PM SHRI KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA

NAGERCOIL

ENGLISH PROJECT
TOPIC:Farmer’s Unrest in India a
historical Perspective(Indigo)
Submitted by,
V.Ramachandran
XII B

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I extend my sincere gratitude to my Principal,
Mr.Ashish Kumar Joshi for his support and motivation
during my project work.
I wholeheartedly express my deep sense of
indebtedness and appreciation to our teacher,
Mr.S.Ashokan (PGT English), for his motivation,
guidance and constant encouragement for the successful
completion of the task.
I would like to extend my sincere gratitude towards all
those who have helped me in the preparation of this
project. I also acknowledge with a deep sense of
reverence, my gratitude towards my parents, other
faculty members of the school and friends for their
valuable suggestions given to me in completing the
project.

Certificate

This is to certify that V.Ramachandran of class

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XII B has successfully completed the project
work on the topic “Farmer’s Unrest in India a
historical Perspective(Indigo)” under the
guidance of Mr.S.Asokan PGT(English) for
the academic year 2024-25.

Signature of teacher-in-charge

Principal

External Examiner

Table of contents
Introduction 5
About sharecropping system 6
Factors leading to Champaran
Satyagraha 7
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About chamaparan satyagraha 8
How it started? 9
Order to leave Champaran 11
Gandhiji’s reply to the order
by the British Government 12
In the court 13
Release of Gandhiji 15
What about the injustice to the
sharecroppers? 16
End of Champaran satyagraha 17
Timeline 18
Bibiliography 22
Introduction:
This project talks about the
struggles and hardships faced by Bengal
peasants. On their own lands, peasants
were persuaded to plant indigo rather than
food crops by indigo planters. Thousands
of ryots (peasants) in Bengal refused to
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grow indigo for the European planters
(owners of land and indigo factories)
during the summer of 1859. It was an act
motivated by rage and unyielding
resolve.Gandhiji along with the help of
people fought against this problem and
relieved the people of Bengal from this
sharecropping system.

ABOUT SHARECROPPING SYSTEM

The cultivation of Indigo was not a
profitable business in the 19th century in
India. The European Indigo planters oppressed
their workers which led to several rebellions
over the years. 1861 witnessed the Blue
Mutiny in Bengal when farmers rose against
forcible cultivation of the unremunerative
indigo crop in Champaran , a district of Bihar
bound by the feudal system . The helpless
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peasants were enforced and coerced to
cultivate indigo crop and other cash crops
instead of food crops which was necessary for
their survival. These crops were brought by
the British planters at a low price. Suppressed
by the British , they were given a measly
compensation which relegated them to abject
poverty

FACTORS LEADING TO CHAMPARAN

SATYAGRAHA:
Under Colonial-era laws, many
tenant farmers were forced to grow some
indigo on a portion of their land as a condition
of their tenancy. This indigo was used to make
dye. The Germans had invented a cheaper
artificial dye so the demand for indigo fell.
Some tenants paid more rent in return for
being let off having to grow indigo. However,
during the First World War the German dye
ceased to be available and so indigo became
profitable again. Thus many tenants were once
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again forced to grow it on a portion of their
land- as was required by their lease. Naturally,
this created much anger and resentment.

ABOUT CHAMPARAN SATYAGRAHA:

The Champaran Satyagraha is a landmark

struggle led by Mahatama Gandhi for a deeply
oppressed peasantry in the remote district of
Bihar. The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917
was the first Satyagraha movement led by
Gandhi in India and is considered a

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historically important revolt in the Indian
Independence Movement. It was a farmer's
uprising that took place in Champaran district
of Bihar, India, during the British colonial
period. The farmers were protesting against
having to grow indigo with barely any
payment for it
How it started?
“a peasant came up to me looking like any
other peasant in India, poor and emaciated,
and said, ‘I am Rajkumar Shukla. I am from
Champaran, and I want you to come to my
district’!’’[extract from ncert]
 Raj Kumar Shukla was the person who
convinced Mr. M.K. Gandhi to visit
Champaran for the Champaran Satyagraha.
 Rajkumar Shukla was a semi- literate
indigo farmer of Champaran. He and
several other farmer leaders fighting legal
battles against British planters in Motihari
Court. Some eminent lawyers who were
fighting the cases on their behalf had
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 advised them to contact Gandhi, who had
returned from South Africa after having
successfully fought legal battles for the
rights of citizens of Indian origin.

Gandhi reached Motihari, then the district

headquarters of undivided Champaran,
Motihari with Rajkumar Shukla on April 15,
1917. “Mahatma Gandhi was received by
hundreds of Congress workers and local
farmers at Motihari station and taken to the
residence of lawyer Gorakh Prasad at
Dharmsamaj locality of Motihari town where
he began his interactions to know the
condition of farmers.”

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In the photo:Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Anugraha Narayan Sinha,
Ram Navmi Prasad and Sambhusaran Varma.

Order to leave Champaran:

When Mahatama Gandhi reached
Chandraharia, three hours away from
Jasaulipatti village, a messenger handed him
an official order by the District Magistrate,
W.B. Heycock, with orders to leave
Champaran by the next available train.

