Indigo

Previous Years' CBSE Board Questions

SA I (2 marks)
1. What does Gandhi refer to as 'conflict of duties'? (2023)
2. How did Gandhi try to improve the cultural and social backwardness of people
living in Champaran villages? (2022 C)
3. What conflict of duty was Gandhi involved in? (2022)
4. In the Motihari court, what caused the delay in the trial? (Term II, 2021-22)
5. 'The settlement given to the sharecroppers was symbolic: Justify why Gandhi
thought so. (Term II, 2021-22)
6. Why did Gandhiji feel that taking the Champaran case to the court was useless?
(Delhi 2014)
7. How did the Champaran peasants react when they heard that a Mahatma had
come to help them? (AI 2014C)
8. What made the Lieutenant Governor drop the case against Gandhiji?
(Al 2014C)
SA II (3 marks)
9. Why do you think Gandhiji considered the Champaran episode to be a turning
point in his life? (Delhi 2019)
10. Though the sharecroppers of Champaran received only one-fourth of the
compensation, how can the Champaran struggle still be termed a huge success
and victory? (2018)
11. Why was Gandhiji opposed to C.F. Andrews helping him in Champaran?
(Delhi 2016)
12. Why did Gandhiji agree to a settlement of mere 25 percent? (Foreign 2016)
13. At Champaran what did the British landlords want from the sharecroppers?
(Delhi 2016)
14. After initial reluctance why did the lawyers tell Gandhiji that they were ready
to follow him into jail? (Foreign 2016)
15. How did Rajkumar Shukla establish that he was resolute? (AI 2015)
16. How was Gandhi treated at Rajendra Prasad's house? (AI 2015)
17. What were the terms of the indigo contract between the British landlords and
the Indian peasants? (Al 2015)
18. How did Gandhi show that he cared for the cultural and social backwardness
of Champaran villagers? (Foreign 2015)
19. How is Gandhi critical of the lawyers? (Foreign 2015)
20. Why did Gandhi tell the court that he was involved in a 'conflict of duties'?
(Foreign 2015)
21. Why is Raj Kumar Shukla described as being 'resolute'? (Delhi 2015C)
SA III (4 marks)
22. Gandhi worked for the social backwardness in the Champaran villages.
Elaborate. (2022)
23. Gandhi came to the conclusion that the peasants should stop going to law
courts. Explain. (2022 C)
LA I (5 marks)
24. Why is the Champaran episode considered as the beginning of the Indian
struggle for independence? (2023)
25. Why is Champaran episode considered to be the beginning of the Indian
struggle for Independence? (Al 2014)
26. Gandhiji's was not a loyalty to abstractions; it was a loyalty to living human
beings. Why did Gandhiji continue his stay in Champaran even after indigo
sharecropping disappeared? (AI 2014)
27. Describe how according to Louis Fischer, Gandhiji succeeded in his
Champaran campaign. (Delhi 2014C)
LA II (6 marks)
28. How did Civil Disobedience triumph at Motihari? (2020)
29. How did Gandhiji use Satyagraha and non-violence at Champaran to achieve
his goal? (2020)
30. How did Mahatma Gandhi help the Champaran peasants? (2019 C)
31. When and why did the author say that civil disobedience had triumphed for
the first time in modern India? (Al 2019)
32. What did Gandhiji do to remove the cultural and social backwardness in the
Champaran villages? (Delhi 2015C)
33. How did a visit to Champaran become a turning point in Gandhiji's life? How
does this show Gandhi's love and concern for the common people of India?
(AI 2015C)

CBSE Sample Questions

SA I (2 marks)
1. As the host of a talk show, introduce Rajkumar Shukla to the audience by
stating any two of his defining qualities.
You may begin your answer like this:
Meet Rajkumar Shukla, the man who played a pivotal in the Champaran
Movement. He ……
(Term II, 2021-22)
SA III (4 marks)
2. Biographies include features of non-fiction texts factual information and
different text structures such as description, sequence, comparison, cause and
effect, or problem and solution. Examine Indigo in the light of this statement, in
about 120-150 words.
