Question

What percentage did the British planters agree to repay the Indian planters?

• A. 10\%
• B. 30\%
• C. 25\%
• D. 40\%

Hint:

In the Champaran settlement, Gandhi asked for 50% but immediately accepted when the planters offered 25%. His goal was not the money itself but establishing the peasants' right to challenge injustice and breaking the landlords' prestige.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

This question refers to the chapter "Indigo" by Louis Fischer, which is included in the Flamingo textbook for Class 12 English. The chapter describes Mahatma Gandhi's involvement in the Champaran Satyagraha (1917) to address the grievances of indigo sharecroppers.

Background:
In Champaran, Bihar, British landlords forced Indian tenants to cultivate indigo on 15% of their land and surrender a portion of the harvest as rent.
When Germany developed synthetic indigo, natural indigo cultivation became less profitable for the British planters.
The landlords then obtained agreements from sharecroppers to pay compensation for being released from the 15% arrangement, often extorting money unfairly.
When peasants learned about synthetic indigo, they demanded their money back, which led to widespread disputes.

The Settlement:
Gandhi arrived in Champaran, and an official inquiry committee was formed, with Gandhi representing the peasants.
As evidence mounted against the planters, they agreed in principle to refund the peasants.
The planters expected Gandhi to demand 100% repayment of the illegally collected money.
However, Gandhi initially asked for only 50% and remained firm.
The planters' representative then offered to refund 25%.
To their surprise, Gandhi immediately agreed to this settlement.

Why Gandhi Accepted 25%:
Gandhi explained that the actual amount of money was not the most important issue.
The real victory was that the landlords had been compelled to surrender part of the money they had unjustly taken — along with their prestige and authority.
The peasants now realized that they had rights that could not be ignored or violated.

Final Answer: 25%