INDIGO ANSWER KEY
Read the extracts and answer the following questions:
1. Answers
a) Gandhiji
b) --arrived on foot and by conveyance to see their champion
c) - lawyers
d) - represented in court.
3. Gandhi knew that he would not get an agreement on the demand for 50% repayment.
Choose the option that offers the correct justification for the assumption made above.
a) He had anticipated the negotiating tactics of the planter’s representative.
b) He had been informed about the depleting funds of the planters.
c) He had taken the advice of the Reverend on board.
d) He had evaluated the commission’s attitude towards Indians.
Ans a) He had anticipated the negotiating tactics of the planter’s representative.
4. Here are four real Situation 2: Sunita Situation 3: The Situation 4: Carol
life situations. cannot get a job bank employees was stuck between
Select the one that because she has no started protesting deciding whether to
can be a perfect experience and she against their go to the USA or the
example for a can’t have any receding annual UK for higher
deadlock. Situation experience because salary and other studies.
1: Tariq is unable to she has no job. incentives.
manage the front-
end and the backend
forums at his
company without
any support.
Ans- Situation 2: Sunita cannot get a job because she has no experience and she can’t
have any experience because she has no job.
SHORT ANSWERS
1. - came all the way from Champaran district to Lucknow to invite Gandhi to visit his
district-Gandhi mentioned about his prior engagements - Shukla accompanied him
everywhere- followed Gandhi to his ashram and stayed there for weeks till Gandhi asked
him to meet him at Calcutta- strong will power and determination, he is described as being
‘resolute’.
2. - in the company of Rajkumar Shukla, a poor yeoman, the servants at Rajendra Prasad’s
house assumed that he was another peasant- Gandhi’s emaciated looks and simplicity could
have led to his mistaken identity.
3. - visited Cawnpur, Calcutta, Patna and Muzaffarpur.
4. - compelled the peasants to plant 15% of the land with indigo and to surrender the entire
harvest as rent-Germany had developed synthetic indigo, Britishers wanted the tenants to pay
them compensation for being released from 15% agreement- demand of the natural indigo
would reduce due to the advent of synthetic indigo, its price would go down.
5. - settlement of 25% refund to the farmers to break the deadlock between the landlords and the
tenants- 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- wanted to
establish that the landlords were not lords above law and their rule could be challenged.
6. - aware of their rights and taught them courage. Apart from getting 25 percent of
their compensation they got back their prestige-British planters abandoned their estates, which
reverted to the peasants. Indigo sharecropping disappeared.
7. -chided the lawyers for charging hefty fee from the peasants to fight their case- encouraged the
lawyers to court arrest in case he was arrested- dissuaded them from seeking Charles Andrews’
assistance in their battle against the injustice of the Britishers in order to be self-reliant.
8. - pleaded guilty for having disobeyed the official notice to quit Champaran- statement
claiming he was involved in a conflict of duties- disobeyed not to break law and set a
bad example but to render the humanitarian and national services for which he had come to
Champaran.
9. - lawyers reconsidered their decision about their course of action in case of Gandhi’s arrest and
volunteered to court arrest for the cause of sharecroppers, Gandhi felt pleased and said ‘The
battle of Champaran is won’
10. - a case was initiated against him for disregarding the orders- spontaneous demonstration of
thousands of peasants around the courtroom baffled the officials- the judge postponed the
judgement for few days- case was dropped by Lieutenant Governor himself- civil disobedience
triumphed for the first time in India.
Here’s the completion of the sentences:
1.
Rajkumar Shukla came all the way from Champaran district to Lucknow to invite
Gandhi to visit his district. Gandhi mentioned his prior engagements, but Shukla
accompanied him everywhere. He followed Gandhi to his ashram and stayed there for
weeks until Gandhi asked him to meet him in Calcutta. With his strong willpower and
determination, Shukla is described as being ‘resolute.’
2.
3.
While in the company of Rajkumar Shukla, a poor yeoman, the servants at Rajendra
Prasad’s house assumed that Gandhi was another peasant. Gandhi’s emaciated looks and
simplicity could have contributed to this mistaken identity.
4.
5.
Gandhi visited Cawnpur (Kanpur), Calcutta (Kolkata), Patna, and Muzaffarpur as
part of his journey to understand the plight of the peasants.
