NCERT Solutions For Class 12 English Prose Chapter 5: Indigo

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Indigo Summary

This lesson is a part of Mahatma Gandhi's biography- 'The Life Of Mahatma Gandhi'; by Louis Fischer. This part of the main book deals with Gandhiji's protest against the British Landlords.

• It was December 1916, when Mahatma Gandhi was visiting Lucknow for the annual convention when a poor peasant- Rajkumar Shukla from Champaran requested him to visit his place and informed him about their situation.
• Gandhiji set on a journey to Patna with Rajkumar Shukla and tried to meet the lawyer Rajendra Prasad in Patna. But as the lawyer was not there, Gandhi decided to travel to Muzaffarpur to understand the situation more clearly.
• The news of Gandhiji's presence and the reason for him to be there were spread amongst all the other peasants. And a huge number of them came to him. After coming back to Champaran, Gandhiji tried to bring this issue in front of the British Government Officials, but the officials denied any requests from Gandhiji, rather than asked them to leave. But instead of leaving the place, Gandhiji traveled to the capital of Champaran- Motihari. A huge number of peasants and lawyers followed him.
• On the next day, while he tried to visit the affected areas, he received retreat orders from the British Government.
• As Gandhiji declined the order, he was summoned to the court the next day. He instructed Rajendra Prasad to take care of the ashram and write a letter to the viceroy stating all the details. The next day, thousands of poor peasants and lawyers gathered outside of court, and a few days after Gandhiji was notified that the case had been dropped.
• This was probably the first time the British had to take a step back in Champaran. After this prominent incident, Gandhiji tried to improve the conditions of the poor peasants of that area by arranging teachers, doctors, and clothes for them.

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