Q. Which one of the following is a very significant aspect of the Champaran Satyagraha?

• Active all-India participation of lawyers, students and women in the National Movement
• Active involvement of Dalit and Tribal communities of India in the National Movement
• Joining of peasant unrest to India’s National Movement
• Drastic decrease in the cultivation of plantation crops and commercial crops

Answer: (c) Joining of peasant unrest to India’s National Movement

Champaran Satyagraha of 1917:

• The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917, led by Mahatma Gandhi, was India’s first Satyagraha movement, initiated to address the plight of indigo farmers in the Champaran district of Bihar, who were forced to cultivate indigo under the “tinkathia” system with little compensation.
  • With worsening conditions and economic distress, Gandhi was invited by Rajkumar Shukla to investigate their plight.
    • Tinkathia system was the most prevalent system in Champaran. According to it, the factory owners convinced the tenant to grow indigo in a specific area of his holding for which a fixed price was paid. During 1860, the portion reserved for indigo used to be 5 Kathas per bigha or one-fourth of the tenant’s holding. Later, around 1867, this area was reduced from 5 Kathas to 3 Kathas per bigha. Since then, the system came to be known as Tinkathia.
• Gandhiji continued his investigation after receiving permission from the Lieutenant Governor, first in Motihari and then in Bettiah. Throughout the investigation, he was assisted by personalities like Rajendra Prasad, Brajkishore Prasad, Mazharul Haq, J.B. Kriplani, Ramnavami Prasad, and others. Thousands of ryots from various villages came to express their dissatisfaction with the indigo cultivation system.
• The British government, initially dismissive of Gandhi’s involvement, was compelled to address the growing discontent surrounding the exploitation of indigo farmers in Champaran. The authorities, under pressure from both the local populace and Gandhi’s leadership, set up an inquiry to assess the situation.
  • Formation of Committee of Inquiry: The Lieutenant Governor established a Committee of Inquiry to investigate the agrarian conditions in Champaran, with Gandhi being appointed as one of its members.
  • Committee’s Findings and Recommendations: On October 4, 1917, the Committee submitted its report to the Government, making the following recommendations:
    • The Tinkathia system should be abolished. 
    • The ryots who paid Tawan to the factories would receive one-fourth of it back. 
    • The realization of abwab (illegal cesses) should be stopped.
    • If someone agrees to grow indigo, it should be voluntary; the term should not be longer than three years, and the decision to select the field where indigo will be grown should be made by the ryots. 
  • Government’s Acceptance of Recommendations: The British government accepted almost all of the Committee’s recommendations, which led to the passing of the Champaran Agrarian Act in 1918.
  • Abolition of Tinkathia System: As a result, the tinkathia system, which had exploited farmers for over a century, was officially abolished.