Indigo Revolt (1859-60) | History Optional for UPSC (Notes) PDF Download

Indigo Revolt: Overview

• The Indigo Revolt was a peasant uprising against indigo planters in Bengal, starting in 1859 and lasting over a year. Village headmen and substantial ryots led the movement.
• Post-1857 India saw a continuation of tribal and peasant movements, now with greater awareness of colonial policies among the peasantry. Some even embraced colonial institutions like law courts to address grievances.
• The educated middle class became involved as spokespersons for aggrieved peasants, linking their struggles to broader anti-colonial agitations. This involvement was debated, with some seeing it as a communication channel and others as paternalistic.
• The Indigo Revolt (Nilbidraha) in 1859-60 showcased both old and new protest features. It targeted British planters who imposed unfair contracts on peasants for indigo cultivation.
• Peasant protests against the indigo plantation system had a long history, with earlier movements in 1832 and the Faraizi movement targeting planters.
• The oppression of planters intensified in the late 1800s as indigo’s economic importance declined and the Union Bank, a key financier, failed in 1847.
• Peasant attitudes shifted when John Peter Grant, a sympathetic Lieutenant Governor, encouraged district officers to adopt pro-peasant positions against coercive planter methods.

Causes of Indigo Revolt

• Indigo was recognized as a crucial cash crop for the East India Company's investments in the 18th century, with global demand comparable to cotton piece-goods, opium, salt.
• Indigo cultivation in Bengal began in 1777, becoming increasingly profitable due to the European demand for blue dye as British power expanded in the region.
• Indigo was introduced widely in areas like Burdwan, Bankura, Birbhum, Murshidabad.
• Monopoly of European Indigo Planters: European indigo planters held a monopoly over indigo farming, often resorting to brutal methods to force Indian farmers into compliance.
• Exploitation of Farmers: The planters pursued mercilessly to make profits, compelling peasants to grow indigo instead of food crops. They provided loans (dadon) at exorbitant interest rates, trapping farmers in lifelong debt.
• Fraudulent Contracts: Planters coerced peasants into accepting meager advances and signing fraudulent contracts, paying far below market prices for indigo.
• Coercion and Violence: Planters employed terror tactics, including hiring armed retainers (lathyals) to enforce contracts. Farmers faced beatings, detentions, attacks on their families if they resisted.
• Judicial Bias: European judges favored planters in disputes, British planters were above the law. Fair-minded magistrates were often transferred, some planters even served as honorary magistrates.
• Government Support for Planters: Government regulations, such as the 1833 act, empowered planters to oppress farmers. Influential local figures sometimes sided with the planters.
• Revolt of Indigo Peasants: The culmination of these oppressive practices led to a revolt by indigo peasants in the Nadia district of Bengal presidency, refusing to grow indigo. The police intervention was met with resistance, escalating confrontations between farmers and European planters.

Revolt

• The indigo disturbances began in autumn of 1859 when peasants in the districts of Nadia, Murshidabad and Pabna refused to accept advances from planters.
• In spring 1860, the peasants of Jessore joined the movement, spreading the unrest throughout the Bengal delta.
• By April 1860, cultivators in the Barasat subdivision and the districts of Pabna and Nadia went on strike, refusing to sow indigo.
• When planters attempted to force peasants to sow indigo, they faced strong resistance, some Indian agents were subjected to organized social boycotts.
• In response, the pro-planter lobby in Calcutta passed temporary legislation in March 1860, compelling peasants to fulfill contracts to sow indigo.
• Courts were overwhelmed with cases, some magistrates forced peasants to cultivate indigo.
• Grant, however, refused to extend the legislation beyond six months and prohibited magistrates from compelling peasants to accept advances for indigo cultivation.
• Peasants also took their cases to court, leading to an influx of lawsuits.
• The movement evolved into a no-rent campaign, with tenants asserting their rights as occupancy ryots under the Rent Act X of 1859 when planters sought to evict defaulting tenants.

