Indigo

• Urge the departure Insist on the going away of the British from India.
• Conflict of duties Clash of obligation or responsibility (e.g., law vs. conscience).
• Harbor a man like me Give shelter to an advocate of home-rule.
• Seek a prop Try to find support or assistance (specifically referring to C.F. Andrews).

(a) Rajkumar Shukla was:
(i) a sharecropper. (True)
(ii) a politician.
(iii) a delegate.
(iv) a landlord.

(b) Rajkumar Shukla was:
(i) poor. (True)
(ii) physically strong. (He was emaciated)
(iii) illiterate. (True)

Rajkumar Shukla is described as being ‘resolute’ because even after being told about the prior engagements of Gandhi at Cawnpore and other parts across the county, he does not quit. He continues to accompany Gandhi everywhere. Furthermore, he persistently asks Gandhi to fix a date for his visit to his native district of Champaran. His resolution and determination finally impresses Gandhi and the latter complies with his request.

Gandhi was a simple and humble man dressed in a plain ‘dhoti’ (loincloth). To the servants, he must have looked like just another poor farmer in this country. Moreover, he was accompanied by Rajkumar Shukla whom they knew to be a poor indigo sharecropper. Thus, when the servants saw them both together, they mistook Gandhi to be another peasant.

After his first meeting with Shukla, Gandhi visited:

1. Cawnpore (Kanpur)
2. His ashram near Ahmedabad
3. Calcutta (Kolkata)
4. Patna (Bihar)
5. Muzzafarpur

Finally, he reached Champaran.

According to the long-term contract, the peasants were forced to plant fifteen percent of their holdings with indigo and pay the entire harvest as rent. Now, with the development of synthetic indigo in Germany, the British landlords did not want indigo from these plantations. Hence, the shrewd landlords decided to release the peasants of Champaran from the fifteen percent arrangement on the payment of a compensation. Development of synthetic indigo would lead to an increase in the price of natural indigo.

There are many instances in the narrative that can be linked to Gandhi’s idea of non-cooperation and satyagraha.

• Civil Disobedience: One such instance is Gandhi’s refusal to obey the court order asking him to leave Champaran immediately.
• Protest against delay: Gandhi’s protest against the delay of the court proceedings is also an instance of his belief in civil disobedience.
• Truth force: Gandhi does not falter to plead guilty in front of the court. He accepts his guilt but presents a rational case as to what made him disobey the law. For him, truth is above everything and, thus, he decides to follow the voice of conscience and obey the “higher law of our being”.

For Gandhi, it was not the money but the principles that were of utmost importance. He believed that the very fact that the British landlords surrendered was of more significance than the percentage of refund. He wanted the poor farmers to realise that they too had rights and that they need not really live in fear of the British landlords. Therefore, although he had initially quoted a 50 percent refund, he later agreed to a settlement of 25 percent refund to the farmers. His decision was proved right when, years later, the British landlords decided to leave their estates, putting an end to the sharecropping arrangement.

The episode of Champaran brought more than one change:

• Confidence: The peasants gained confidence which was evident in their spontaneous demonstration on the morning of Gandhi’s trial.
• Rights: After the successful refund, the peasants realised their own rights and were liberated from fear.
• Freedom: This episode brought an end to the fifteen percent arrangement of sharecropping.
• Social Upliftment: Gandhi opened schools in six villages. His wife took pains to make the peasants aware of general sanitation and personal hygiene. He even appointed a doctor.

Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a turning point in his life because he realised that civil disobedience, which had triumphed for the first time, could go a long way in the freedom struggle. Moreover, he had succeeded in making the peasants aware of their rights and becoming confident. This success, thus, proved the effectiveness of Gandhi’s method of nonviolence and non-cooperation.

Gandhi was able to influence the lawyers through his conviction, earnestness and pertinent questioning.

