Introduction

In this story, Louis describes Gandhi’s struggle for the poor peasants of
Champaran who were the sharecroppers with the British planters. They led a
miserable life and were forced to grow indigo according to an agreement. They
suffered a great injustice due to the landlord system in Bihar. Gandhi waged a
war for about a year against their atrocities and brought justice to the poor
peasants.
Summary
This story describes Gandhi’s struggle for the poor peasants of Champaran. In
those days most of arable land in the Champaran district was divided into large
estates owned by Englishmen and worked by Indian tenants. The chief
commercial crop was Indigo. The landlords compelled all tenants to plant 15% of
their Indigo and surrender the entire Indigo harvest as rent. This was done by a
long term contract.
The British didn’t need the Indigo crop any more when Germany had developed
synthetic Indigo. Just to release the peasants from the 15% agreement they
demanded compensation. Some illiterate peasants agreed but the others refused.
One of the sharecroppers named Raj Kumar Shukla met Gandhi in this regard
and compelled him to visit Champaran because of the long term injustice of
landlords. Then the two of them boarded a train for the city of Patna in Bihar.
From there Shukla led him to the house of a lawyer named Rajendra Prasad.
Mahatma Gandhi’s humble and simple attire made the servants mistook him as
another poor peasant. He surveyed before taking any vital step in order to get
those peasants justice. It was the time when the British government punished
those who in any condition gave shelter to national leaders or protesters.
Gandhi’s arrival and the nature of his mission spread like a wildfire. Many
lawyers and peasant groups came in large numbers to support him. The lawyers
accepted the fact that their charges were high and for a poor peasant it would be
irksome. Gandhi rebuked them for collecting big fees from the sharecroppers. He
stressed on counseling as this would give the peasants enough confidence to fight
their fear. He managed to get justice after a yearlong battle for the peasants. He
also made arrangements for the education, health, and hygiene for the families of
the poor peasants. He gave them the lesson of self-reliance
Gist of the lesson:
● Raj Kumar Shukla- A poor sharecropper from Champaran wishing to meet
Gandhiji.
● Raj Kumar Shukla – illiterate but resolute, hence followed Gandhiji to
Lucknow, Cawnpore, Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Patna, Muzzafarpur and then
Camparan.
 ● Servants at Rajendra Prasad’s residence thought Gandhiji to be
untouchable.
● Gandhiji was considered untouchable because of simple living style and
wearing, due to the company of Raj Kumar Shukla.
● Decided to go to Muzzafarpur first to get detailed information about
Champaran sharecropper.
● Sent telegram to J B Kriplani & stayed in Prof Malkani’s home –a
government servant.
● Indians are afraid of showing sympathy to the supporters of home rule.
● The news of Gandhiji’s arrival spread –sharecroppers gathered in large
numbers to meet their champion.
● Gandhiji chided the Muzzafarpur lawyer for taking high fees.
● Champaran district was divided into estates owned by English people,
Indians only tenant farmers. · Landlords compelled tenants to plant 15% of
their land with indigo and surrender their entire harvest as rent. 87
● In the meantime Germany had developed synthetic indigo –British
landlords freed the Indian farmers from the 15% arrangement but asked
them to pay compensation.
● Many signed, some resisted engaged lawyers, and landlords hired thugs.
● Gandhiji reached Champaran –visited the secretary of the British landlord
association to get the facts but denied as he was an outsider
● Gandhiji went to the British Official Commissioner who asked him to leave
Tirhut , Gandhiji disobeyed, went to Motihari the capital of Champaran
where a vast multitude greeted him, and continued his investigations.
● Visited maltreated villagers, stopped by the police superintendent but
disobeyed the order
● Motihari black with peasants’ spontaneous demonstrations, Gandhiji
released without bail Civil Disobedience triumphed.
● Gandhiji agreed to 25% refund by the landowners, it symbolized the
surrender of the prestige
● Gandhiji worked hard towards social economic reforms, elevated their
distress aided by his wife, Mahadev Desai, Narhari Parikh.
● Gandhiji taught a lesson of self reliance by not seeking help of an
Englishman Mr. Andrews..

