Chapter 5: Indigo – Louis Fischer
NCERT SOLUTION
Page 46 – Comprehension Check
Q1. Strike out what is not true in the following:
(a) Rajkumar Shukla was (i) a sharecropper.
✅ Correct Answer: He was a sharecropper (not politician, delegate, or landlord).
(b) Rajkumar Shukla was (i) poor, (iii) illiterate.
✅ Correct Answer: He was poor and illiterate, but not physically strong.
Q2. Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being ‘resolute’?
Answer: Because he followed Gandhi everywhere with determination, refusing to give up until Gandhi agreed to visit Champaran.
Q3. Why do you think the servants thought Gandhi to be another peasant?
Answer: Gandhi wore simple clothes and looked ordinary. They mistook him for a poor villager like Shukla.
Page 48 – Comprehension Check
Q1. List the places that Gandhi visited between his first meeting with Shukla and his arrival at Champaran.
Answer: Lucknow → Cawnpore → Ahmedabad (ashram) → Calcutta → Patna (Rajendra Prasad’s house) → Muzaffarpur (Professor Malkani’s house) → Champaran.
Q2. What did the peasants pay 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: Peasants had to grow indigo on 15% of their land and give it as rent. When Germany developed synthetic indigo, landlords asked for compensation to release peasants from this system. Synthetic indigo reduced demand and price of natural indigo.
Page 50 – Comprehension Check
Q1. The events in this part of the text illustrate Gandhi’s method of working. Identify some instances and link them to satyagraha and non-violence.
Answer:
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Refusing to leave Champaran despite official orders.
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Facing trial calmly and pleading guilty out of moral duty.
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Organising peasants peacefully.
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Persuading lawyers to support peasants.
These reflect satyagraha: truth, non-violence, civil disobedience, and self-suffering.
Page 52 – Comprehension Check
Q1. Why did Gandhi agree to a settlement of 25% refund to the farmers?
Answer: Gandhi felt the amount was less important than the principle. The landlords had to surrender prestige and authority. This gave peasants courage and confidence.
Q2. How did the episode change the plight of the peasants?
Answer: It gave them self-respect, reduced exploitation, and ultimately ended the indigo sharecropping system. They realised they had defenders and rights.
Page 53 – Understanding the Text
Q1. Why did Gandhi consider the Champaran episode a turning-point in his life?
Answer: Because it was the first time Indians won against British authority through non-violent civil disobedience. It gave Gandhi confidence and marked the beginning of his active leadership in India.
Q2. How was Gandhi able to influence lawyers? Give instances.
Answer: Gandhi questioned their motives, asking them to share peasants’ suffering. Shamed by his courage, they pledged to follow him even to jail.
Q3. What was the attitude of the average Indian in smaller localities towards advocates of ‘home rule’?
Answer: They were generally fearful of showing sympathy to nationalists, as seen in Professor Malkani’s unusual courage in hosting Gandhi.
Q4. How do we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement?
Answer: Thousands of peasants came to support Gandhi, protested peacefully, and gained confidence. Teachers, students, doctors, and women volunteered in education, sanitation, and health services.
Page 53 – Talking about the Text
Q1. “Freedom from fear is more important than legal justice for the poor.” Do you think the poor of India are free from fear after Independence?
Answer: Though legal equality exists, many poor still suffer from fear of poverty, exploitation, caste and gender discrimination. True freedom requires economic and social justice, not just political freedom.
Q2. The qualities of a good leader.
Answer: A good leader must be courageous, truthful, selfless, compassionate, morally strong, and able to inspire unity and confidence, like Gandhi in Champaran.
Page 53 – Working with Words
Legal terms from the text: deposition, summons, bail, prosecutor, trial, judgment, evidence, contract, agreement, inquiry, communication.
Page 54 – Thinking about Language
Q1. Why does the author use quotations in his narration?
Answer: Quotations bring authenticity, make the narrative lively, and let Gandhi’s words speak directly to the reader.
Q2. Notice the use of commas:
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If the subordinate clause comes first, use a comma.
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If the main clause comes first, comma may be omitted.
Page 54 – Things to Do
Q: Choose an issue affecting the poor (like Bhopal Gas Tragedy, Narmada Dam) and suggest settlement.
Answer (Example – Narmada Dam):
Issue: Thousands displaced without proper rehabilitation.
Facts: Villages submerged, livelihood lost.
Arguments: Development vs human rights.
Settlement: Provide land-for-land, fair compensation, housing, jobs, and involve people in planning.