Till very recently Champaran was a forgotten name. The last time it was big news was sometime back when Rajiv Gandhi had visited the place as Prime Minister in the late 1980s. But thanks to the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Champaran is in the news and in a big way for the Champaran Yatra to commemorate 100 years of Gandhi’s Satyagraha for the indigo peasants. Champaran, apart from being a sleepy town of Bihar, has a far greater significance for Indian history and the Indians of the twenty first century. lest we forget, it was Champaran, where Mahatma Gandhi threw his hat in the ring against the British rule for the first time. It was in the month of April that Gandhi stood his ground against the British for the cause of the poor peasants.
These days when there is a systemic attempt to devalue Gandhi from both left and the right, writing anything on Gandhi may bring more brickbats than bouquets. But his essay at Champaran is worth remembering. It not only marked the beginning of Satyagraha but also paved way for the mass awakening that was to follow. Yes, it was Gandhi and Champaran that proved that the mighty British could also be made to relent. Despite his failings, Gandhi’s conviction had something in it that needs to be admired. He had the guts to challenge the British head on. His exploits at South Africa were based on his fundamental premise of equality of rights and his Satyagraha experiment at Champaran only accentuated that.Champaran, was Gandhi’s, and arguably India’s first successful experiment with Satyagraha. Gandhi’s journey that began there at Champaran never looked back.
The British oppression was at its peak during those days and they literally treated common Indians worse than dogs. It was the time when the poor peasants of Champaran working in the Indigo Plantation fields were given a completely raw deal. They were forced to grow indigo on at least 3/20th of their land and to sell it at a price fixed by the white planter. A similar condition had prevailed in Bengal in 1859-61 that resulted in a major uprising and subsequent freedom of the poor peasants from the indigo planters. Gandhi’s name had been well known due to his campaign in South Africa and when he came to India several peasants of Champaran invited him to come and help them. Gandhi readily agreed and accompanied by Babu Rajendra Prasad, Mazharul Haque, JB Kriplani and Mahadev Desai, he reached Champaran. He started moving amongst the poor peasantry and started carrying out a detailed investigation of what was going on.
His interactions with the peasants were viewed as defiance and Gandhi was ordered by the British district officers to leave Champaran. He was presented before the collector and asked to explain why he may not be arrested for preaching disaffection against the British Government. Gandhi held his ground saying that he was ready to be tried and arrested. The British Government was forced to retract by Gandhi’s courage and defiance and appointed a committee which perhaps was for face saving. Ultimately, the disabilities and helplessness of the poor peasantry improved. This was the event that signalled the first success of the strength of civil disobedience movement. The Champaran Satyagraha also proved the exploitative and despotic nature of British rule, a milestone achieved in the Indian freedom movement. For the young Indian, Champaran must be revisited.
The writer is a professor of management and public speaker. He can be reached at ppathak.ism@gmail.com
