Question

Why did Gandhiji chide the lawyers?

Hint:

In the chapter "Indigo," always pay close attention to Gandhiji's methods and principles. His focus was always on empowering the common people and addressing the root cause of a problem (in this case, fear) rather than just its symptoms.

Answer 1

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question asks for the reason why Mahatma Gandhi reprimanded or scolded the lawyers involved in the cases of the Champaran peasants, as described in the chapter "Indigo".
Step 2: Recalling the Context:
When Gandhiji arrived in Muzzafarpur to get more information about the conditions in Champaran, he met with the local lawyers. These lawyers were representing the sharecroppers in court against the British landlords.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Gandhiji chided the lawyers for a very specific reason: they were charging the poor peasants exorbitant fees for their legal services. He felt that it was unjust to take so much money from people who were already crushed and impoverished by the exploitative sharecropping system. Furthermore, Gandhiji believed that taking such cases to the law courts was doing little good for the peasants. The real problem was the peasants' crippling fear of the British landlords. He concluded that the first priority should be to free the peasants from fear, rather than getting them entangled in lengthy and expensive legal battles which only enriched the lawyers.
Step 4: Final Answer:
Gandhiji scolded the lawyers because they were profiting from the misery of the poor sharecroppers by charging them high fees, while the legal proceedings were not providing any real relief to the fear-stricken peasants.