gyanmoya
INDIGO
--Louis
Fischer
About the author: Louis Fischer was born
in Philadelphia on 29th February, 1896.He was the son of a fish peddler. After
studying at the Philadelphia school of Pedagogy (1914 to 1916) he became a
school teacher.
In 1917 Fischer joined the Jewish Legion, in military
unit in Palestine. On the return to the United States Fischer worked for a new
agency in New York. In 1921 Fischer went to Germany and began contributing to
the New York Evening Post as a European correspondent. The following year he
moved to Moscow and in 1923 began working for The Nation. In 1938 Fischer returned
to the United States and settled in New York. He continued to work for The
Nation and wrote his autobiography, Men and Politic (1941). Fischer left
The Nation in 1945 after a dispute with the editor. His disillusionment with
Communism, although he was never a member of the Communist Party, was reflected
in his contribution to The God That Failed (1949).Other books by Fischer
include The Life of Mahatma Gandhi (1950), Stalin(1952)
and Lenin (1952). Louis Fischer also taught about the Soviet Union at
Princeton University until his death on January 15, 1970.
Summary of the Indigo: An
extract Louis Fischer's biography on Mahatma Gandhi, "indigo" is a
description of how Gandhi took up the cause of the poor Indigo growing peasants
of Champaran, a remote village on the foothills of Himalayas. Gandhi went to
Bihar in 1917 to learn about the injustice of the landlord system which
exploited the peasants. Complying with and old agreement, the sharecroppers
were forced to grow indigo. When the poor farmers signed a new agreement pertaining
to their land, the cunning landlords extorted huge sums of money for freeing
their land. Gandhi's long and heroic struggle for the Champaran issue marked
the first triumph of the Civil disobedience Movement. The British landlords
faced their defeat when they were compelled to return twenty-five percent of
the extorted money to the sharecroppers.
Indigo NCERT Solutions:
TEXTUAL QUESTION &
ASNWER
gyanmoya
1. Strike out
what is not true in the following.
(a) Rajkumar
Shukla was
(1) A
sharecropper.
(2) A
politician
(3) Delegate
(4)A Landlord
Ans:
(1) A sharecropper
(b) Rajkumar shukla was
(1) Poor
(2) Physically
(3) Illiterate
Ans: (3) Illiterate.
2. Why is
Rajkumar Shukla described as being ‘resolute’?
Ans: Rajkumar Shukla went Gandhi to take up to the cause of the poor person
in Champaran. He met Gandhi in Lucknow Gandhi had many places to go. Shukla
accompanied Gandhi everywhere. He waited until Gandhi was free so, he was
illiterate but resolute.
3. Why do you think servants thought Gandhi to be
another peasant?
Ans: the servants knew Shukla as a poor farmer who often pestered their
master to help the sharecroppers. Seeing Gandhi with this man and also probably
by the simplicity of his clothes, they presumed him to be anther peasant.
4. List the place that Gandhi visited between his
first meeting with Shukla and his arrival in Champaran?
Ans: Lucknow Ashrom, Ahmadabad, Calcutta, Patna, Muzzafarpur,
Champaran.
5. What did the peasant pay the British landlord as
rent? What did the British now want and why? Synthetic indigo on the prices of
natural indigo?
Ans: The landlord compelled all rent to plant 15% of their holdings with
Indigo and surrender the entire Indigo harvest as rent. This was done by long
term contract.
Indigo plantation was no more profitable. There the
landlord wanted compensation for freeing the peasants. The peasants saw though
tricks.
The Natural Indigo became chop. The Indigo
plantation became quite unprofitable.
6. The events in this part of the text illustrate
Gandhi’s method of working. Can you identify some instance of this method and link
them to his idea of Satyagraha and non-violence?
Ans: Gandhi had a dup respect for legal authority. But he could deft the
authorities when they violated natural justice and human values. For him the
voice of conscience was above any low. So, he defied the orders to go away from
Champarn. He was polite and friendly when he helped the British to regulate the
crowd. He tried to only low but he had also the power to disable it for any
nobler cause. All these can be think with ideas of Satyagraha and non violence.
7. Why did Gandhi agree to a settlement of 25%
refund to the farmers?