Questions and Answers

Q.1. How was Gandhiji able to influence the lawyers at Champaran? (All India 2009)
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.
Q.2. How did Gandhiji help the peasants of Champaran? (All India 2009)
At Champaran, the British landlords forced all the tenants to plant 15 percent of their
holdings with indigo and then surrender the entire harvest as rent. This increased the
misery of the poor tenants. But when synthetic indigo was developed and indigo
plantation was no longer profitable, the landlords obtained fresh agreements from
sharecroppers to pay them compensation for releasing them from the 15%
arrangement. Gandhiji came in at this time and through non-violent civil disobedience
he forced the landlords to refund 25 percent of the compensation money to the
peasants.
Q.3. What made the Lieutenant Governor drop the case against Gandhiji?
(Compartment 2014)
When Gandhiji was asked to appear in the court in Motihari, thousands of
peasants held a demonstration around the courthouse. The officials felt helpless
and the government was baffled. The trial was postponed, as the judge didn’t
want to aggravate the situation. He held up the sentence for several days, after
which Gandhiji was released without bail. All these events made the Lieutenant
Governor drop the case against Gandhiji.
Q.4. Why did Gandhiji oppose when his friend Andrews offered to stay in
Champaran and help the peasants? (Foreign 2014)
or
Why did Gandhiji object to CF Andrews’ stay in Champaran? (Foreign 2009)
CF Andrews, an English pacifist, was a devoted follower of Gandhiji. The lawyers
thought that being an Englishman, Andrews could be of immense help to them in
their cause of fighting the battle of Champaran. Gandhiji, however,.was against
this because he felt that enlisting an Englishman’s help showed weakness. Their
cause was just, and they had to win the battle by relying on themselves. This
would make them self-reliant.
Q.5. Why do you think Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a
turning point in his life? (All India 2011)
The Champaran episode began as an attempt to alleviate the distress of poor
peasants. Ultimately it proved to be a turning point in Gandhiji’s life because it
was a loud proclamation that made the British realize that Gandhiji could not be
ordered about in his own country. It infused courage to question British authority
in the masses and laid the foundation of non-cooperation as a new tool to fight
the British tooth and nail.
Q.6. ”The battle of Champaran is won!.” What led Gandhiji to make this remark?
(Foreign 2010)
The lawyers first decided to return home if Gandhiji was arrested. But they soon
realized their mistake. When they declared that they would fight for the peasants’
cause in the event of Gandhiji’s arrest and volunteered to court arrest for the
cause of the sharecroppers, Gandhiji was very pleased and exclaimed, “The battle
of Champaran is won!.”
Q.7.Why did Gandhi agree to the planters’ offer of a 25% refund to the farmers?
(Delhi 2009)
Gandhiji agreed to a settlement of 25% refund to the farmers in order to break the
deadlock between the landlords and peasants. For him the amount of the refund
was not very important. The fact that the landlords had been obliged to surrender
a part of their money as well as their prestige gave a moral victory to the farmers.
Thus, Gandhiji not only made the landlords accept their dishonesty but also made
the farmers learn a lesson in defending their rights with courage.
Q.8. Why is the Champaran episode considered to be the beginning of the Indian
struggle for independence? (All India 2014 Modified)
The Champaran episode was one of the major events in the struggle for
independence. It was in the course of this small but significant movement that
Gandhiji decided to urge the departure of the British from India.
A close examination of the problems of the Champaran peasants opened
Gandhiji’s eyes to the unjust policies of the British. He realized that people had to
be made free from fear and only then could they be freed from foreign
oppression. The spontaneous demonstration of the people proved that Gandhiji
had the nation’s support in his fight against the Britishers. It also aroused
patriotism in the hearts of the Indians.
The triumph of The.civil disobedience at Champaran motivated the launching of
the movement on a large scale during the freedom movement. Gandhiji’s winning
the case of the sharecroppers proved that British authority could be challenged.
Hence, the Champaran episode served as a stepping stone to the Indian struggle
for independence.
Q.9.Gandhiji’s loyalty was not a loyalty to abstractions; it was a loyalty to living
human beings. Why did Gandhiji continue his stay in Champaran even after
indigo sharecropping disappeared? (All India 2014 Modified)
Answer. After the Champaran battle was won and the land reverted to the
peasants, Gandhiji continued to stay on in the region. His loyalty was, indeed, to
living human beings and he realized that a lot needed to be done for the
upliftment of the peasants in the villages of Champaran. Gandhiji took the
initiative and began the work of eradicating their cultural and social
backwardness. Primary schools were started so that the poor peasants and their
children could be educated. Gandhiji appealed to teachers, and many of his
disciples, including his wife and son, volunteered for the work.
Health conditions in the area were also miserable. Gandhiji got a doctor to
volunteer his services for six months. All this goes to prove that Gandhiji’s loyalty
was not to abstractions, but his politics was always intertwined with the practical
day to day problems of the millions.