(Term II, 2021-22)
 ANSWERS
Previous Years' CBSE Board Questions
1. According to Gandhi, his involvement in the Champaran case is a “conflict of
duties”. He referred to the conflict between his duty to the people of India, his
people, who were suffering at the hands of the colonisers. On the other hand, he
also had the duty to uphold the law as a law-abiding citizen. He decided to
disobey the order to leave not because he wanted to break the law, but that he
needed to listen to the higher law, that of the voice of conscience.
2. Gandhi started schools in six different villages and also opened clinics. He also
enlisted the help of his friends and family to teach the people about personal
cleanliness and sanitation. He also had doctors to provide medical help to the
people of Champaran.
3.

4. When the peasants of Champaran heard about the impending trail of someone
who had stood up for them, they assembled in large numbers. This mobilization
of the peasants in thousands resulted in the supposed trail of Mahatma Gandhi to
be postponed.
5. The settlement of 25% refund was offered by the British landlords in the belief
that the peasants would reject and then create a deadlock and prolong the
dispute. But Gandhiji agreed to the said amount, though meagre. To him, the
amount of the refund was less important than the fact that the landlords had to
surrender not only financially, but also lose part of their prestige.
6. Gandhiji felt that taking the Champaran case to the court was useless because
according to him, peasants were quite crushed and fear-stricken. Gandhiji felt
that there was little hope of getting justice as the case was against the British
landlords. Moreover, the lawyers were collecting big fees from the poor peasants.
He knew that the actual relief for the peasants would come when they become
free from fear.
7. When the peasants of Champaran heard that a Mahatma had come to help
them they came out in large numbers and demonstrated around court house
demanding their leader to be set free.
8. The Lt. Governor dropped the case against Gandhiji because he was fighting a
just cause because of which he had the support of the peasants and the local
people. The authorities felt powerless. Mr. Fischer writes, "Civil disobedience had
triumphed, the first time in modern India."
9. Gandhiji considered the Champaran episode to be a turning point in his life
perhaps because he declared that the British could not order him in his own
country. It was for the first time that Gandhiji introduced a non-violent
resistance, which came to be known as Satyagraha, against the Britishers.
10. For Gandhiji the amount of the refund was less important than the fact that
the landlords had been forced to return part of the money and with it, part of
their prestige too. It was also a lesson in self-reliance for Indians. They learnt that
they too had rights and that Britishers were not above the law. Hence, the
Champaran struggle can still be termed a huge success and victory.
11. Gandhiji opposed to C.F. Andrews helping him in Champaran because the
Indians were fighting an unequal fight. Therefore, support of an Englishman
would show weakness of heart of the Indians. Gandhiji even wanted Indians to
rely on themselves and to be free of fear.
12. For Gandhiji the amount of the refund was less important than the fact that
the landlords had been forced to return part of the money and with it, part of
their prestige too. It was also a lesson in self-reliance for Indians. They learnt that
they too had rights and that Britishers were not above the law. Hence, he agreed
to settlement of 25 percent refund to the peasants.
13. At Champaran, the British landlords initially insisted that the Indian farmers
plant 15% indigo and surrender entire crop as rent. However, when the
Britishers learnt that Germany had developed synthetic indigo and that it could
affect the demand and price of naturally grown indigo, they asked farmers to pay
compensation for release from 15% agreement.
14. Gandhiji, who was an outsider, had come to Champaran to help the peasants
in their fight against injustice. He was also willing to go to jail for them. The
lawyers, who were locals, who had taken fees from the poor peasants, realised
that deserting fellow Indians, especially Gandhiji and his cause, at this point
would be shameful. This is why, after initial reluctance, the lawyers told Gandhiji
that they were ready to follow him into jail.