6.
7.
The British landlords compelled the peasants to plant 15% of their land with indigo and
surrender the entire harvest as rent. When Germany developed synthetic indigo, the
British wanted the tenants to pay them compensation to be released from the 15%
agreement, anticipating that the demand for natural indigo would reduce, and its price
would drop due to the availability of the synthetic alternative.
8.
9.
Gandhi negotiated a settlement of a 25% refund for the farmers to break the deadlock
between the landlords and the tenants. The amount was less important than the fact that
the landlords had been forced to return part of the money. This act restored part of the
peasants’ prestige and demonstrated that the landlords were not above the law, proving
that their dominance could be challenged.
10.
11.
Gandhi’s efforts made the peasants aware of their rights and taught them courage.
Alongside receiving 25% of their compensation, they regained their prestige. Over
time, the British planters abandoned their estates, which reverted to the peasants, leading
to the disappearance of indigo sharecropping.
12.
13.
Gandhi chided the lawyers for charging hefty fees from the peasants to fight their cases.
He encouraged the lawyers to court arrest if he were arrested and dissuaded them from
seeking Charles Andrews’ assistance to ensure the movement was self-reliant and
demonstrated the ability to resist British injustice independently.
14.
15.
Gandhi pleaded guilty to disobeying the official notice to quit Champaran. In his
statement, he explained that his disobedience was not meant to break the law or set a bad
example but to render humanitarian and national services, which he considered his moral
duty in Champaran.
16.
17.
When the lawyers reconsidered their decision and volunteered to court arrest in case
Gandhi was arrested, Gandhi was pleased and remarked, “The battle of Champaran is
won.”
18.
19.
A case was initiated against Gandhi for disregarding the orders to leave Champaran. A
spontaneous demonstration of thousands of peasants around the courtroom baffled the
officials. The judge postponed the judgment, and the case was eventually dropped by the
Lieutenant Governor himself. This marked the first triumph of civil disobedience in
India.
20.
Long Answer Questions:
Introduction .... two sentences...- name of the lesson and author, and the theme......body (1
- 2 paragraphs)
Q1 Why do you think Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a turning point in his
life?
Q2. How do we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement?
Q3. How did Gandhi use Satyagraha and non-violence to achieve his goal?
Q4. How did Rajkumar Shukla prove to be an important link between Gandhi and his
Champaran campaign?
Answers
1. Ans. - began as an attempt to alleviate the distress of a large number of poor peasants- became
a turning point in Gandhi’ life- Gandhi’s confidence that the British rulers could be made to bend
and concede a popular demand- declared that British could not order him in his own country and
urged the departure of the British-appalled to see fear –stricken peasants and injustice of landlord
system in Champaran-readiness to go to jail for the sake of seeking justice instilled courage
among ordinary people and motivated the lawyers for court arrest- civil disobedience by refusing
to leave Champaran even after he got the official notice-Britisher’s agreement to pay 25 percent
of the compensation made him and the peasants confident-peasants realise that they had rights
and defenders and he established that the authority of the British could be challenged- lawyers a
lesson of self-reliance by dissuading them from seeking the assistance from an English man,
Charles Andrew- cultural and social upliftment in the village.
2. Rajkumar Shukla - instrumental in arranging Gandhi’s visit to Champaran.
Professor Malakai, despite being a government servant, harboured Gandhi when he arrived at
Muzzafarpur-Sharecroppers from Champaran arrived to see their champion.
The lawyers also agreed to court arrest in case Gandhi went to Jail. Gandhi and the lawyers
conducted a detailed inquiry into the grievances of the farmers-masses volunteered to help in
bringing cultural and social reforms in the village- Mahadev Desai and Narihari Parikh and their
views volunteered to work. Devadas, Gandhi’s youngest son arrived from the ashram. Kasturbai
taught ashram rules on personal cleanliness.
3. Ans. Non-violence and Satyagraha were the weapons used by Gandhi-He adopted legal, moral
and democratic path of negotiation- refused to leave Tirhut division in which Chamaparan
district lay despite being told by the British official commissioner to do so for which he
received summon to appear in the court-he pacified the crowd in polite and friendly way at
Motihari- concrete proof of the power of Satyagraha and non-violence- clarified that he did not
want to set a bad example as a law breaker but intended to render humanitarian and national
service- convincing argumentation baffled the magistrate who released him without the bail-
fought the case of the peasants peacefully by collecting evidences and the documents pertaining
to the case and the peasants got a partial refund with the use of Satyagraha and nonviolence.