Why was Mahatama Gandhi asked to leave

Motihari?
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1. Maltreated peasant Lomraj Singh’s presence
2. Infuriated sharecroppers
3. Presence of Mahatama Gandhi would
aggravate the situation
4. Mahatama Gandhi’s presence would cause
public unrest and it would be a danger to the
tranquillity of the village.

Gandhiji’s reply to the order by the British

Government:
Gandhi signed a receipt for the
notice and wrote on it that he would disobey
the order. This act of Gandhiji is symbolic of a
a denial to surrender to the British Empire. It
was an act of professed refusal of Gandhiji to
obey certain laws, demands, orders or
commands of a government through
non- violent resistance. The seed of Civil
Disobedience was first sown in the soil of
Bihar.
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  Civil Disobedience: The refusal to comply
with certain laws considered unjust as a
mark of a peaceful political protest.

In the court:
The news of the Mahatama
Gandhi’s court summon reached all and
sundry. The peasants were infuriated with this
course of action.Dozens of peasants thronged
around the court house to demonstrate their
support to Mahatama Gandhi whom they
perceived as their potential leader and
Champion. It was a demonstration of passive
opposition for the first time in pre-independent
India. Their spontaneous demonstration was
symbolic of their psychological emancipation.
Misfortunes had crushed their existence, so
when they saw hope , they invested tangible

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efforts to override their fears which had
plagued them through generations. They had
seen their family members dying of hunger
and starvation and could do nothing. However,
with the advent of Mahatama Gandhi, they
clung on to new found hope and inspiration.
When British felt powerless?
The limited police force felt
helpless in front of mob fury. When his arrest
was imminent, Mahatama Gandhi displayed
yet another hallmark of political action, the
practical and organisational aspect. He was
regulating the crowd which was only
following his orders. The Britishers now
realized that they wouldn’t remain
unquestioned from now onwards. Their terror
and indomitable authority could be challenged
by the Indians. Largely unlettered and
voiceless, the woes of the peasantry had now
found a voice of emancipation in Mahatama
Gandhi.

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Release of Gandhiji:
With the kind of support
Gandhi was already receiving from the people
of Mohihari, the Magistrate George Chander
fearing unrest, released him. Two days later on
April 21, 1917 the case was withdrawn and
Gandhi was allowed to remain in the district

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What about the injustice to the sharecroppers?
Gandhiji adopted a legal, moral and
democratic path of negotiation sans violence,
vehemence and aggression. He knew how to
mobilise people for a cause. His formidable
appetite for meticulous and unflagging
hardwork becomes conspicuous here. Gandhiji
and his band of his followers tirelessly
continued their work of collecting evidence
from thousands of peasants. After a prolonged
exchange of letters between government
officials and Gandhi and a long meeting
between Gandhi and Gait an enquiry
committee was appointed consisting of
government officers, planters and Gandhi.

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End of Champaran satyagraha:
Thinking probably that he would
not give way, the representative of the planters
offered to refund to the extent of 25 per cent,
and to his amazement Mr. Gandhi took him at
his word, thus breaking the deadlock.
Mahatama Gandhi compromised on material
terms but he made the Britishers surrender
their pride and prestige. Moreover, he made
the Britishers realize that they were not above
law. It was also an endeavour to break the
deadlock.Gandhiji’s affirmation to the verdict
advanced a tangible validation to Gandhiji’s
the ideology of non violence , his evolved
political consciousness and his ability to adopt
a pre-emptive approach to override
machinations and manipulations of the
Britishers.

Timeline:
 March 1859:
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1. Farmers of Govindpur village, Nadia
refused to sow indigo.
2. This sparked the initial unrest among
indigo ryots.
3. Anger spread rapidly to other villages
as farmers joined strike.

 June 1859
1. British planter William Princep
attacked by mob of protesters in
Govindpur.
2. Women used pots and pans to drive
away manager of a factory.
3. Violent suppression by police and
planters’ guards began.

 August 1859
1. Revolt spread to Jessore, Khulna, and
Pabna districts through summer.
2. Over 50,000 protesters mobilized by
Nadia headmen.

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3. Planters’ crops destroyed and
warehouses burnt down.

 November 1859
1. Large protests erupted in Barasat,
Murshidabad, Birbhum, and Burdwan.
2. Indigo depots attacked and European
staff assaulted in Pabna.
3. Government deployed police and
military to curb unrest.

 January 1860
1. Over 100,000 farmers on strike
refusing to sow indigo.
2. Violent suppression continued leading
to many deaths.
3. Nadia Zamindar Digambar Biswas
supported protests in his estates.
 March 1860
1. Indigo Act passed enforcing indigo
contracts temporarily.

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 2. Indigo Commission appointed to
enquire into planter malpractices.

 August 1860
1. Commission report submitted
criticizing coercive indigo system.
2. Recommended banning forced indigo
cultivation.

 November 1860
1. Government notification prohibited
compelling farmers to grow indigo.
2. Planters started shutting down indigo
factories in Bengal.

Lesson Britishers learned from this movement:

1. No one is above law.

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2. Their wrong doing would lead to their trial.
3. They shall not remain unquestioned and
dreaded.

Lesson Indians learned from this movement:

1. The peasants learnt courage.
2. The real freedom is freedom from fear.
3. They realised that they have realised.
4. They have defenders.

Bibiliography:
 Ncert class 12 english flamingo text book
 Wikipedia

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