15. Raj Kumar Shukla came from Champaran to Lucknow to speak to Gandhiji. He
accompanied Gandhiji everywhere even to Cawnpore and his Ahmedabad
ashram. Gandhiji asked Raj Kumar Shukla to come and meet him on a fixed day in
Calcutta. But, the appointment day was several months later. When Gandhiji
arrived in Calcutta, Raj Kumar Shukla was waiting for him on the appointed day
at the appointed spot.
16. Raj Kumar Shukla and Gandhiji were not well received at Rajendra Prasad's
home. He was out of town. The servants knew Shukla as the peasant who
pestered their master. Since Gandhiji accompanied Shukla, the servants took him
to be a peasant as well. They allowed him to be on the grounds, but he was not
allowed to draw water from the well as servants were unsure about Gandhiji's
caste. They did not want drops from his bucket to pollute the water in the well.
17. At Champaran, the British landlords initially insisted that the Indian farmers
plant 15% indigo and surrender entire crop as rent. However, when the
Britishers learnt that Germany had developed synthetic indigo and that it could
affect the demand and price of naturally grown indigo, they asked farmers to pay
compensation for release from 15% agreement.
18. Gandhiji genuinely cared for the cultural and social backwardness of
Champaran villagers. Therefore, Gandhiji opened primary schools in six villages
and called for teachers to teach the children. Kasturba and their son joined. He
also called doctors to look into health conditions and taught the villagers about
hygiene and personal cleanliness.
19. Gandhiji was critical of the lawyers because the peasants of Champaran
village were quite crushed and fear-stricken with the injustice done to them by
the Britishers. Gandhiji, who was an outsider, had come to Champaran to help the
peasants in their fight against injustice, but found that the lawyers of the village
were also collecting huge fees from the poor peasants. This scenario made
Gandhiji to be critical of the lawyers.
20. Since Gandhiji was a law abiding citizen, he did not want to go against the
court's orders. Gandhiji did not want to set a bad example as a law breaker on
one hand and on the other wanted to render humanitarian and national service
to the people. For this reason, Gandhiji told the court that he was involved in a
conflict of duties.
21. Raj Kumar Shukla is described as being 'resolute' because, in order to
convince Gandhiji to come to Champaran, Raj Kumar Shukla accompanied him
everywhere. He did not leave Gandhiji's side for weeks, begging him to come to
Champaran. He even followed Gandhiji to his ashram in Ahmedabad. Impressed
by his perseverance, Gandhiji asked Raj Kumar Shukla to meet him in Calcutta on
a particular date and take him from there. On the appointed date, Gandhiji found
him at the appointed spot waiting for him.
22.

23. When Rajkumar Shukla came to Gandhi for help, his persistence paid off and
he was able to bring Mahatma Gandhi to Champaran. Their sole aim was to help
the indigo sharecroppers in their fight against the injustice of the landlord system
in Bihar. When Gandhi arrived, Muzaffarpur lawyers called on him to brief him
and also talked about their cases, including the fees they charge the peasant
groups they represented. When he heard the big fees collected by the lawyers, he
chided them and said that he had “come to the conclusion... to stop going to law
courts.” This was because the peasants do not get justice while still paying dearly.
He believed that the real relief for the peasants will come only when they are free
from fear itself.
24. The Champaran episode is significant as it marked the first-time people came
together and rose against the Britishers. Although it did not begin as an act of
defiance, it laid groundwork for civil-disobedience movement, a movement which
has had immense contribution towards India’s freedom. When Gandhi arrived at
Champaran, he realized that courts were useless for crushed and fear-stricken
peasants. He concluded that the real relief for them would be to be free from the
fear. He disobeyed the order to leave Champaran and got summoned to court the
next day. The farmers all gathered outside the court to support him, which made
the officials feel powerless. Eventually, lawyers who were earlier asking for huge
fee from farmers to represent them, decided to support Gandhi in his endeavor
and promised to follow him to court if need be. In the end, the farmers were
offered the refund up to 25 percent. Gandhi agreed to it explaining that the
verdict would teach the farmers that they had rights and defenders too. It also
taught them courage.
