Class 12 English Flamingo Indigo (summary)

 

NCERT Solutions For Class 12 English

Flamingo

Indigo

(Louis Fischer)

Summary

Gandhi and Louis Fischer first met in 1942 at his Sevagram ashram. Gandhi explained to him how he started the British exodus from India. He remembers visiting the location in 1917 at the request of Champaran sharecropper Rajkumar Shukla. In 1916, Gandhi traveled to Lucknow to attend the Indian National Congress's annual convention. Shukla said to him that he had traveled from Champaran to ask for his assistance in defending the rights of sharecroppers. Gandhi excused himself by saying he was busy, but Shukla went with him to a number of locations till he agreed to go to Champaran.

Gandhiji was delighted by his resolute decision and assured him that he would visit Calcutta on a specific day, after which Shukla may come and accompany him to Champaran. Shukla escorted him to Patna by train after they met in Calcutta. They waited for Gandhi when he went to the home of attorney Rajendra Prasad. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the circumstances, he arrived in Muzzafarpur on April 15, 1917. Professor J.B. Kriplani and his students gave him a warm welcome. Gandhi was taken aback by the overwhelming support shown for a home rule supporter such as himself. He also got to know a few attorneys who were already working on sharecropper issues. According to the agreement, the peasant was to set aside 15% of their land for the production of indigo, with the landlord receiving the crop as rent. This was an extremely repressive system. Gandhi was an advocate for sharecroppers. He went to the British Land Association, but as an alien, he was not provided any information. He then went to the Tirhut Division Commissioner, who had threatened Gandhi, and asked that he leave Tirhut. Rather than heading back, he traveled to Motihari. At this point, he began compiling all of the facts pertaining to the indigo deal. He was escorted by numerous attorneys.

One day, the police superintendent's courier stopped him on his way to see a peasant who was being mistreated by the indigo growers and gave him a notice telling him to leave. Gandhi ignored the directive despite receiving the notice. He was the target of a lawsuit. Numerous attorneys arrived to counsel him, but when he became anxious, they all joined him in his fight and even agreed to go to jail in order to aid the underprivileged peasants. A sizable throng gathered outside the court on the day of the trial. It was no longer possible to deal with them. Gandhi assisted the police in managing the throng. Gandhi clarified that he was not breaking the law when he defied in order to assist the peasants.

After being given bail, the prosecution against him was eventually withdrawn. Gandhi and his allies began compiling a wide range of data regarding the indigo contract and its abuse. A panel was later formed to investigate the situation. Following the investigation, the planters were found guilty and ordered to reimburse the peasants. They only offered to pay 25% of the total amount since they expected to be rejected. Gandhi agreed to this as well because he intended to release the sharecroppers from the indigo contract's restrictions. In the Champaran villages, he established six schools, where students were taught by volunteers including Mahadev Desai, Narhari Parikh, and his son, Devdas. Gandhi's wife Kasturbai once instructed people on personal cleanliness.Subsequently, he improved the quality of life for the Champaran inhabitants by providing medical facilities with the aid of a volunteer doctor. Andrews was a mediator who wished to work as a volunteer at Champaran Ashram. Gandhi, however, declined because he believed that Indians should learn how to be independent so they would not need outside help. Gandhi informed the author that Champaran's experience had led him to conclude that, in his own nation, he did not require the Britisher's guidance.