The Government’s Response to the Indigo Revolt

• The government's response was restrained and not as severe as it had been during civil rebellions and tribal uprisings.
• Having recently experienced the Santhal uprising and the Revolt of 1857, the government was cautious.
• The authorities recognized the changed attitude of the peasantry and were influenced by the support the revolt received from the intelligentsia and missionaries.
• The impact of the revolt prompted the government to establish the Indigo Commission in 1860 to investigate the issues surrounding indigo cultivation.
• The Indigo Commission found evidence of coercion and corruption in the indigo cultivation system.
• In the commission report, E. W. L. Tower remarked that “not a chest of Indigo reached England without being stained with human blood”.
• The government issued a notification stating that Indian farmers could not be forced to grow indigo and that all disputes would be settled through legal means.
• However, many planters began closing their factories as they felt they could not operate without force and fraud.
• By the end of 1860, indigo planters had shut down their factories, indigo cultivation was nearly eliminated from Bengal.
• The revolt was seen as a significant triumph for the peasants, as it evoked strong emotions in the European public.
• Reasons for the Success of the Revolt:
• Tremendous initiative,cooperation,organization, discipline of the ryots.
• Complete unity among Hindu and Muslim peasants.
• Leadership provided by well-off ryots,petty zamindars,moneylenders, ex-employees of the planters.
• Support from the intelligentsia of Bengal.

Support for Revolt

• The revolt was supported by various groups including rural populations, missionaries, the Bengal intelligentsia, Muslims.
• Leadership came from substantial peasants and village headmen.
• Popular leaders included the Biswas brothers of Nadia, Kader Molla of Pabna, Rafique Mondal of Malda.
• Local zamindars, who were unhappy with European planters taking their power, sometimes supported the ryots, with Ramratan Mullick of Narail being the most notable zamindar who backed the revolt.

Role of the Educated Middle Class and Missionaries

• The Bengal intelligentsia played a crucial role by organizing campaigns in support of the peasants through the press.
• They conducted newspaper campaigns, organized mass meetings, supported peasants in legal matters.
• Dinabandhu Mitra published the play Neel Darpan, highlighting the abuses of indigo planters, which garnered sympathy for the peasants.
• The play was translated into English by Michael Madhusudan Dutta and published by Rev. James Long, who faced legal consequences for this.
• Rev. James Long’s conviction sparked outrage among the Calcutta literati, leading to increased support for the indigo peasants.
• Harish Chandra Mukherjee reported on the plight of peasants in his newspaper The Hindu Patriot, which was critical of the indigo planters from its inception.
• Although the middle-class supporters appealed to the imperial bureaucrats and believed in the British justice system, they successfully brought the peasants’ issues into institutional politics, putting pressure on the planters.

Nature and Impact of the Revolt

• The revolt was largely non-violent, with only a few instances of violence, which contributed to its success compared to the Sepoy Revolt.
• Historically, the Indigo Rebellion can be seen as the first organized resistance from the countryside against British rule, both economically and socially.
• Unlike the spontaneous Sepoy Mutiny, the Indigo Rebellion evolved over time, uniting different sections of society against the British and setting the stage for decades of dissent.
• Many view this revolt as a precursor to non-violent passive resistance later popularized by Gandhi.
• The Indigo Rebellion not only predicted future agrarian uprisings but also indicated the direction of future conflicts.
• One historian noted that while the oppressed ryots and minor landholders initially looked to the great Zamindars for support, the movement eventually shifted to the lower classes.
• The Indigo Rebellion was not a class struggle between Zamindars and peasants.
• Instead, the Zamindars opposed European encroachment out of self-interest, despite publicly supporting the peasantry against the planters.
• The movement received support from the educated middle class and increased awareness of colonial policies and laws.
• For example, when planters tried to evict defaulting tenants, the tenants used the legal system to assert their rights as occupancy ryots under the Rent Act X of 1859.

Cultural Impact

Dinabandhu Mitra's Play Nildarpan:

• Dinabandhu Mitra's Bengali play Nildarpan, written in 1859, was inspired by the Indigo revolt.
• Nildarpan played a crucial role in the evolution of theater in Bengal and significantly influenced Girish Chandra Ghosh.
• Girish Chandra Ghosh established The National Theatre in Calcutta in 1872, where Nildarpan was the first play to be commercially staged.

Translation and Controversy:

• Following the success of Nildarpan, W.S. Seton Karr, Secretary to the Governor of Bengal, commissioned Rev. James to translate the play into English for distribution among sympathetic Britons.
• The play portrayed the planters as villains, leading them to target the translator instead of confronting the Government.
• In the resulting libel case, Rev. James Long was found guilty by the jury and sentenced to a fine of Rs. 1,000 and a month’s imprisonment.

Impact of the Indigo Rebellion:

• The indigo rebellion was depicted in various forms of art, including drama, poetry, popular history in Bengal, capturing the attention of the intellectuals.
• This portrayal raised political consciousness and had significant repercussions in subsequent movements in Bengal.