25. The Champaran episode is considered to be the beginning of the Indian
struggle for Independence because it was for the first time that Gandhiji
introduced a non-violent resistance, which came to be known as Satyagraha. It
was a long drawn out but patient and peaceful agitation against the British.
During this struggle, Gandhiji decided to urge the departure of the Britishers for
the first time. Therefore, it was also a turning point in Gandhiji's life. The struggle
did not begin as an act of defiance, but it grew out of an attempt to make the
sufferings of the poor peasants less severe. The farmers learnt courage to face
their fears. They learnt for the first time that they too had rights and that self-
reliance is the key to fight any battle. The Champaran episode was the beginning
of their liberation from the fear of the Britishers and its success, a triumph of the
first civil disobedience movement.
26. Unsatisfied with mere political and economic solutions, Gandhiji wanted to
bring about a change in the social and cultural conditions of Champaran. He
wanted to make the peasants self-reliant. He noticed the unhealthy living
conditions and poor sanitation in the village. He also realised the need for
literacy. Hence, he decided to continue his stay in Champaran even after the
disappearance of indigo sharecropping. He opened up schools in six different
villages, and several of his disciples and family members volunteered as teachers.
His wife, Kasturba, worked on the personal cleanliness and community sanitation
of the place. Gandhiji also hired a doctor for the improvement of the health
conditions. This proves that Gandhiji's was not a loyalty to abstractions; it was a
loyalty to living human beings. This also made him keen to eradicate social and
cultural backwardness of Champaran.
27. Gandhiji's campaign to provide justice to the sharecroppers of Champaran
was not an act of defiance. Therefore, the methods he used to win this battle were
also non-violent. In order to help the peasants, Gandhiji was even willing to get
arrested. He was asked to leave Champaran. However, he refused. He met various
high ranking government officials, who could not help but agree with his rational
arguments. Seeing the efforts put by Gandhiji to alleviate the distress of the poor
peasants even though he was a non-resident of Champaran, he received full
support of the common man, his followers and other leaders. His powerful words
instilled moral courage in every Indian; he asked fellow Indians to have courage,
be self-reliant and united. This is how, Gandhiji eventually succeeded in his
Champaran campaign.
28. When Gandhi visited Champaran to look into the grievances of the peasants,
he was served with an official notice to quit Champaran immediately. Gandhi
returned the notice with the remark that he would disobey the order. This was
the beginning of civil disobedience. As a result, Gandhi was ordered to appear in
the court next day. Thousands of peasants put up a demonstration at the
courthouse in Motihari. The crowd, in support for Gandhi was beyond the
officials' control and the officials appealed to Gandhi to help them manage the
crowd, which he did so. In the trial, the magistrate demanded Gandhi to furnish
bail, but Gandhi did not comply with the orders and later on he was released
without bail. After several days, the case against Gandhi was dropped by the
Lieutenant-Governor implying his defeat against the fervor of the masses backing
Gandhi. This was how civil disobedience triumphed at Motihari.
29. Satyagraha was actually a mass civil disobedience movement. Gandhiji set up
an ashram in Champaran to protest against the British government for forcing
farmers to cultivate cash crops in place of food crops and payment of low wages
to the growers. His form of agitation included cleaning up the villages, building
hospitals and schools and demolishing evil social practices like untouchability
and purdah system. This non-violent protest won him the support and
admiration of the masses, non-violent protest gained huge momentum.
Subsequently Gandhiji was asked to leave Champaran by an official order.
Thousands of people held a demonstration protesting his arrest in front of the
police station and the court. The officials were helpless against the fervor of the
crowd and Gandhiji was released without bail. So civil-disobedience had
triumphed for the first time in modern India. The Champaran movement brought
to heel the British rulers and the poor farmers were subsequently paid
remunerative wages and their farming rights to grow crops of their choice was
restored.
30. Gandhiji went to Champaran to look into the matter himself. He began by
studying the problems and getting the facts. He visited the Secretary of British
Landlord's Association and met the British Official Commissioner of Tirhut
division. He consulted the lawyer’s and chided them for collecting fees from the
sharecroppers. He disobeyed the court order to leave Champaran immediately.
