Peasant movement and Indigo Cultivation

India is a huge source of Indigo cultivation. About 30% of Indigo imported to Britain in the year 1788 was only from India. This figure went up to 95% by the year 1810. Indian farmers had led the Peasant movement in the 19-century, Blue Rebellion or Indigo Rebellion to take a stand for themselves as the British planters were forcing them to grow Indigo. In this article, find out the NCERT notes on Blue Rebellion, their causes, and about the Champaran movement.

 Indigo Cultivation 

Indigo cultivation was initiated by the French in St Dominique, situated in the Caribbean Islands. Likewise, the Portuguese began such cultivation in Brazil situated in Jamaica and the Spanish in Venezuela. Indigo Cultivation was also initiated into most of the parts of North America.

By the end of the 18th century, industrialization started in Britain. This initiated an enormous demand for cloth dyes. The existing supplies of Indigo from America and the West Indies collapsed because of several reasons. The Indigo production in the entire world fell between 1783-89. This has increased demand for Indian Indigo throughout the world.

 Indigo Rebellion

 Neel Bidroho. The Indigo rebellion took place in Bengal in the years 1859 and 1860. The Indian farmers were revolting against the British planters as they were forcing them to grow Indigo under unfavourable terms.

 Causes of the Indigo Rebellion

 Indigo cultivation was initiated in Bengal in the year 1777.

• Indigo was in huge demand all over the world. Trade-in Indigo was profitable because of the demand for blue dye in Europe
• European planters enjoyed a monopoly over Indigo cultivation, and they forced the Indian farmers to produce Indigo by signing fraud deals with them
• The Indian farmers were forced to cultivate Indigo in place of the food crops
• Indian farmers were advanced loans for this sole purpose. Once the Indian farmers took those loans, they were not able to repay them due to the high level of interest levied by the British
• Hence, the farmers were brutally abused if they were not able to pay the rent or refused to do things ordered by the European planters
• Indian farmers were forced to sell Indigo at rates that were non-profitable to maximize the profits of European planters
• If a farmer refused to cultivate Indigo and planted paddy instead, the European planters used illegal means to get the farmer to cultivate Indigo like burning and looting crops, kidnapping the family members, and many other means.

Blue Rebellion

• The Indian farmers revolted and took a stand for themselves in the Nadia district of Bengal by refusing to cultivate Indigo by all means. They even attacked the policemen who interfered in their revolt
• The European planters, in answer to this, increased the rents and evicted farmers that led to even more agitations
• In April 1860, all the Indian farmers in the Barasat division of the district Pabna and Naia went on a strike and refused to cultivate Indigo
• This strike spread to many other parts of Bengal
• The Indian farmers were led by the Kader Molla of pabna, Rafiq Mondal of Malda, and Biswas brothers of Nadia. This rebellion also received support from most of the zamindars, especially Ramrattan Mullic of Narial
• The rebellion was suppressed, and most of the Indian farmers were slaughtered by some zamindars and the government
• The revolt was supported and backed by the Muslims, Missionaries, and the Bengali intelligentsia
• The revolt was also supported by the press.

Response of British Government-Indigo Rebellion

• The rebellion was non-violent, and it also acted as a precursor to Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent satyagraha in the upcoming years
• It was not an impromptu one. The revolt was built up over years of suffering and oppression of the farmers at the hand of the Government and the planters
• Muslims and Hindus joined hands to fight against their oppressors in this revolt
• The rebellion was considered successful, despite its brutal quelling through the Government
• In response to this rebellion, the British Government appointed the Indigo Commission in the year 1860. A statement read in such a report, ‘not a chest of Indigo reached England without being stained with human blood’
• By the end of the year 1860, Indigo cultivation was washed away from Bengal, since the European planters closed their factories in India and left for good.

Champaran Movement

• Champaran Movement was the first Satyagraha movement that was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi that occurred in the Champaran district of Bihar in 1917
• When the Indigo cultivation collapsed in Bengal after the Blue Rebellion, the European planters shifted their operations of cultivating Indigo in Bihar
• With the discovery of synthetic dyes in the late 19th century, the business of Indigo was affected
• Still, they managed to expand the Indigo production
• When Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa, a peasant from Bihar insisted he visit the Champaran and see the oppression of planters to cultivate Indigo over the Indian farmers
• Mahatma Gandhi’s visit in 1917 initiated the beginning of the Champaran Satygroga against the Indigo planters
• The European planters forced the peasants to grow Indigo and sell it at cheaper rates
• Gandhiji witnessed the peasant condition in 1917
• The officials ordered Gandhiji to leave the Champaran, but he refused and started the Champaran Satyagraha
• It was a great victory for Mahatma Gandhi. A common was appointed to examine the cruelty of European planters, and Gandhiji was also a member.
  
  

  Conclusion

  Peasant movement and Indigo Cultivation involves Indigo cultivation, labour mobilization, and Blue rebellion that is a revolt initiated by the farmers against the European planters. The article briefly describes about Champaran Movement and the impact that it had on the struggle against the British.