CBSE Class 12 English Flamingo Indigo Worksheet

Summary

This chapter is an Excert of:
‘The life of Mahatma Gandhi’.
First time, the author met Gandhi in 1942 in Sevagram ashram in Maharashtra. How I build the desire to free India from British in 1917.
In 1916, Gandhi went to attend an annual meeting of Indian National Congress in Lucknow which had 2301 representatives & many visitors.
Then a poor, emaciated (week) peasant (farmer) named Raj Kumar Shukla came to meet him. He introduced himself & wanted Gandhi to visit Champaran (District of Bihar).
There was An ancient arrangement at Champaran, where peasants were sharecroppers. The landlords used to give their lands to these sharecroppers for cultivation and grant them with very less percent of their produce. Raj was also a sharecropper. He was illiterate but ‘resolute person. He travelled this for the Lucknow to the cogrees to complain against the injustice.
After discussing the issue, Gandhiji replied, declined by saying that he had an appointment in ‘Cawnpore’ and was committed to go other parts of India RKS still followed Gandhi and asked him to fix a date. Gandhiji was impressed by the farmers of RKS.
G.J then invited RKS to Calcutta. After passing few months, RKS reached there and they both took a train to Patna. RKS took GJ to Rajendra Prasad’s house who was a lawyer & later became the president of congress party. Rajendra Prasad was not available at home but his servants knew RKS was a peasant and had arrived several times to pesture. Rajendra P to help sharecroppers. The servants allowed them to stay at the grounds but did not permit to draw water from the well as untouchability was quite privilent at that time. They could not meet RP & planned to go Muzzafarpur which was on the way to Champaran to obtain. The complete information about the Sharecroppers.
Gandhi ji sent a telegram to Professor JB Kriplani in Muzaffarpur. Train arrived there at mid night on 15th April, 1917.
Kriplani ji along with students were waiting at the railway station for them. Gandhi Ji was impressed the way he was welcomed by Kriplani. People at that time were scared to help freedom fighters. The advent of Gandhi ji spread really quick & his mission’s news people joined him to see him.
Lawyers of Mujaffarpur briefed him about the case and the fees they used to charge G.J chided the lawyers for taking big amount fees. They decided to stop taking the peasants case to courts. The wanted to make sharecroppers free from fear. Most of the land was owned by Englishmen in Champaran. The main commercial crop there was ‘Indigo’. These men forced the peasant to cultivate Indigo on 15% of their land and Surrended their entire harvest as rent. Later, the landlords learned that Germany had developed. Synthetic indigo so they asked for compensation from the sharecroppers for being released from the 15% arrangement. Some peasants signed & some engaged lawyers. But when the sharecroppers heard the news they felt cheated & wanted their money back
G.J wanted to collect the facts and visited the secretary of the British landlord’s association the Secretary denied to give any information to on outsides. Then, he went to the commissioner of the Tirhut division Gandhi ji proceeded to Motihari, the capital of champaran. Many people greeted him. He continued his investigations using a house as head quarter. Then, a report came that a peasant was tortured in a nearby village. GJ went to look for the matter.
On his way he was ordered by a police superintendent’s messenger to return back to his town. He even received an official notice to quit Champaran Gandhi ji disobeyed the order and was summoned to appear in the court next day.
He telegraphed Rajendra Prasad to come to Patna with influential friends and sent instructions to the ashram. He shared a full report to the viceroy.
Several thousand peasant reached Motihari and started demonstrating the court house. This gave G.J a hope of liberation from fear of the British. The officials of British felt powerless but G.J. helped to regulate the crowd. The government was baffled.
The trail was also delayed. G.J confessed that he broke the law but only because of the voice of his conscience. The magisterate asked. G J to get a bail prepared but he refused. The judge didn’t deliver any judgement for days and G. J was allowed to remain at liberty.
Next G.J influenced lawyer. Including Rajendra Prasad He proved his dedication to help sharecroppers even after going to jail. This boosted the lawyers and they all were ready to help him.
‘The Battle of champaran is won’ said by G.J He wanted people to follow the laws and wanted to serve the nation. Next, G.J divide the lawyers into groups and decided their sequences. After few days, G.J received a written letter by Lieutenant Governor which says that the case of G.J was dropped. For the first time Civil Disobedience was triumphed.
G.J next set an inquiry to know all the problems of share croppers. He collected all the evidences of the torture peasants after this. Landlords, also started protesting opposing peasant’s protest.
In June, G.J went to meet Sir Edward Gate and made detailed plans of Civil Disobedience moment. G.J had four prolonged interviews with Lieutenant Edward Gad. A commission was hired to know everything about the tortures on peasants. In that commission, there were landlords, some government officials & G.J himself. Who was the only presenter & supporter for peasants.
G.J stayed in Champaran for 7 months and then started taking small visits to Champaran.
Big evidences were collected and landlords agreed to return the money back to peasants. G.J asked to refund only 50% of the money. A British missionary was observing the Champaran mission. The representatives of landlords agreed to give back only 25% of the money G. J agreed to it which he explained late that the refund amount did not matter Landlords had been obliged to surrender some part of the money but also surrendering their prestige.
Few year later, Britishers abandoned the whole village & the lands were given the local peasants.
G.J wanted to improve the poor conditions of Champaran for that he called his wife ‘Kasturba & his youngest son to help’. Primary schools were opened in six villages. Kasturba taught women there cleanliness G J sent regular instructions by post & asked for financial accounts.
Everything Gandhi did tried to mould a new free Indian, who could stand on their own feet & thus make India free. An English pacifist, Charles freer Andrews became a devoted follower of Gandhi. Gandhi’s lawyer friends wanted Andrews to help them but he opposed the suggestion. It will show the weakness of their hearts G.J taught a lesson of self reliance & helped the share croppers.

