Important Questions: Indigo | English Class 12 PDF Download

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1: How was Gandhiji able to influence the lawyers at Champaran?
Ans: Gandhiji chided the lawyers for over-charging the poor peasants. When the peasants were so poor and crushed, it was inhuman to charge heavy fees from them. Gandhiji’s selfless service and devotion to the cause of the peasants put the lawyers to shame.

Q2: Why did the servants think Gandhiji to be another peasant?
Ans: In Patna, Rajkumar Shukla led Gandhiji to the house of Rajendra Prasad who was a lawyer. The servants knew Shukla as a poor peasant of Champaran who often came to Rajendra Prasad’s house and pestered him to take up the cause of the indigo sharecroppers of Champaran. Since a simple-clad Gandhiji accompanied Shukla the servants mistook him to be another peasant.

Q3: How were Shukla and Gandhiji received in Rajendra Prasad’s house?
Ans: In Patna Shukla led Gandhiji to the house of a lawyer, Rajendra Prasad. He was out of town but his servants knew Shukla as a poor peasant who pestered Rajendra Prasad (their master) to help the indigo sharecroppers. So he was allowed to stay there with his companion. But Gandhiji was not permitted to draw water from the well lest he be an untouchable and some drops of water from his bucket pollute the entire source.

Q4: Why did Gandhiji accept 25 percent compensation?
Ans: Gandhiji accepted 25 percent compensation because although he had initially asked for a 50 percent refund for the farmers, the indigo planters only offered 25 percent. However, the specific amount of the refund was not as important to Gandhiji as the fact that the planters had been forced to surrender part of their rights. Therefore, he agreed to their settlement.

Q5: “The battle of Champaran is won.” When and why did Gandhiji exclaim this?
Ans: Gandhiji exclaimed, "The battle of Champaran is won" when several prominent lawyers expressed their willingness to follow him to jail. He made this statement because he had succeeded in motivating the lawyers to support his cause and take action, which he considered a victory in the battle against injustice in Champaran.

Q6: What made the Lieutenant Governor drop the case against Gandhiji?
Ans: The Lieutenant Governor dropped the case against Gandhiji because the lawyers supporting Gandhiji informed him that they would also follow Gandhiji into jail. This compelled the Lieutenant Governor to write to the Magistrate, ordering him to drop the case against Gandhiji.

Q7: Why did Gandhiji agree to 25% compensation?
Ans: Gandhiji agreed to 25% compensation because although he had initially demanded a 50% refund for the farmers, the indigo planters offered only 25%. However, the specific amount of the refund was not of utmost importance to Gandhiji. What mattered more to him was the fact that the planters had been compelled to surrender a portion of their rights. Thus, he agreed to their settlement.

Q8: How was Gandhi treated at Rajendra Prasad’s house?
Ans: When Rajkumar Shukla took Gandhiji to the house of lawyer Rajendra Prasad in Patna, Prasad was out of town. However, the servants recognized Shukla as a persistent peasant who had been seeking Prasad's help for the indigo sharecroppers. As a result, they allowed Shukla to stay at the house with his companion. However, Gandhiji was not permitted to draw water from the well, as it was believed that he would be considered untouchable and his presence could potentially contaminate the entire water source.

Q9: Why is Raj Kumar Shukla described as being ‘resolute’?
Ans: Raj Kumar Shukla is described as 'resolute' because he displayed great determination and persistence in convincing Gandhiji to visit Champaran and support the sharecroppers' cause. Despite Gandhiji initially declining due to prior commitments, Shukla continued to accompany him everywhere, never leaving his side. This unwavering dedication and determination showcased his resolute nature.

Q10: Why did Gandhiji agree to a settlement of mere 25 percent?
Ans: Gandhiji agreed to a settlement of only 25 percent because although he had initially demanded a 50 percent refund from the indigo planters for the farmers, they offered only 25 percent. However, the specific amount of the refund was not as significant to Gandhiji as the fact that the planters were forced to surrender a portion of their rights. Therefore, he accepted their offer as a victory in terms of achieving justice for the farmers.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q11: How was a solution to the problem of indigo sharecroppers of Champaran found?
Ans: The entire harvest of indigo, the chief commercial crop produced by the peasants in the 15 per cent of their land had to be paid as rent to the British landlords. After Germany developed synthetic indigo, it brought a steep fall in indigo prices. Now the landlords very cleverly wished to give up this arrangement and get compensation for releasing the farmers land. Gandhiji at this time appeared in Champaran and fought a year long battle to get the poor peasants justice. Gandhiji decided to accept a settlement of 25 per cent of the compensation money to break the deadlock between the landlords and their tenants. The moral victory of the farmers to make the landlords own-up their dishonesty and surrender their money and prestige mattered more to Gandhiji. So he was successful in defeating the nefarious designs of the British landlords and also made the farmers courageous and conscious of their rights.

