Modern History Prelims Question

In the early 19^th century, the European planters had involved the cultivators in agreements that forced them to cultivate indigo on 3/20th of their holdings (known as the tinkathia system). Towards the end of the 19th century, German synthetic dyes forced indigo out of market and the European planters of Champaran, keen to release the cultivators from the obligation of cultivating indigo, tried to turn their necessity to their advantage by securing enhancements in rent and other illegal dues as a price for the release.
Raj Kumar Shukla, a local man, decided to follow Gandhiji all over the country to persuade him to come to Champaran to investigate the problem.
Gandhiji, on reaching Champaran, was ordered by the Commissioner to immediately leave the district. But to the surprise of all concerned, Gandhiji refused and prefered to take punishment for his defiance of the law. To offer passive resistance or civil disobedience to an unjust order was indeed novel. The Government of India, not willing to make an issue of it and not yet used to treating Gandhiji as a rebel, ordered the local government to retreat and allow Gandhiji to proceed with his enquiry.
A victorious Gandhiji embarked on his investigation of the peasant grievances. He and his colleagues, which now included Brij Kishore, Rajendra Prasad, Mahadev Desai Narhari Parikh and J. B. Kripalani toured the villages from dawn to dusk and recorded the statements of the peasants, interrogating them to make sure that they were giving correct information.
The Government appointed a Commission of Inquiry to go into the whole issue and nominated Gandhiji as one of its members. Armed with evidence collected from 8,000 peasants, he had little difficulty in convincing the Commission that the tinkathia system needed to be abolished and the peasants should be compensated for the illegal enhancement of their dues.
As a compromise with the planters, he agreed that they refund only 25% of the money they had taken illegally from the peasants. Gandhiji explained that even this refund had done enough damage to the planters’ prestige and position. Gandhiji’s assessment was correct and within a decade, the planters left the district altogether.

In the early 19^th century, the European planters had involved the cultivators in agreements that forced them to cultivate indigo on 3/20th of their holdings (known as the tinkathia system). Towards the end of the 19th century, German synthetic dyes forced indigo out of market and the European planters of Champaran, keen to release the cultivators from the obligation of cultivating indigo, tried to turn their necessity to their advantage by securing enhancements in rent and other illegal dues as a price for the release.
Raj Kumar Shukla, a local man, decided to follow Gandhiji all over the country to persuade him to come to Champaran to investigate the problem.
Gandhiji, on reaching Champaran, was ordered by the Commissioner to immediately leave the district. But to the surprise of all concerned, Gandhiji refused and prefered to take punishment for his defiance of the law. To offer passive resistance or civil disobedience to an unjust order was indeed novel. The Government of India, not willing to make an issue of it and not yet used to treating Gandhiji as a rebel, ordered the local government to retreat and allow Gandhiji to proceed with his enquiry.
A victorious Gandhiji embarked on his investigation of the peasant grievances. He and his colleagues, which now included Brij Kishore, Rajendra Prasad, Mahadev Desai Narhari Parikh and J. B. Kripalani toured the villages from dawn to dusk and recorded the statements of the peasants, interrogating them to make sure that they were giving correct information.
The Government appointed a Commission of Inquiry to go into the whole issue and nominated Gandhiji as one of its members. Armed with evidence collected from 8,000 peasants, he had little difficulty in convincing the Commission that the tinkathia system needed to be abolished and the peasants should be compensated for the illegal enhancement of their dues.
As a compromise with the planters, he agreed that they refund only 25% of the money they had taken illegally from the peasants. Gandhiji explained that even this refund had done enough damage to the planters’ prestige and position. Gandhiji’s assessment was correct and within a decade, the planters left the district altogether.

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