INDIGO

- Louis Fischer
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Louis Fischer, the son of a fish peddler, was born in

Philadelphia on 29 February 1896. He was a Jewish-
American journalist. After studying at the Philadelphia
School of Pedagogy from 1914 to 1916, he became a
school teacher. Among his works were a contribution to
the ex-Communist treatise The God that Failed , The
Life of Lenin , which won the 1965 National Book Award
in History and Biography, as well as a biography of
Mahatma Gandhi entitled The Life of Mahatma Gandhi .
This book was used as the basis for the Academy
Award-winning film Gandhi. Fischer’s wife, Markoosha
Fig: Louis Fischer, was also a writer. Fischer died on 15 January
Fischer 1970.
 1. Introduction : Champaran

A district in Bihar,
at the foot of
Himalayas.
A place where
British owned
large estates.
Indian farmers
were tenants. Fig: Champaran
2. Raj Kumar Shukla Meets Gandhi

Raj Kumar Shukla – a

poor, illiterate
peasant from
Champaran.
Met Gandhiji at
Lucknow in 1916.

Fig: Raj Kumar Shukla

 3. Gandhiji to visit Champaran

Raj Kumar Shukla

requested Gandhiji
to visit Champaran
to solve the Indigo
sharecroppers
problem.
He followed him all
over.
Finally, Gandhi gave Fig: Mahatma
him an Gandhi
 4. Gandhiji’s Visit to Patna

Shukla received Gandhiji

at Calcutta Railway
station.
Both travelled to Patna
by train.
They visited Dr. Rajendra
Prasad’s house.

Fig: Dr. Rajendra

Prasad
5. At Dr. Rajendra Prasad’s House

Servants
treated
Gandhiji as
untouchable.
He was not
allowed to
draw water
from well. Fig: Rajendra Prasad and Anugrah
Narayan Sinha in 1917 during Champaran
Satyagraha
 6. Visit to Muzaffarpur

Gandhiji decided to
break his journey at
Muzaffarpur.
He telegraphed his
decision to Professor
J.B. Kripalini.
Professor J.B. Kripalini
met Gandhiji with 15
students at the Railway Fig: Professor J.B.
station. Kripalini
 7. Mr. Malkani’s Hospitality

Gandhiji stayed
at Mr. Malkani’s
house.
Mr. Malkani was
a Government
school teacher.
Gandhiji thanked
him for his Fig: Dr. Rajendra Prasad and
hospitality. Mr. Malkani
 8. The Details of the Indigo Problem

Gandhiji met the advocate who

dealt with the Indigo problem.
The advocate who represented
the peasants charged a huge
amount as fees.
Gandhiji chided him for big fees.
He tried to convince him the
necessity to free the farmers
Fig: Indigo farmers
from the fear of the British.
and Indigo
 9. The Indigo Problem

Indians were the

sharecroppers.
Indigo was a
profitable
commercial crop.
Indigo was to be
cultivated and the
complete share Fig: Indigo Factory in British
was to be given to India
the British.
 10. Finding Facts

Gandhiji met the Secretary of the

British Landlord Association.
He refused to give information to
Gandhiji because he didn’t belong to
Champaran.
 Then, he met the Commissioner of
Tirhut Division in Champaran district.
He asked Gandhiji to leave Tirhut
immediately.
 11. Gandhiji at Motihari

Large crowd greeted Gandhiji at

Motihari.
Gandhiji started his
investigation.
Several lawyers assisted him.
Meanwhile, a peasant was ill-
treated in the neighbouring
village.
Fig: Gandhiji
Gandhiji wanted to proceed
addressing his
with his investigation.
followers
Police stopped him with orders.
 12. Reaction of the Peasants

Large peasant crowds

gathered to support
Gandhiji.
They found that the
Mahatma who had come to
help the Indian
sharecroppers was in
trouble.
The peasants were no longer
Fig: Indian Peasants
afraid of the British and
became violent.
 13. The Trial

The prosecutor requested the judge to postpone the trial.

Gandhiji protested.
He read a statement pleading guilty.
He was involved in a conflict of duties. On one hand, not
as a lawbreaker ; on the other hand, to render
humanitarian and national service.
The judge asked him to furnish bail, but he refused.
The judge released him without bail.
After recess, he announced that the judgement will be
given after several days.
 14. Lawyers Willing to Follow
Gandhiji to Jail

Gandhiji asked the lawyers what they would do if

he was sentenced to prison.
They replied that they would go home.
Gandhiji insisted that he wanted justice to the
sharecroppers.
Lawyers felt ashamed and were ready to go to jail
with him.
Gandhiji divided them into pairs.
 15. Commission of Enquiry

Gandhiji and lawyers

collected a lot of evidence
against the British Landlords.
Landlords protested.
Gandhiji was summoned.
Lieutenant-Governor
appointed an official enquiry
comprising British Officials
and Landlords. Fig: Gandhiji and
Gandhiji represented Indian Enquiry Commission
peasants.
 16. The Result of the Enquiry

Landlords agreed to
refund the money
that they had
collected illegally.
Gandhiji demanded
50% of the money.
They offered only
25%. Fig: Louis Fischer interviewing
Gandhi
Gandhiji agreed and
 17. Consequences of the Settlement

British lost their prestige.

Indian peasants were no
longer afraid of them.
British landlords
abandoned the estates and
went away.
The land was reverted to
Fig: Gandhiji addressing
the peasants.
the common people
Indigo plantation
 18. Uplift of Champaran

Gandhiji stayed in Champaran

for seven months.
He found that there was a
cultural and social
backwardness among the
people.
He started primary school in six
Fig: Gandhi and his
villages. wife at Champaran
His two disciples, their wives
 19. Health Consciousness

Kasturba Gandhi taught

about personal
cleanliness and
community sanitation.
A doctor volunteered
Gandhi’s services.
Three medicines were
available – castor oil,
quinine and sulphur
ointment for patients Fig: Quinine
suffering from
constipation, malaria and
 20. Gandhiji – Self Reliance

Gandhiji kept in touch

with the Ashram from
Champaran.
Lawyers insisted that
Charles Andrews should
stay with him.
Gandhi opposed the
idea and insisted on self Fig: Charles Freer
Andrews
CHAMPARAN CREATED HISTORY!!

Gandhi Memorial, Motihari Mahatma Gandhi

THANK YOU..
Done By,
SREERAJ.P,
CLASS XII,
KV No.2, Mangalore