Passages for Comprehension: -

Health conditions were miserable. Gandhi got a doctor to volunteer his services for six months. Three medicines were available – castor oil, quinine and sulphur ointment. Anybody who showed a coated tongue was given a dose of castor oil; anybody with malaria fever received quinine plus castor oil; anybody with skin eruptions received ointment plus castor oil.

Question. Where was the health condition miserable?
(a) in Patna
(b) in Calcutta
(c) in Champaran
(d) in Delhi
Answer. C

Question. What was given to one who showed a coated tongue?
(a) Quinine
(b) Castor oil
(c) Sulphur ointment
(d) Quinine and castor oil
Answer. B

Question. What was given to one with malaria fever?
(a) Quinine and Sulphur ointment
(b) Quinine
(c) Quinine and castor oil
(d) none of the above
Answer. C

Question. What was given to one with skin eruptions?
(a) Quinine
(b) Quinine and castor oil
(c) Quinine and Sulphur ointment
(d) Sulphur ointment and castor oil
Answer. D

Question. What did Gandhi Ji do for the sick villagers?
(a) he helped them as a doctor
(b) he got for them a doctor
(c) both (a) & (b)
(d) none of the above
Answer. B

Question. Find the word in the passage which means the same as ‘pathetic’
Answer. miserable

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question : In the light of the following statement, pick the option that lists characteristics of Gandhi.?
“Gandhi never contented himself with large political or economic solutions. He saw the cultural and social backwardness in the Champaran villages and wanted to do something about it immediately.”
1. pragmatic 2. obedient 3. compassionate 4. philanthropic5. patient 6. dramatic
(a) 1,3,6 (b) 2,4,5 (c)1,3,4 (d) 2,5,6
Answer : (c) 1,3,4

Question : The Battle of Champaran is won! What led Gandhi Ji to make this remark? 
Answer : Gandhi Ji had influenced farmers by going to jail himself for the unjustice against poor peasants. They decided to follow Gandhi Ji in to jail which led Gandhi Ji to make the remark ‘The Battle of Champaran is Won’.

Question : Though the sharecroppers of Champaran received only out-fourth of the Compensation, how can the Champaran struggle still be termed a huge success & victory? 
Answer : Champaran struggle is still a victory even after receiving only one-fourth of the compensation because sharecroppers learned their rights and got free from the fear. British could not order him about his own country.

Short Answer Questions:

Question. Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being „resolute‟?
Answer. Rajkumar Shukla, an illiterate sharecropper, came all the way from Champaran district to Lucknow to invite Gandhi to visit his district. When Gandhi mentioned about his prior engagements to go to Cawnpore and other parts of India, Shukla accompanied him everywhere. He also followed Gandhi to his ashram and stayed there for weeks till Gandhi asked him to meet him at Calcutta. Because of his strong will power and determination, he is described as being ‘resolute’.

Question. Why do you think the servants thought Gandhiji to be another peasant?
Answer.  As Gandhi was in the company of Rajkumar Shukla, a poor yeoman, the servants at Rajendra Prasad’s house assumed that he was another peasant. Moreover, Gandhi’s emaciated looks and simplicity could have led to his mistaken identity.

