Ryoti System | Social Studies (SST) Class 8 PDF Download

Ryoti System

The ryoti system forced the ryots to sign a contract, known as a satta. Sometimes, village headmen were pressured to sign it on behalf of the ryots. Those who signed received cash advances from the planters at low interest rates for growing indigo. However, this loan obligated the ryot to cultivate indigo on at least 25% of their land. The planter supplied the seeds and tools, while the ryots prepared the soil, sowed the seeds, and took care of the crops.

The price offered for indigo was so low that cultivators fell into a cycle of debt. The indigo system was extremely harsh.

“Blue Rebellion”

In March 1859, thousands of ryots in Bengal refused to grow indigo. As the rebellion grew, ryots stopped paying rent to the planters and attacked indigo factories armed with swords, spears, bows, and arrows. Women joined the fight with pots, pans, and kitchen tools. Those who worked for the planters faced social boycotts, and the gomasthas—agents collecting rent—were assaulted. Ryots vowed not to accept advances for sowing indigo or to be intimidated by the planters’ lathiyals, who were strongmen employed by the planters.

During this time, the indigo ryots believed they had the support of local zamindars and village headmen in their fight against the planters. In several villages, headmen who had been forced to sign contracts rallied the ryots and fought against the lathiyals. In other areas, zamindars encouraged the ryots to resist the planters, unhappy with the growing power of the planters and frustrated at being compelled to lease land to them.

The indigo peasants also thought that the British government would assist them in their struggle against the planters. After the Revolt of 1857, the British were particularly anxious about another uprising. When news of the unrest in the indigo districts spread, the Lieutenant Governor toured the area in the winter of 1859. The ryots viewed this tour as a sign of government sympathy for their situation.

As the rebellion grew, intellectuals from Calcutta came to the indigo districts. They wrote about the suffering of the ryots, the tyranny of the planters, and the horrors of the indigo system.

Concerned by the uprising, the government deployed the military to protect the planters and established the Indigo Commission to investigate the indigo production system. The Commission found the planters guilty and condemned their coercive practices against the ryots. It stated that indigo production was not profitable for the ryots, advising them to complete their current contracts but also allowing them to refuse to grow indigo in the future.

After the Revolt

Following the rebellion, indigo production in Bengal declined sharply. This was a direct result of the revolt and subsequent changes in the indigo system. The planters relocated their operations to Bihar. Although the discovery of synthetic dyes in the late nineteenth century adversely impacted their business, they managed to increase production. When Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa, a peasant from Bihar encouraged him to visit Champaran to witness the struggles of the indigo cultivators there. Gandhi’s visit in 1917 marked the start of the Champaran movement against the indigo planters, addressing the ongoing issues faced by the indigo cultivators.