4. Rajkumar Shukla -was a poor and emaciated sharecropper from Champaran. Though he was
poor and illiterate he was determined to oppose the injustice of the British planters. He used to
seek legal recourse to get justice and was in constant touch with Rajendra Prasad, an eminent
lawyer. He came to meet Gandhi as someone had told him that Gandhi Gandhi could give a
solution to their problems- Shukla showed tremendous patience and perseverance and
accompanied him everywhere- followed Gandhi to his ashram and stayed there for weeks.
Impressed by his determination and tenacity Gandhi promised to meet him at Calcutta on a
particular dateSo, Rajkumar Shukla’s strong will power and painstaking efforts were
instrumental in arranging Gandhi’s visit to Champaran and thus improving the plight of the poor
peasants.
1. Answer:
The Champaran episode began as an effort to alleviate the distress of poor peasants suffering
under the exploitative indigo plantation system but evolved into a significant turning point in
Gandhi’s life. It strengthened his confidence that British rulers could be made to bend to
popular demands. Gandhi declared that the British could not order him in his own country and
worked to expose the fear-stricken peasants’ plight and the injustice of the landlord system. His
readiness to go to jail for justice inspired courage among the people and motivated lawyers to
offer court arrests. His civil disobedience in refusing to leave Champaran despite official notices
culminated in an agreement to pay 25% of the compensation, boosting the peasants' morale.
Gandhi’s leadership helped the peasants realize their rights, taught them self-reliance, and
demonstrated that British authority could be challenged. Additionally, Gandhi emphasized
cultural and social upliftment, with figures like Kasturbai teaching personal cleanliness and
discipline in the villages.
2. Rajkumar Shukla's Role:
Rajkumar Shukla was pivotal in arranging Gandhi’s visit to Champaran. He persistently
followed Gandhi, demonstrating tremendous patience and perseverance. When Gandhi arrived at
Muzaffarpur, he was hosted by Professor J.B. Kripalani, who supported Gandhi despite being
a government servant. Sharecroppers flocked to meet Gandhi, their champion. Lawyers agreed to
court arrest alongside Gandhi if needed, demonstrating collective solidarity. Gandhi, with the
help of Mahadev Desai and Narhari Parikh, conducted a thorough inquiry into the farmers’
grievances. Kasturbai, Gandhi’s wife, and Devadas, his youngest son, contributed to the
movement, with Kasturbai teaching villagers about hygiene and personal cleanliness. The efforts
extended beyond legal challenges, aiming to bring cultural and social reforms to Champaran.
3. Answer:
Gandhi utilized non-violence and Satyagraha as powerful tools against oppression in
Champaran. He adopted a legal, moral, and democratic path of negotiation, refusing to leave the
Tirhut division despite warnings from the British commissioner. This act led to his summoning
to court. At Motihari, Gandhi calmed a massive crowd in a polite and friendly manner,
showcasing the effectiveness of Satyagraha and non-violence. Gandhi clarified that his actions
were not to set a bad example but to render humanitarian and national service. His arguments
baffled the magistrate, who released him without bail. By gathering concrete evidence and
documents, Gandhi peacefully fought for the peasants, securing a partial refund of their dues
and affirming the success of his methods of Satyagraha.
4. Rajkumar Shukla:
Rajkumar Shukla was a poor and emaciated sharecropper from Champaran, yet he showed
remarkable determination to oppose the injustices of the British indigo planters. Although
illiterate, he sought legal remedies and maintained contact with Rajendra Prasad, a prominent
lawyer. Shukla approached Gandhi after hearing of his ability to resolve such crises. His
unwavering patience and perseverance, including following Gandhi to his ashram and staying for
weeks, impressed Gandhi. Consequently, Gandhi promised to meet him in Calcutta on a
specified date. Shukla’s strong willpower and relentless efforts were instrumental in bringing
Gandhi to Champaran, leading to significant improvements in the condition of the peasants.