Ans: Gandhi explained that the amount of the refund was less important them
the fact that the landlords has been obliged to surrender part of the money and
with it part of their prestige. Therefore Gandhi agreed to except the
settlement thought earlier he had claimed 50%refund.
8. How did the episode change the plight of the
peasants?
Ans: As for as they peasants were concerned the planters had behaved as lords
above the low. Now the peasants saw that they had right and defenders. They
learned courage within a few years. The British planters abandoned their
estates which reverted to the peasants, Indigo share.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
1. Why do you think in Gandhi consider the Chmaparan
episode to be a turning point in his life?
Ans: According to me Champaraan episode was the turning point Gandhi’s life.
It was the first movement of Indigo. The no live of it was to release the
pleasant from the crucially of landlord. The turned of the civil this obedience
in modern Indigo. The peasants come to know that they had rights and they have
men also to defend their rights. The Champaran episode was the beginning of the
peasant liberation from fear of the British.
2. How was Gandhi able to influence lawyers? Give
instances?
Ans: The lawyers of Muzzaffarpur called on Gandhi to brief him. Gandhi chided
the lawyers for collecting big fees from the poor sharecropper. Gandhi met the
lawyer of Bihar. He consulted with them and asked if he was sentence to jail
what they would do the lawyers discussed and understood that being a stranger
if Gandhi could go to present why being neighbor they could do nothing. They
decided to follow Gandhi into present.
3. What was the attitude of the average Indian in smaller
localities towards advocates of ‘home rule’?
Ans: the smaller localities the Indian were of raid to show sympathy for
advocates of home rule.
4. How do you know that ordinary people too
contributed to the freedom moment?
Ans: without the participation of the common masses
and their immense strength, Indian freedom moment would not have to been
possible. The British authorities received the jolt when thousands of
spontaneous demonstrators gathered around the courthouse where Gandhi was to be
tried. Their participation slowed they were no longer afraid to the British.
The officials felt powerless in front of the teeming masses whole unflinching
faith in Gandhi and his non-violent moment contributed immensely to the
struggle.
TIKNK ABOUT THE TEXT
1. “Freedom from fear is more important than legal
justice for the poor”.
Do you think that the poor of Indian are free
from fear after independence?
Ans: According to me if is untrue that Indian poor are out of fear after
Independence. The poor have to work hard to keep their body and soul together.
Money and crime go hand to hand poor presents are still being explained. They
cannot have proper prime for their copes similarly workers in factories are
suffering from the fear of Insecurely.
Indigo important question answer:
ADDITIONAL QUESTION &
ANSWER
(Important questions)
1. Who is the
author of the Indigo?
Ans: Louis Fischer is the author of the Indigo.
2. Who was the Rajkumar Shukla?
Ans: Rajkumar Shukla was poor peasants of Champaran.
3.What did Shukla want Gandhi to do?
Ans: Rajkumar Shukla wanted to take Gandhi to Champaran because there was
injustice of the landlord system in Bihar.
4. Where was Champaran?
Ans: Champaran was located at the foot hills of Himalayas near the kingdom
of Nepal.
5. What did Gandhi decide to urge the departure of
the British?
Ans: it was in 1917 Gandhi decided to urge the
departure of the British.
6. Where did Gandhi and Shukla board a train to?
Ans: Gandhi and Shukla board a train for the city
of Patna in Bhair.
7. Whom did Gandhi and Shukla want to meet at Patna?
Ans: Gandhi and Shukla went to meet with Rajendra
Prasad at Patna.
8. Where and when was the annual convention of the
Indian national congress party held?
Ans: the December of 1916 annual convention of
the Indian national congress party held
9. What did Gandhi tell Rajkumer Shukla?
Ans: Gandhi told Rajkumer Shukla that when he
would be in Kolkata Shukla could meet him. For their Shukla could take Gandhi
to his place.
10. Why
was Gandhi impress with Shukla?
Ans: Shukla meet Gandhi in Locknow Gandhi had
many places to go Shukla accompanied him everywhere. He waited until Gandhi was
free. Gandhi was highly impressed the determination of Shukla.