Gandhiji inspired the peasants, with his talks and actions, to overcome their fear
and be self-reliant. Gandhiji ensured the triumph of civil disobedience. Eventually
the British landlords were obliged to refund 25% of the peasants' money. Within
a few years, the British landlords gave up their estates.
31. Gandhiji visited Champaran to look into the problems of the poor peasants.
There, he was greeted by thousands of peasants. This was the beginning of the
peasant liberation from fear of the British. A peasant had been maltreated in a
village called Motihari. Gandhiji set out to see him. The police superintendent's
messenger overtook him and ordered him to return. Gandhiji complied. At home,
he was served an official notice to leave Champaran. Gandhiji signed the receipt
and wrote on it that he would disobey the order. This was the beginning of Civil
disobedience movement. Gandhiji again received a summon to appear in court
the next day. The peasants thronged the courtroom. They wanted to help the
'Mahatma' who was in trouble with the authorities for trying to help them. The
officials were powerless. Gandhiji helped them regulate the crowd. This shocked
the officials. The magistrate postponed announcing the sentence by two hours
and asked Gandhiji to furnish bail. Gandhiji declined. The judge released him
without bail. The judge said he would not deliver the judgment for several days.
Later, the case was dropped by the Lt. Governor himself. This way the Civil
disobedience had triumphed.
32. The purpose of Gandhiji's visit to Champaran was to bring justice to the
sharecroppers. During their struggle, Gandhiji made the poor, illiterate peasants
realise that they too had rights. He wanted them to become self-reliant and fight
for their rights. Gandhiji's aim was to mould the Indians in such a way that they
could stand on their own feet and make India free. He felt that this was possible
only if the cultural and social backwardness in the Champaran villages is
removed. Therefore, after achieving victory for the Champaran sharecroppers,
Gandhiji stayed on to alleviate their sufferings. He started schools in six different
villages and clinics. His disciples, wife and sons and many others volunteered to
help him. Mrs. Gandhi taught the ashram rules on personal cleanliness and
community sanitation. Health conditions were bad. So, Gandhiji and his volunteer
doctor took care of that as well by providing the available medical aids.
33. Gandhiji's fight against the injustice of the landlord system in Bihar made
people realise the power of civil disobedience. They became self-reliant and
gained courage to stand up against injustice. With Gandhiji's help and local
support, the peasants received 25% compensation out of the full amount. This
was a turning point for them, Gandhiji and all those who were involved in the
struggle. It was the first time in India that natives won against the British.
Gandhiji was not a local yet he fought for the rights of the poor peasants of
Champaran. Post victory, he even had his wife, son and medical representatives
work for the welfare of the farmers. This shows Gandhiji’s love and concern for
the common people of India.
 CBSE Sample Questions

1. Meet Rajkumar Shukla, the man who played a pivotal role in the Champaran
Movement. He showed great tenacity and determination that would eventually
lead Gandhiji to finally come to Champaran and help the struggling peasants with
their case. Had it not been for his perseverance and resolution to achieve what he
set out for; the peasants would not have got the help they needed. Thank you.
2. ‘Indigo’ by Louis Fisher is a biographical work from the time of Mahatma
Gandhi and the start of the Indian independence movement. While biographies
are generally non-fictional, the thing about Indigo that makes it a true biography
is that it is taken from a biography that is narrated by a first-person narrator.
The narrator presents events in sequence, the issues faced by the farmers in
Bihar, the emergence of Gandhiji, the Champaran movement that is an important
part of the Indian freedom struggle, all presents a nonfictional tale of that time.
Being narrated by a first person with “I”, the excerpt can be understood to be a
non-fictional and not just something that the author wants to present to the
readers.
Also, the Champaran episode was one event that would lead to an increased
desire for Indians to be free of British authority, something that is historically
true and learned. Thus, this presents the best example of why the excerpt Indigo
is indeed biographical and not a work of fiction.