhiji considered the Champaran episode to be a turning point in his life?
Ans.
1. How was Gandhiji able to influence lawyers? Give reasons.
2. What was the attitude of the average Indian in smaller localities towards advocates of ‘home rule’?
3. How do we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement?
4. Why did Rajkumar Shukla go to meet Gandhiji?
Or
Why did Rajkumar Shukla want to take Gandhiji to Champaran?
5. How did Rajkumar Shukla succeed in persuading Gandhiji to visit Champaran?
6. Why did Gandhji agree to the planters’ offer of a 25 per cent refund to the farmers?
7. How was Gandhiji able to influence the lawyers?
8. How did Gandhiji help the peasants of Champaran?
A. Some other Questions:
Q2. Why did the servants at Rajender Prasad’s house think Gandhiji to be another peasant?
Q3. Why did Gandhiji decide to go to Muzzafarpur? Where did he stay there?
Q4. Why did Gandhiji chide the lawyers and what conclusion did he come to?
Q5. What did the landlords compel the peasants to do as per the terms of a long-term contract?
Q6. What did the British planters try to do when they came to know that synthetic indigo had been developed by Germany?
A. Essay type Qs.
Q1. Why did Gandhiji consider the Champaran episode to be a turning point in his life? (Sample Paper and 2011)
1. Ans. : In Champaran, Gandhi ji had a new experience. He came to know about the real problems of the peasants there. He became the spokesperson of the thousands of sharecroppers at Champaran. He raised the issue of injustice done to the poor farmers to the British high officials. He was given the orders to leave the place Tirhut. But, he defied the orders. Again he received the orders to leave Champaran immediately. But he wrote on the notice that he would disobey the orders. In the court, in front of the judge, he gave sound reasons as to why he disobeyed the orders. He said that he had to disobey in protest of the injustice being done to the poor farmers of Champaran. Thousands of the people assembled there in support of Gandhiji. The Govt. had to drop the case against Gandhiji. Thus, the whole episode of Champaran proved to be a turning point because the dread of the Britishers started declining in the minds of the Indians after it. Thus, for the first time, civil disobedience had won in modern India.
Q2. What did Gandhiji do in respect of the cultural and social backwardness in the Champaran village?
Ans. Gandhiji saw cultural and political backwardness in the villages of Champaran district. He wanted to do something immediately. Several teachers like Mahadev Desai and Narhari Parikh and two young men had joined Gandhiji as his disciples and their wives volunteered for work. Several more came from the other parts of the country. Gandhiji’s youngest son, Devadas, arrived from the Ashram and so did Mrs. Gandhi. Primary schools were opened in six villages. Kasturba Gandhi taught the ashram rules about personal cleanliness and community sanitation to the village folk.
In the villages of the district Champaran, the health conditions were miserable. Gandhi ji engaged a doctor to volunteer his services for six months. Three medicines like castor oil, quinine, and sulfur ointment were made available and distributed to people suffering from malaria and skin diseases.
The women of the villages were not aware of their personal hygiene. Gandhi Ji told Kasturbai to talk to them about washing clothes also.
Q3. What do you know about Rajkumar Shukla? How did he take Gandhiji to Champaran and why?
Ans. Rajkumar Shukla was one of the sharecroppers from Champaran. The condition of the sharecroppers in Bihar was very bad. Someone told him to meet Gandhiji in this regard. So he came to Gandhiji to make a complaint about the injustice done to the sharecroppers by the landlord system in Bihar.
Raj Kumar Shukla was illiterate but his determination was par excellence. It was his strong will- power that brought him to Lucknow to meet Gandhiji. Gandhiji had not heard about Champaran before. It was in the foothills of the towering Himalayas, near the kingdom of Nepal.
Rajkumar Shukla requested Gandhiji to visit his district Champaran. Gandhiji told him that he had an appointment in Cawnpore (now Kanpur) and after that he would have to go to some other places of the country. Shukla was resolute to get a fixed date from Gandhiji. So he did not return to Champaran. Rather he went with Gandhiji everywhere he went. He also accompanied Gandhiji to his Ashram, near Ahamdabad. Here he requested Gandhiji to give him a fixed date of his visit to Champaran. Gandhij was very much impressed with Shukla’s patience and strong will-power He told Shukla that he would come to Calcutta on a certain date and then he would accompany him to Champaran.
After some months, Gandhiji came to Calcutta and Rajkumar Shukla accompanied with Gandhiji to Patna by a train.
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