INDIGO -author - LOUIS FISCHER(1896-1970)

 

INDIGO

Q. 1. How did Shukla succeed in persuading (request,bring or demand) Gandhiji to visit Champaran ?

Or

What made Gandhi to surrender to the wish of Rajkumar Shukla and board a train to Patna in Bihar ?                                                                                                  Ans. Rajkumar Shukla wanted Gandhiji to visit Champaran to take up the cause of sharecroppers there. Gandhiji told Shukla that he had an appointment in Kanpur. He was also committed to go to other parts of India. Shukla followed Gandhiji to the ashram. He went to Calcutta when Gandhiji arrived there. Gandhiji was impressed by his tenacity and story. They boarded the train for Patna.

Q. 2. Why did Rajkumar Shukla want to take Gandhiji to Champaran?

Ans. Rajkumar Shukla was a poor peasant sharecropper from Champaran in Bihar. He had come to the Congress session to meet Gandhiji. He wanted Gandhiji to visit Champaran to see the miserable condition of the peasant sharecroppers at the hands of the British indigo planters. They were victims of the injustice of the landlord system in Champaran.

Q. 3. What did the servants at Rajendra Prasad's house take Gandhi to be? Why was he not allowed to draw water from the well ?

Ans. Shukla led Gandhi to Rajendra Prasad's house in Patna. He was out of town. Dr. Prasad's servants knew that Shukla was a sharecropper. So they took Gandhi also to be a poor peasant of a low caste. He was not allowed to draw water from the well because he could pollute the water.

Q. 5. Why didn't Gandhi go straight to Champaran but stayed first at Muzaffarpur?

Ans. Gandhi thought it advisable(sensible) to go first to Muzaffarpur. It was en route to Champaran. He wanted to collect more information about conditions prevailing there. Therefore, he sent a telegram to Professor J.B. Kripalani. He stayed for two days in the home of Professor Malkani. Even Muzaffarpur lawyers called on Gandhi to brief him.

Q. 4. Why did Gandhi chide(scold) the lawyers of Muzaffarpur ?                           

Ans. Muzaffarpur lawyers called on Gandhi to brief him. They had frequently represented peasants in courts. Gandhi chided them for collecting big fees from the poor sharecrop­pers. When peasants were so poor and crushed, it was inhuman to charge heavy fees from them.

Q. 5. What was the long-term contract or agreement that English landlords had made with the sharecroppers of Champaran ? How was it exploitative ?

Ans. Most of the arable(cultivating) land in Champaran district was owned by English landlords. Indians were only their tenants. Indigo was the main commercial crop. The landlords compelled(forced) all tenants to plant 15% of their land with indigo. This long-term agreement was enough to twist the arms of the peasants. They had no freedom of their own.

Q. 6. Why did the indigo planters obtain new agreements from the sharecroppers to pay them compensation ? Why did many sign willingly ?                       (Imp.)

Ans. Germany produced synthetic indigo. Now the plantation of indigo was no more profitable. The landlords wanted to free the peasants from the 15% agreement. For this free­dom, they demanded compensation from the sharecroppers. Many of them signed willingly as the previous 15% arrangement was not liked by them.

Q. 7. How did even illiterate sharecroppers see through the trick and fraud of the English landlords ? Why did they want their money back ?                          (Imp.)

Ans. Germany had invented synthetic indigo. Now indigo plantation was no more profi­table. Even the illiterate peasants could see through the trick and game of the landlords. The landlords demanded compensation for freeing the peasants from the 15% agreement. The peas­ants refused. Therefore, they were not ready to pay the compensation and demanded their money back.

Q. 8. What was the reaction of the peasants when they heard that Gandhi was in trouble with the authorities ? How did Gandhi help the authorities ?

Ans. Gandhi received a summon to appear in court. The next day thousands of peasants had assembled in Motihari. They didn't know much about Gandhi. But they knew that he had come there only to take up their cause. Thousands of them held a demonstration. The officials felt powerless. Gandhi helped the authorities to regulate the crowd.

Q. 9. Gandhi was involved in a 'conflict of duties'. What did he decide in the end and why? (Imp.)

Ans. Gandhi was involved in a 'conflict of duties'. On the one hand, he didn't want to set a bad example. He didn't want to be a law-breaker. On the other hand, he couldn't give up the cause of the poor peasants of Champaran. Therefore, he heard the 'voice of conscience' in the end. He decided to disobey the order.

Q. 10. How could Gandhi persuade the lawyers to follow him into jail ?

Ans. Many prominent lawyers of Bihar came to confer with Gandhi. Gandhi asked what they would do if he was sentenced to prison. A senior lawyer told frankly that they would go home. Gandhi asked them about the injustice done to the sharecroppers. The lawyers felt ashamed. They finally declared that they were ready to'-follow' him into jail.

Q. 11. "Civil disobedience had triumphed, the first time in modern India". Justify this statement.(Imp.)

Ans. Gandhi was asked to leave Champaran by an official order. He respected the lawful authority. But the Voice of conscience' made him disobey the order. Thousands of peasants, held a huge demonstration. The government was baffled. The officials felt helpless. Gandhi was released without bail. So civil disobedience had triumphed for the first time in modern India.

