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Indigo, Class 12th
Indigo, Class 12th
as
rent to the British landlords. Synthetic indigo was developed by Germany. The
landlords thus, did not need to raise indigo on their land any longer. They demanded
ompensation trom the peasants for freeing them from the indigo-raising agreement.
. The events in this part of the text illustrate Gandhi's method of working. Can you
dentify some instances of this method and link them to his ideas of satyagraha and
non-violence?
Gandhiji had always followed the voice of his conscience. He never supported anvthing
Ans
immoral. He followed this principle all through his fight against the British injustice. He
never paid evilfor evil. Hle followed the principle of non-violence even asthe authorities
raised blows on him. His path was that of satyagraha-non-violence for truth. Dandi
March was a good example.
7.Why did Gandhi agree to a settlement of 25 per cent refund to the farmers?
[CBSE Delhi 2016]
The whole situation in front of Gandhiji was a deadlock. He wanted to break this
Ans,
deadlock somehow.
The British planters wanted some excuse for prolonging the dispute with the peasants.
However, Gandhiji proved too wise for them. The deadlock was ended by accepting
what the planters wanted. Even so the British had to compromise with their pride.
settlement of 25 per cent refund to the farmers; in fact, the amount
Gandhiji agreed to a
was important than the fact that the landlords had to be forced
less
to return part of the
of their pride and prestige.
money and with it, part
were above the law, they had to realise that
So far the planters had behaved as if they
Britishers were not above the law.
learned courage.
The peasants now saw that they too had rights and defenders, and they
the trouble of spending time and money on
court
The peasants were also saved from
estates and left. The land
cases. Within a few years,
the British planters abandoned their
came back to the peasants
and this was the end of indigo sharecropping.
of the peasants?
8. How did the episode change the plight
could
believed that they had rights which they
Ans. The peasants now had courage. They back
British planters left their estates. These estates now came
defend. Gradually, the
permanently. They were no longer
to the peasants. Indigo sharecropping disappeared
indebted to the British planters.
Ans. The average Indian in smaller localities felt afraid to show sympathy tor
home rule'.
advocates o
They probably feared the consequences.
4. How do we know that
ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement?
Ans. The ordinary people stood with
Gandhiji at every juncture. At Motihari, they flockeri
n thousands as
they learnt that Mahatma had some trouble with the authorities. The
ordinary people supported in their own little way. Rajkumar Shukla and Professor
Malkani defied all odds and contributed to the
fight.
Prof. J. B. Kriplani motivated a large number of students, and welcomed
Gandhiji at
Muzaffarpur railway station at midnight. The spontaneous demonstration outside the
court was also quite significant. Civil disobedience could
triumph in India only because
of the unity of ordinary people.
Do you think that the poor of India are free from fear after
Independence?
Ans. In the chapter, Gandhi makes it possible for the sharecroppers of Champaran to shed
their fear of the British landlords. According to him, the first
step towards self-reliance
is freedom from fear. Unfortunately, the poor people are not free from fear even atter
the Independence. The poor people live in a continual fear of the police, who instead ot
taking care, often end up maltreating them. Due to globalisation and the craze for the
toreign products, the poor are becoming poorer.
2. The qualities of a good leader.
Ans. A good leader is the person who leads the minds and convinces
people to follow his S
of ideas or beliefs. He thinks for the people and works for them. He should be sincete
in his approach and should be a of principles. A alities
man
good leader inherits some quau
that set him apart from the rest. Truth, honesty, patriotism, morality, spirit ot
Se
and sacrifice are the
qualities of a good leader. He should be courageous in the 1a o
adversity and should never quit. He should encourage and motivate others TO bring
bias o
out the best in them, and should
appreciate the efforts of others without being D
partial.