Summary of Indigo
Louis Fischer’s Indigo highlights Mahatma Gandhi’s first major experiment with satyagraha in India during the Champaran movement (1917). It shows how Gandhi’s methods of truth, non-violence, and civil disobedience won justice for oppressed peasants.
The story begins with Rajkumar Shukla, a poor sharecropper from Champaran, who persistently follows Gandhi and brings him to Bihar. The peasants were forced by British landlords to grow indigo on 15% of their land and surrender it as rent. When synthetic indigo reduced demand, landlords forced peasants to pay compensation for release. Many illiterate farmers, cheated into signing agreements, demanded their money back.
Gandhi visited Muzaffarpur and Champaran to investigate. He faced hostility from British officials, was ordered to leave, but refused in the spirit of satyagraha. At his trial, thousands of peasants demonstrated, showing freedom from fear. Gandhi’s calm defiance impressed the court; the case was dropped.
He then organised inquiries, collected testimonies, and confronted landlords. A commission was set up. Gandhi agreed to a 25% refund as compromise, explaining that principle mattered more than money. This humbled landlords and gave peasants courage. Eventually, the system of indigo sharecropping was abolished.
Gandhi did not stop at political victory. He addressed social backwardness by opening schools, promoting cleanliness, sanitation, and health care. His wife Kasturba and volunteers like Mahadev Desai and Narhari Parikh joined in. Gandhi emphasised self-reliance, teaching villagers dignity and courage.
A British follower, C.F. Andrews, offered help, but Gandhi refused, insisting that Indians must fight their own battles. This reinforced the lesson of self-reliance.
The Champaran episode was a turning point. Gandhi declared that the British could not order him in his own country. It demonstrated that oppression could be resisted through truth and non-violence. It also marked the beginning of Gandhi’s leadership in India’s freedom struggle.
Thus, Indigo is not just about peasants’ plight but also about Gandhi’s philosophy — combining politics with people’s everyday problems. It shows how courage, unity, and truth can overcome injustice.
Word Count: ~503