Question. List the places that Gandhi visited between his first meeting with Shukla and his arrival at Champaran.
Answer. Between his first meeting with Shukla and his arrival at Champaran, Gandhi visited Cawnpur, Calcutta, Patna and Muzaffarpur.

Question. What did the peasants pay to the British landlords as rent? What did the British now want instead and why? What would be the impact of synthetic indigo on the prices of natural indigo?
Answer. The British landlords compelled the peasants to plant 15% of the land with indigo and to surrender the entire harvest as rent. Now that Germany had developed synthetic indigo, Britishers wanted the tenants to pay them compensation for being released from 15% agreement.
As the demand of the natural indigo would reduce due to the advent of synthetic indigo, its price would go down.

Question. Why did Gandhi agree to a settlement of 25 percent refund to the farmers?
Answer. Gandhi agreed to a settlement of 25% refund to the farmers to break the deadlock between the landlords and the tenants. For Gandhi the amount of the refund was less important than the fact that the landlords had been forced to return part of the money and with it, part of the peasants’ prestige. He wanted to establish that the landlords were not lords above law and their rule could be challenged.

Question. How did the episode change the plight of the peasants?
Answer. The Champaran episode made the peasants aware of their rights and taught them courage. Apart from getting 25 percent of their compensation they got back their prestige. Within few years, the British planters abandoned their estates, which reverted to the peasants. Indigo sharecropping disappeared.

Question. How was Gandhi able to influence lawyers? Give instances.
Answer. Gandhi chided the lawyers for charging hefty fee from the peasants to fight their case. Later his words encouraged the lawyers to court arrest in case he was arrested. He also dissuaded them from seeking Charles Andrews’ assistance in their battle against the injustice of the Britishers in order to be self-reliant.

Question. What was the attitude of the average Indian in smaller localities towards advocates of „home rule‟?
Answer. Being afraid of inviting the wrath of the Britishers, the averageIndians in small localities were reluctant to show any sympathy towards the advocates of ‘home rule’

Question. Why did Rajkumar Shukla go to meet Gandhi?
Answer. Rajkumar Shukla came to meet Gandhi at the December1916 Congress Session in Lucknow to complain about the injustice of the landlord system of Bihar and to invite him to visit his district.

Question. What was the conflict of duties in which Gandhi was involved?
Answer. In court, Gandhi pleaded guilty for having disobeyed the official notice to quit Champaran. He read out a statement claiming he was involved in a conflict of duties. He clarified that he disobeyed not to break law and set a bad example but to render the humanitarian and national services for which he had come to Champaran.

Question. When did Gandhi say „The battle of C hamparan is won?
Answer. When the lawyers reconsidered their decision about their course of action in case of Gandhi’s arrest and volunteered to court arrest for the cause of sharecroppers, Gandhi felt pleased and said ‘The battle of Champaran is won’

Question. “Civil disobedience had triumphed the first time in India”. How did it happen?
Answer. When Gandhi disobeyed official order to quit Champaran, a case was initiated against him for disregarding the orders. The spontaneous demonstration of thousands of peasants around the courtroom baffled the officials. Not knowing how to handle the case, the judge postponed the judgement for few days. Then finally few days later, the case was dropped by Lieutenant Governor himself. So civil disobedience triumphed for the first time in India.

Question. What did Gadhiji say to his friends when they suggested that Charles Andrews should be retained for the sake of the Champaran movement?
Answer. Gandhi vehemently opposed the lawyer’s suggestion to seek Andrew’s assistance and said that taking the support of an Englishman would reveal the weakness of their hearts. He urged his friends to rely upon themselves to win the battle.

Long Answer Questions:

Question. Why do you think Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a turning point in his life?
Answer. The Champaran episode began as an attempt to alleviate the distress of a large number of poor peasants. But it became a turning point in Gandhi’s life. It built- up Gandhi’s confidence that the British rulers could be made to bend and concede a popular demand. He declared that British could not order him in his own country.
It was during this struggle in 1917 that he decided to urge the departure of the British. When he came to Champaran, he was appalled to see fear –stricken peasants and injustice of landlord system in Chamaparan. His readiness to go to jail for the sake of seeking justice instilled courage among ordinary people and motivated the lawyers for court arrest
He led civil disobedience by refusing to leave Champaran even after he got the official notice. Civil disobedience triumphed for the first time when the case for disregarding the official order against him was dropped. Britisher’s agreement to pay 25 percent of the compensation made him and the peasants confident
It made the peasants realise that they had rights and defenders and he established that the authority of the British could be challenged. He taught the lawyers a lesson of self-reliance by dissuading them from seeking the assistance from an English man, Charles Andrew. Gandhi never contended himself with larger and political solutions. He also made endeavour to bring about cultural and social upliftment in the village.