Q12: How was the Champaran incident a turning point in Gandhiji’s life?
Ans: Gandhiji came to Champaran to fight against the injustice of the landlord system there. Most of the land in Champaran was divided into large estates owned by Englishmen who hired Indian tenants to grow indigo there. The Indian peasants were sharecroppers and had to surrender 15 per cent of the indigo harvest as rent to the British. After synthetic indigo was developed the Englishmen obtained fresh agreements from sharecroppers to pay them compensation. Many refused to sign and others wanted their money back. At this point Gandhiji arrived in Champaran with an aim to free the peasants from fear. He collected all the facts and met the commissioner who tried to bully him and advised him to leave the place. Gandhiji did not leave. In the course of securing justice for the oppressed farmers of Champaran, Gandhiji had to clash with the British authorities several times before he could persuade them to agree to his viewpoint. The Champaran episode turned out to be Gandhiji’s loud pronouncement that the Britishes could not order him about in his own country. It established the effectiveness of non¬cooperation as a means of fighting for justice. The Champaran episode revealed Gandhiji’s principles in the political field. Even after winning the peasants’ battle against the English landlords Gandhiji stayed in Champaran for the cultural and social upliftment of the poor and the backward of the villages of Champaran.

Q13: How did Gandhiji use satyagraha and non-violence at Champaran to achieve his goal?
Ans: Gandhiji reached Champaran with a goal to alleviate the peasants’ sufferings at the hands of the British landlords. He met the Secretary of the Landlords’ Association and the Commissioner who told him to leave Champaran. They signed the order but also wrote that Gandhiji would disobey it and sent a full report to the Viceroy. This was followed by spontaneous demonstrations by thousands of peasants around the court house. The lawyers too resolved to follow Gandhiji to jail forcing the case against him to be dropped. This was the first victory of Civil Disobedience. Then an official enquiry into the indigo sharecroppers’ situation was instituted and the landlords agreed to refund the peasants. The sharecropper accepted the 25 per cent refund. The landlords surrendered a part of the money with a part of their prestige. So Gandhiji achieved his objective in removing the fear of the poor peasants and getting justice for them through ‘satyagraha’ and ‘non-violence’.

Q14: Give an account of Gandhiji’s efforts to secure justice for the poor indigo sharecroppers of Champaran.
Ans: Gandhiji took up the cause of the indigo sharecroppers at Champaran. He fought against the injustice of the cruel British landlords who extorted money from the poor sharecroppers. Gandhiji collected all the facts and met the Commissioner. He tried to threaten Gandhiji and advised him to leave from there. But Gandhiji was undeterred. He decided to launch a peaceful ‘satyagraha’ and non-violent movement. This led to spontaneous demonstra¬tions in Motihari. Thousands of peasants challenged the Britishers and the government was baffled. Despite earlier hesitations, the prominent lawyers declared their uncondi¬tional support to Gandhiji. Finally Gandhiji’s peaceful and non-violent civil disobedience bore the desired results. The indigo share¬croppers at Champaran secured justice and the landlords agreed to refund 25 percent of the compensation money.

Q15: Why did Rajkumar Shukla invite Gandhiji to Champaran? How did Gandhiji solve the problem of the indigo farmers?
Ans: Rajkmar Shukla who was an illiterate and oppressed indigo farmer from Champaran invited Gandhiji to visit his district so that he could alleviate the problems faced by the miserable peasants at the hands of the British landlords. He kept urging Gandhiji to visit Champaran. Gandhiji’s truthfulness, sincerity of purpose and undeterred efforts enabled him to solve the problem of the indigo farmers. He began by trying to get the facts. The British landlords as well as Commissioner of Tirhut were non-cooperative. Lawyers from Muzaffarpur briefed him about court cases of these peasants. Gandhiji and the lawyers collected depositions by about ten thousand peasants. Notes were made on other evidence. Documents were collected. The whole area throbbed with the activities of the investigators and forceful protests of landlords. The Lieutenant Governor summoned Gandhiji. After four protracted interviews an official commission of inquiry was appointed to look into the indigo sharecroppers’ situation. Gandhiji was the sole representative of the peasants. The official inquiry assembled huge quantity of evidence against the big planters. After negotiation a settlement of 25 per cent refund to the farmers was agreed on. This was a moral victory of the peasants. They recognised their rights and learned courage.

Q16: Exploitation is a universal phenomenon. The poor indigo farmers were exploited by the British landlords to which Gandhiji objected. Even after our independence we find exploitation of unorganized labour. What values do we learn from Gandhiji campaign to counter the present day problems of exploitation?
Ans: Gandhiji’s campaign in Champaran is relevant even in the present day to counter the problems of exploitation. What we must keep in mind is to teach the downtrodden to be courageous. Unless the labour class overcomes the fear within them, they will never be able to fight for their rights. Therefore, priority has to be given to empowering and making the labour class bold and fearless and to give them the courage to oppose injustice and exploitation. Another thing we must remember is to focus not on the problems of the labour class but on the solution of their problems. We must possess a humanitarian approach and should be ready to brave hardships with non-violence, patience and perseverance. Only then can we overcome the present-day problems of exploitation.