Q. 12. How was the settlement for compensation reached between the English planters and the sharecroppers ? Describe Gandhi's role in it.                (Imp.)

Ans. The official enquiry had collected many evidences against the English landlords. They were under pressure to make refunds to the peasants. They thought Gandhi would press for the full repayment. But he asked only for 50%. The landlords offered to refund 25% of the money. To their surprise, Gandhi agreed. So the settlement was adopted unani­mously by the commission.

Q. 13. The settlement of 25% refund to the farmers appeared rather small. Why did Gandhi agree to it and how did events justify his position ?               (Imp.)

Ans. According to the settlement, the planters were to refund 25% of the compensation money to the peasants. The achievement appeared to be rather small but events justified his position. But for Gandhi the amount of refund was less important. More important was the fact that the landlords were forced to surrender part of their right. So he agreed to the settle­ment.

Q. 14. What did Gandhi do to remove the cultural and social backwardness in the Champaran villages ?

Ans. Politics and economic issues were important. But for Gandhi the cultural and social backwardness in the Champaran villages was a curse. He wanted to do something about it immediately. Many more volunteers came from other parts of India. Primary schools were opened in six villages. Kasturbai taught cleanliness and sanitation. Gandhi got a doctor to volunteer his services for six months.

Q. 15. 'The Champaran episode was a turning point in Gandhi's life’? How do you justify it ?

Ans. The Champaran episode was really a turning point in Gandhi's life. It began not as an act of defiance. It was an effort to remove the distress of poor peasants. The success of Champaran justified Gandhi's ways and means. It gave a message. The Britishers were dreaded and unquestioned but now they could be challenged by the Indians. The success of Champaran was the success of peaceful Civil Disobedience in modern India.

Q. 16. How did Gandhi teach us a lesson in self-reliance ? Why did he oppose taking help from C. F. Andrews ?                                                                 (V. Imp.)

Ans. Gandhi wanted to mould 'a new free Indian'. He wanted Indians to stand on their own feet. Some of his followers wanted C.F. Andrews to stay in Champaran and help them. Gandhi opposed it. He didn't want Indians to take the help of an Englishman in their struggle for freedom. So he taught a lesson in self-reliance.

POEM -KEEPING QUIET by Pablo Neruda

1) What is the significance(importance) of the number ‘twelve’?

Answer : The significance of the number ‘twelve’ is that there are 12 hours in a day & night .Keeping quiet doesn’t mean just not speaking. It means that we should avoid all activities which hurt nature or in return hurt us.

2) What is always alive, even when everything seems to be dead?

Answer : The Earth is always alive, even when everything else seems to be dead because there is always some activity going on in nature.

3) Why does the poet want us to keep quiet?

Answer : The poet wants us to keep quiet in the hope that a moment of tranquility might help us in finding the answers to our problems.

4) What does he want us to do for one second?

Answer : The poet wants us to be silent and motionless for one second.

5) What does he mean by “not move our arms”?

Answer : By “not moving our arms” the poet means that we should be in a state of total stillness with no physical activity at all.

6) How can this moment of stillness help us?

Answer : This moment of stillness can provide us physical and mental rest, during which our mind will be at peace. We can analyse our actions and their consequences and avoid rash or thoughtless behaviour.

7) What will happen if there is no rush or running of engines?

Answer : It will be an ecstatic moment of tranquility when there is no rush or running of engines.

8) Why would it be called an exotic moment?

Answer : It would be called an exotic moment because it will be a moment of universal peace and brotherhood. In that moment, all of us will introspect.The whole world will be covered with silence.

9) How would we feel at the moment?

Answer : We would feel very strange at that moment, because at that time everyone will have a feeling of oneness.All will realise the feeling of universal brotherhood.It will be a new feeling altogether.

10) What does the poet mean by ‘not move our arms so much’?

Answer : He means that we should not make any physical movement, as physical activity will interrupt our introspection.

11) Why does the poet suggest us not to speak in any language?

Answer : The poet wants us to simply be silent for a moment and utilise that time to understand ourselves as well as others. Besides, speaking can also lead to quarrels, which the poet, perhaps, wants to avoid.

12) What does the poet expect of the fishermen and why?

Answer : In the exotic moment of silence and introspection, fishermen will become conscious of the fact that they are causing harm to the whales and would stop killing them.

13) While gathering salt, what will the man do?

Answer : The man gathering salt will stop for a while at the quiet moment and look at his hurt hands.

14) What do the hurt hands imply?

Answer : ‘Hurt hands’ means the physical pain a person gets while collecting salt .People are running after money. They forget how much pain they are giving to their body just to get more money. 

15) How would man and nature benefit in this moment of silence?

Answer : In this moment of silence, man will not harm nature, and both human beings and nature will get some time to attend to their wounds and recover.

Q16- What will counting upto twelve and keeping still help us achieve?

Ans-If we count upto twelve and keep still, it will give us some time to analyze our deeds. It will allow us some moments to think about the result of our activities. People in the world are involved in wars and are also damaging the environment in order to achieve their aims. Unfortunately this is taking all of us toward our own end. So, we need to think in order to achieve peace and harmony.

17- Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?

Ans- No, the poet does not advocate total inactivity and death. He clarifies this in his poem that he wants all the people to just stop for a while in order to analyze their activities. He wants human not to support war and bring damage to the environment.