Question. How do we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement?
Answer. The author mentions several ordinary people who contributed to the freedom movement.
Rajkumar Shukla was instrumental in arranging Gandhi’s visit to Champaran. Professor Malakai, despite being a government servant, harboured Gandhi when he arrived at Muzzafarpur. When the news of Gandhi’s advent spread through Muzzafarpur and Champaran, Sharecroppers from Champaran began arriving on foot to see their champion. Their gathering in huge number at Motihari was the beginning of their freedom from the fear of the British.
The lawyers also agreed to court arrest in case Gandhi went to Jail. Gandhi and the lawyers conducted a detailed inquiry into the grievances of the farmers. They prepared cases for about ten thousand peasants and collected relevant documents. Moreover the masses volunteered to help in bringing cultural and social reforms in the village. The two young men, Mahadev Desai and Narihari Parikh and their views volunteered to work. Several people came from Bombay, Poona and other distant parts of the land. Devadas, Gandhi’s youngest son arrived from the ashram. Kasturbai taught ashram rules on personal cleanliness and community sanitation.

Question. Justify the appropriateness of the title „Indigo‟ to this extract.
Answer. 
The title ‘Indigo’ focuses our attention on the central issue of the chapter –exploitation of indigo sharecroppers at the hands of cruel British planters. Britishers compelled them through a long term agreement to plant indigo on 15 percent of their land and surrender the entire harvest as rent.
After the development of synthetic indigo by Germany, The British planters extracted money from the peasants as compensation from being released from the 15 percent agreement. The peasants who wanted their money back filed civil suits. Rajkumar Shukla persuaded Gandhi to take up the case of Indigo sharecroppers.
So indigo sharecropping exemplifies the injustice of the Britishers and Indians’ submission to British authority. The exploitation of indigo sharecroppers led Gandhi to arrive in Champaran to alleviate their distress. Peasants not only got back the compensation but also became courageous and confident. They learnt the lesson of self-reliance. The Champaran movement that centred on indigo sharecropping led to social and cultural upliftment of the peasants. Their education, health and hygiene received due attention. Thus the title ‘Indigo’ is highly suggestive and appropriate.

Question. How did Gandhi use Satyagraha and non-violence to achieve his goal?
Answer. 
Non-violence and Satyagraha were the weapons used by Gandhi to secure justice for oppressed peasants of Champaran. He adopted legal, moral and democratic path of negotiation. Gandhi refused to leave Tirhut division in which Chamaparan district lay despite being told by the British official commissioner to do so. Later he defied the official order to leave Chamaparan for which he received summon to appear in the court. When the British authorities could not regulate the unmanageable crowd at Motihari, he pacified the crowd in polite and friendly way. Thus he gave concrete proof of the power of Satyagraha and nonviolence. In the court he clarified that he did not want to set a bad example as a law breaker but intended to render humanitarian and national service. His convincing argumentation baffled the magistrate who released him without the bail.
Later he fought the case of the peasants peacefully by collecting evidences and the documents pertaining to the case. When the Britishers agreed to pay the compensation he peacefully negotiated with the landlords and accepted 25 percent of the amount due. So the peasants got a partial refund of the compensation with the use of Satyagraha and nonviolence.

Question. How did Rajkumar Shukla prove to be an important link between Gandhi and his Champaran campaign?
Answer.  Rajkumar Shukla was a poor and emaciated sharecropper from Champaran. Though he was poor and illiterate he was determined to oppose the injustice of the British planters. He used to seek legal recourse to get justice and was in constant touch with Rajendra Prasad, an eminent lawyer.
He came to December 1916 annual convention of the Indian National Congress party in Lucknow to meet Gandhi as someone had told him that Gandhi Gandhi could give a solution to their problems. He complained about the injustice of landlord system in Bihar and invited Gandhi to visit his district. When Gandhi mentioned about his prior engagements to go to Cawnpore and other parts of India, Shukla showed tremendous patience and perseverance and accompanied him everywhere. He also followed Gandhi to his ashram and stayed there for weeks. Impressed by his determination and tenacity Gandhi promised to meet him at Calcutta on a particular date. Few months later Shukla arrived at Calcutta and took him to Champaran. So, Rajkumar Shukla’s strong will power and painstaking efforts were instrumental in arranging Gandhi’s visit to Champaran and thus improving the plight of the poor peasants.

Please click on below link to download CBSE Class 12 English Flamingo Indigo Worksheet