• Reproach: Gandhi reproached the lawyers of Muzzafarpur for charging a large sum of money as fee from the peasants.
• Shaming into action: Later, the lawyers from Bihar opined that they would return to their own places in the event of his imprisonment. But, Gandhi made them realise that it would be impudent for them, being lawyers from a neighbouring place, to return when a stranger was ready to get himself imprisoned for the peasants. So, they agreed to follow him to jail.

During those times, the average Indian in smaller localities lived in fear of the British. They were afraid of the dire consequences of helping the advocates of “homerule”. Hence, though they were supportive of people like Gandhi, they were afraid of showing it explicitly and only a few could actually dare to come out openly. In the story, we find people, like Professor Malkani, who had the courage to give shelter to Gandhi on the latter’s visit to Muzzafarpur.

In the chapter ‘Indigo’ Louis Fischer writes of how a small farmer Rajkumar Shukla from a small district, Champaran, helps bring about a very prominent change. Likewise, many other peasants from the villages fought courageously and contributed in their own way to the movement. Their cumulative effort eventually resulted in their winning the battle of Champaran and to finally free themselves of the sharecropping arrangement.

In the story, Gandhi makes it possible for the sharecroppers of Champaran to shed their fear of the British landlords. According to Gandhi, freedom from fear is the first step towards self-reliance. However, it is unfortunate that the poor of the country are not free from fear, even decades after the independence. Their actions, work, etc. are still under pressure; they are under the mercy of the bureaucratic system. Furthermore, the poor live in a continual fear of the police, who instead of taking care, often end up maltreating them. The already poor farmers are becoming poorer, because of globalisation and the craze for the foreign products. This leaves them in the fear of further destitution.

A leader is someone who leads the minds of others and convinces them into following his set of ideas and beliefs. As such, there are some qualities inherent in the persona of the leader that sets him apart from the rest.

• Dedication: His enthusiasm is evident in his work and life, and this inspires others to follow him.
• Courage: A good leader is courageous in the face of adversity and is never a quitter.
• Motivation: He motivates and encourages others, bringing out the best in them.
• Impartiality: He appreciates the efforts of others and is not biased.

The author uses quotations to indicate the actual words of a speaker. Usually a quotation is used when a particular passage or sentence is well-written or memorable or is especially relevant in the context under discussion. In ‘Indigo,’ the author uses quotations when he mentions important commentary or observation, or any pertinent utterance by Gandhi, or for that matter, by any other character.

Legal terms used during the trial.

Term	Meaning
Deposition	A formal written statement used as evidence.
Summons	An order to appear before a judge or magistrate.
Prosecutor	A lawyer who conducts the case against a defendant.
Bail	The temporary release of an accused person awaiting trial.
Decree	An official order issued by a legal authority.
Plaintiff	A person who brings a case against another in a court of law.

a. When I first visited Gandhi in 1942 at his ashram in Sevagram, he told me what happened in Champaran.
Explanation: The comma is used after a long introductory phrase.

b. He had not proceeded far when the police superintendent’s messenger overtook him.
Explanation: Essential clauses do not require commas. The clause ‘when the police superintendent’s messenger overtook him’ is essential, so no comma is required.

c. When the court reconvened, the judge said he would not deliver the judgment for several days.
Explanation: We have an introductory clause which provides extra information. The second half of the sentence can stand alone and, therefore, is separated from the introductory clause with a comma.

1. Facts of the Case:
On 11 March 2011, the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami occurred disabling the power supply and cooling of three Fukushima Daiichi reactors. The three cores largely melted in the first three days. This accident, rated 7 on the INES scale, led to the release of high radioactive substances. Over 100,000 residents were evacuated.

2. Arguments:
The contaminated seawater from such disasters is a potential threat across boundaries. Investigations have proved faults in the design of the reactors. Lack of adequate safety measures and response actions in the plant led to a higher risk.

3. Possible Settlement:
A possible way to avert such disasters is by constructing such plants away from residential areas. It is imperative to improve safety measures and take other possible steps to eliminate the release of harmful materials.