Indigo

• In December 1916, Gandhi attended the annual convention of the Indian National Congress in Lucknow
• A peasant from Champaran, Rajkumar Shukla, asked Gandhi to visit his district
• Gandhi and Shukla boarded a train for Patna in 1917
• Gandhi decided to go to Muzaffarpur first to obtain complete information about the conditions in Champaran
• In Muzaffarpur, sharecroppers from Champaran began arriving, and lawyers briefed Gandhi about the court cases
• Gandhi arrived in Champaran and tried to get information from the secretary of the British landlords’ association
• Gandhi called on the British official commissioner of the Tirhut division, who advised him to leave Tirhut
• Instead of leaving, Gandhi went to Motihari, the Capital of Champaran, where a large crowd greeted him
• Gandhi was stopped by the police superintendent’s messenger while on an elephant and ordered to return to town
• Gandhi received a summons to appear in court the next day and protested against the delay
• The magistrate announced that he would not deliver the judgement for several days, allowing Gandhi to remain at liberty
• Gandhi conducted an inquiry into the complaints of the peasants, and civil disobedience triumphed for the first time in modern India
• An official commission of inquiry was appointed, and Gandhi remained in Champaran for several months
• Gandhi and lawyers gathered evidence against big planters, leading to refunds being offered to the peasants
• Gandhi wanted to remove cultural and social backwardness in Champaran villages and appealed for teachers
• Primary schools were opened in six villages, and health conditions were improved with the help of a volunteering doctor
• The Champaran episode was a turning point in Gandhi’s life, connecting his politics with the practical problems of the millions
• Gandhi taught his followers self-reliance and opposed external help, emphasizing the need to rely on themselves for the cause