Champaran Satyagraha, April 1917

The Champaran Satyagraha or the Champaran Movement of 1917 was the first movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in India. Historically it has a lot of significance as it was the first movement led by Gandhi on his concept of Satyagraha.

Location of Champaran: During the British period Chamaparan was a district in Bihar. It is located adjoining Nepal and Gorakhpur district in Uttar Pradesh. At present, the region is divided into two districts of Bihar, East Champaran and West Champaran.

Background of Champaran Region

The Chamapran district was a fertile agrarian region. Traditionally, the farmers used to cultivate rice and pulses. However, by the mid of eighteenth century British plantations entered the region. They introduced indigo (neel in Hindi). This indigo was used as a dye in the textile industry and was one of the essential ingredients of the textile industry in the United Kingdom (UK), particularly in Manchester, UK. British planters and officials with the help of local representatives like zamindars, landlords, and local rulers compelled the farmers to cultivate indigo.

Tinkathia System

The units for measurement of land in Northern India since the medieval period were bigha and kathas. The land was measured in bighas and kathas. One bigha was equal to twenty kathas.

The British officials created a ‘Tinkathia’ system and made agreements with the ‘ryots’, i.e. farmers. Under the Tinkathia system, farmers needed to cultivate indigo in three kathas of their land, hence the name Tinkathia (tin meaning three and kathia is the measurement of land). So, for every 1 bigha of land, the farmer was required to cultivate indigo on 3/20 part of the land.

Early Revolts Against the Indigo Plantation

Indigo, being a cash crop needed high amounts of water and usually left the soil infertile. The local farmers usually opposed its cultivation, instead preferring to grow daily need crops such as rice and pulses.

Earlier in year 1859, indigo farmers in Bengal led a peasant movement and uprisings led by indigo farmers against indigo planters. British were compelled to form Indigo Commission in 1860 and in 1862 Indo Act was passed in which protection was given to indigo farmers against exploitation made by indigo planters. In 1860, Bengali writer Dinbandhu Mitra wrote a play called ‘Nil Darpan’ in Bengali. It was translated into English by poet Michael Madhusudan Dutta.

Causes of Champaran Satyagraha or Movement

In the early 1900s the Indian indigo trade to China was made illegal. In 1910, USA restricted indigo trade. As a result, the demand for indigo increased and local landlords and British agents started to coerce and put pressure on farmers to increase the indigo cultivation. Additionally, the planters insisted on cultivation of indigo on the best part of the land. The price paid to the ryots was fixed based on the area of land, not on the volume of crop production. As a result, it led to social and economic exploitation of the farmers. This caused dissatisfaction and unrest among them.

Local Farmers led by Raj Kumar Shukla Meet Gandhiji, December 1916

In December 2016, the 31st Annual Session of Congress was held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Gandhiji attended the session. Farmers from Champaran led by Raj Kumar Shukla and Sant Raut, who also owned land and were being compelled to cultivate indigo, met Gandhiji during the session and apprised Gandhi on the plight of Champaran farmers. Raj Kumar Shukla persuaded Gandhiji to visit Champaran and take a first-hand scenario of the plight of farmers. Gandhiji agreed to the requests.

Gandhiji Visits Champaran, April 1917

In April 1916, Gandhiji along with several lawyers like Brajkishore Prasad, Rajendra Prasad, Maulana Mazharul Haque, Anugrah Narayan Sinha, Babu Gaya Prasad Singh, Ramnavmi Prasad and others visited Champaran. They heard the plight of farmers.

Champaran Satyagraha, April 1917

On the ideals of his Satyagraha, on 10 April 1917, Gandhiji organized peaceful protests and strikes against the landlords. Gandhiji was arrested on the charge of creating unrest and was ordered to leave the province and the magistrate asked him to pay a fine for the release. Gandhiji humbly refused to pay any fine. Hundreds of farmers gathered and agitated in front of the magistrate’s office, compelling the magistrate to release Gandhiji unconditionally. Gandhiji was assisted by personalities like Rajendra Prasad, J.B. Kriplani, and others.

Gandhiji continued his organised protests and strikes against the landlords. The British forces and landlords were compelled to make arrangement for peace. Landlords signed an agreement granting more compensation for the poor farmers of the region, giving them more control over the decision of what to produce, cancellation of revenue hikes, and assurance of postponement of the revenue collection until the famine ended.

Conclusion of Champaran Satyagraha

Champaran Satyagraha concluded with the passage of the Champaran Agrarian law bill which became act in 1918. The bill consisted of almost all recommendations made by Gandhiji and his team like the abolition of Tinkathia system, realisation of abwab (illegal cesses) to be stopped, farmers were to be given choice whether to grow indigo or not, etc. Thus, Champaran Satyagraha concluded in a positive way. Champaran Satyagraha paved way for future movements led by Gandhiji.

This was for the first time that civil disobedience in India made the British adjust their “solipsistic attitude”.

Champaran Satyagraha or Champaran Movement

It is to be noted that the word ‘satyagraha’ was not used in the Champaran Satyagraha. Hence it is appropriately called Champaran Movement. The word ‘satyagraha’ was used for the first time during anti-Rowlatt agitation in 1919.

From Gandhi to Bapu and to Mahatma

It was during the Champaran Satyagraha that for the first time Gandhi was called “Bapu” (meaning father) by Sant Raut. Later Rabindranath Tagore called Gandhiji as “Mahatma” (meaning great soul). Though Gandhi himself did not like being addressed as “Mahatma”, he preferred to be called Bapu.

Read Previous: Mahatma Gandhi Returns from South Africa to India on 9 January 1915

Sources: www.mkgandhi.org
Comprehensive Modern Indian History : From 1707 to The Modern Times by Brijesh Singh