11. Why
was Gandhi not allowed to draw water from the well?
Ans: Gandhi was not permitted to draw water from
the well least same drops from his bucket pollute the entire source thinking
him to an untouchable.
12. What
was it that happened in Lucknow and changed the course of Indian History?
Ans: Gandhi’s meeting with the poor sharecropper
Rajkumer Shukla and the subsequent visit to Champaran changed the course of
Indian History. This meeting took place at Lucknow on 1916 during the annual
convention of the Indian National Congress.
13. How
was Gandhi visit to Champaran viewed by the peasants?
Ans: the peasants did not know anything about
Gandhi’s record in South Africa but they thronged to Motihari in thousands to
see him. These sharecropper from Champaran began arriving on foot or by
conveyance to see the man who had come to champion their caus.
14. Why
did the English landlord decide to return the 15 percent land holding?
Ans; the English landlord who reserved 15 percent
holding of indigo cultivation decide to release it to the peasants because they
come to know that German had developed Synthetic indigo and so, cultivation of
indigo was no longer a profitable business.
15. What
justification did Gandhi give for the compromise on refund money by the
planters?
Ans: Gandhi compromised on the refund of 25
percent by the landlords to the farmers. He justified it saying the amount was
irrelevant. What was important was that the landlords were made to concede to
the demand of the peasants. Along with the small amount of money, the English
landlords had to surrender their pride and prestige.
Indigo previous year questions:
2012 YEAR
1. Who was Rajkumer Shukla? (1 marks)
2. Why do you think Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a turning-
point in his life? (2 marks).
2013 YEAR
1. Whom did Gandhi and Shukla
propose to meet at Patna? (1 mark)
2. Why was Gandhi visiting Lucknow in 1916? (1
marks)
3. What was the incident that
prompted Gandhi to raise his voice of protest against the British? (2 marks)
4. Describe the exploitation of the indigo sharecroppers by the English
landlord. Did Gandhi help them to get and honourable settlement? (5 marks).
2014 YEAR
1. Where is Champaran situated? (1 marks)
2. Describe the efforts made by
Rajkumer Shukla to persuade Gandhi to go to Chanparan? (2
marks).
2015 YEAR
1. What did Shukla want Gandhi to go? (1 mark)
2. “The battle of Champaran is won”, Gandhi exclaimed. Explain the context in which this was said. (5 marks)
2016 YEAR
1.Who was Rajkumer Shukla? (1 marks)
2. What was Gandhi’s politics intertwined with? (1
marks).
3. Why was the champaram episode so singnificant in Gandhi’s life? (2 marks).
4. “The battle of Champaran is won”, Gandhi exclaimed. Explain the context in which this was said. (5 marks)
2017 YEAR
1. Whom did Gandhi and Shukla
propose to meet at Patna? (1 mark)
2. What was the incident that prompted Gandhi to raise his voice of protest
against the British? (2 marks).
3. Describe the exploitation of
the indigo sharecroppers by the English landlord. Did Gandhi help them to get
and honourable settlement? (5 marks).
2018 YEAR
1. Where is Champaran situated? (1 marks)
2. Why did Gandhi choose to go Muzzafarpur first before going on to
Champaran? (2 marks).
2019 YEAR
1. Why did Gandhi stay in
Muzzafarpur (1 mark).
2. Which country had developed
synthetic indego? (1 marks).
3. How was a solution to the
problem of indigo sharecroppers of Champaran found? (2
marks).
4. Describe the exploitation of the indigo sharecroppers by the English landlord. Did Gandhi help them to get and honourable settlement? (5 marks).
2020 YEAR
1. Why was Gandhi visiting Lucknow in 1916? (1
marks).
2. Why was Professor Malkani’s action of offering shelter to Gandhi
“extraordinary? (2 marks)
Indigo PDF coming soon:
More Chapter:
FLAMINGO (Prose)
Chapter -1: The Last Lesson
Chapter -2: Lost Spring
Chapter -3: Deep Water
Chapter -4: Indigo
Chapter -5: Going Places
Chapter -6: Memoirs of a Chota Sahib
All Chapter: 1 too 6
FLAMINGO (poem)
Vistas: