Class 12 English Chapter 5 Indigo Question Answer to each chapter is provided in the list so that you can easily browse through different chapters Assam Board Class 12 English Chapter 5 Indigo and select needs one.
Class 12 English Chapter 5 Indigo
Also, you can read the SCERT book online in these sections Solutions by Expert Teachers as per SCERT (CBSE) Book guidelines. These solutions are part of SCERT All Subject Solutions. Here we have given Assam Board Class 12 English Chapter 5 Indigo Solutions for All Subjects, You can practice these here.
Indigo
Lesson – 5
PROSE
Page No – 47
| THINK AS YOU READ |
1. Strike out what is not true in the following.
(a) Rajkumar Shukla was:
(i) A sharecropper.
(ii) A politician.
(iii) Delegate.
(iv) A landlord.
Ans: (i) A sharecropper.
(b) Rajkumar Shukla was:
(i) Poor.
(ii) Physically strong.
(iii) Illiterate.
Ans: (iii) Illiterate.
2. Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being ‘resolute’?
Ans: Rajkumar Shukla is described as ‘resolute’ because, despite being informed about Gandhi’s prior engagements in Cawnpore and other parts of the country, he does not give up. He remains determined, accompanying Gandhi wherever he goes. Moreover, he persistently urges Gandhi to set a date for visiting his native district of Champaran.
3. Why do you think the servants thought Gandhi to be another peasant?
Ans: In Patna, Shukla took Gandhi to the house of lawyer Rajendra Prasad. The servants, familiar with Shukla, knew him as a poor peasant from Champaran who frequently sought Rajendra Prasad’s help for the indigo sharecroppers. Mistaking Gandhi for another peasant, they did not allow him inside.
Page No – 49
| THINK AS YOU READ |
1. List the places that Gandhi visited between his first meeting with Shukla and his arrival at Champaran.
Ans: Gandhi met Shukla in Lucknow. He had appointments in other parts of India. Then Gandhi returned to his ashram near Ahmedabad. Shukla accompanied him everywhere. Gandhi visited Calcutta. From there they boarded a train for Patna in Bihar, Then he came to Muzaffarpur and from there to Motihari. Then finally, he came to Champaran.
2. What did the peasants pay the British landlords as rent? What did the British now want instead and why? What would be the impact of synthetic indigo on the prices of natural indigo?
Ans: The peasants paid indigo as rent to the British Landlords. Now Germany has developed synthetic indigo. So, the British landlords wanted money as compensation for being released from the 15 percent arrangement. The prices of natural indigo might go down due to synthetic Indigo.
Page No – 51
| THINK AS YOU READ |
1. The events in this part of the text illustrate Gandhi’s method of working. Can you identify some instances of this method and link them to his ideas of satyagraha and non-violence?
Ans: Gandhi had a deep respect for legal authority. But he could defy the authorities when they violated natural justice and human values. He received an official notice to quit Champaran immediately.Besides that, Gandhi’s protest against the delay of the court proceedings is also an instance of his belief in civil disobedience.
Furthermore, Gandhi does not falter to plead guilty in front of the court. He accepts his guilt but presents a rational case as to what made him disobey the law. For him, truth is above everything and, thus, he decides to follow the voice of conscience and obey the “higher law of our being”.
Page No – 53
| THINK AS YOU READ |
1. Why did Gandhi agree to a settlement of 25 per cent refund to the farmers?
Ans: He wanted the poor farmers to realize that they too had rights and that they need not really live in fear of the British landlords. Although Gandhi initially demanded a 50 percent refund, he later settled for a 25 percent refund for the farmers. However, his primary focus was on long-term solutions rather than immediate gains. His decision proved to be wise, as years later, the British landlords left their estates, bringing an end to the sharecropping system.
2. How did the episode change the plight of the peasants?
Ans: The Champaran episode brought multiple changes to the lives of the district’s peasants. It instilled confidence in them, which was evident in their spontaneous demonstration on the morning of Gandhi’s trial. Following the successful refund of compensation, the peasants, for the first time, realized their rights and overcame the fear that had long oppressed them. This episode also marked the end of the fifteen percent sharecropping arrangement. However, the most significant transformation was in their social and cultural standards. Gandhi established schools in six villages, while his wife worked tirelessly to educate the peasants about general sanitation and personal hygiene. Additionally, he appointed a doctor to improve healthcare in the region.
| UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT |
1. Why do you think Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a turning-point in his life?
Ans: The Champaran episode was a significant turning point in Gandhi’s life, a fact he himself acknowledged. It marked the first mass movement in India, where Gandhi took up the cause of poor peasants and fought against the injustices of the oppressive landlords who exploited sharecroppers for money. However, Champaran did not start as an act of defiance; rather, it emerged from Gandhi’s efforts to alleviate the suffering of thousands of impoverished peasants, embodying the essence of a true Gandhian movement.
The success of Champaran signified the first triumph of civil disobedience in modern India. The amount of refund money was secondary; what truly mattered was that the British landlords were compelled to relinquish a portion of their unjust earnings. Once regarded as above the law, they were now challenged, and the Indian peasants finally had defenders for their rights. Most importantly, the Champaran episode marked the beginning of the peasants’ liberation from the fear of British rule.
2. How was Gandhi able to influence lawyers? Give instances.
Ans: Gandhi influenced the lawyers by making them realize their duty towards the poor peasants. When he arrived in Muzaffarpur, the local lawyers informed him about the sharecroppers’ plight. However, Gandhi criticized them for charging high fees from the impoverished peasants while knowing that the courts offered little help.
Later, when the lawyers hesitated to support him after his court summons, Gandhi questioned their commitment, asking if they would abandon the peasants if he were imprisoned. This made them reconsider, and they pledged to stand by the farmers, demonstrating Gandhi’s ability to inspire selfless service and moral responsibility.
3. What was the attitude of the average Indian in smaller localities towards advocates of ‘home rule’?
Ans: The attitude of the average Indian in smaller localities was largely indifferent or fearful. Many people hesitated to openly support advocates of home rule due to the fear of British authorities. However, some individuals like J.B. Kripalani and Professor Malkani demonstrated courage. Kripalani welcomed Gandhi at the railway station with a group of students, while Professor Malkani provided him shelter at his home, which was an extraordinary act of bravery at that time.
4. How do we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement?
Ans: The freedom movement would not have succeeded without the participation of ordinary people. Before Gandhi common masses were indifferent to the freedom movement. It was the advent of Gandhi which brought the struggle for freedom even to the huts of the millions. The Champaran episode became a turning point in his life and a milestone in India’s freedom struggle, marking the first victory of civil disobedience in modern India.
Ordinary people continued to actively participate in every movement. Alongside men, thousands of women also joined the cause. The large-scale boycott of British goods spread across cities and towns, and the Quit India Movement of 1942 saw the involvement of millions.
| TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT |
Discuss the following.
1. ‘‘Freedom from fear is more important than legal justice for the poor.’’
Do you think that the poor of India are free from fear after Independence?
Ans: In the story, Gandhi empowers the sharecroppers of Champaran to overcome their fear of the British landlords. He believed that freedom from fear is the first step toward self-reliance. However, even decades after independence, many poor people in the country continue to live in fear. Their livelihoods and actions are often influenced by external pressures, and they remain at the mercy of a complex bureaucratic system.
Moreover, the poor frequently fear the police, who, instead of protecting them, sometimes subject them to mistreatment. Farmers, already struggling, face worsening conditions due to globalization and the increasing preference for foreign products. This ongoing struggle leaves them in constant fear of further poverty and displacement.
2. The qualities of a good leader.
Ans: A good leader possesses several essential qualities that inspire and guide others. A leader is someone who leads the minds of others and convinces them into following his set of ideas and beliefs. As such, there are some qualities inherent in the persona of the leader that sets him apart from the rest. One of these qualities includes dedication to one’s work. His enthusiasm is evident in his work and life, and this inspires others to follow him. A good leader is courageous in the face of adversity and is never a quitter. He motivates and encourages others, bringing out the best in them. He appreciates the efforts of others and is not biased or impartial.
| WORKING WITH WORDS |
1. List the words used in the text that are related to legal procedures. For example: deposition.
2. List other words that you know that fall into this category.
Ans:
| (i) Summons |
| (ii) Prosecutor |
| (iii) Magistrate |
| (iv) Judgment |
| (v) Commission of Inquiry |
| THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE |
1. Notice the sentences in the text which are in ‘direct speech’. Why does the author use quotations in his narration?
Ans: Below are some sentences in the text which are in ‘direct speech’:
(i) “I will tell you how it happened that I decided to urge the departure of the British. It was in 1917.”
(ii) ‘I am Rajkumar Shukla. I am from Champaran, and I want you to come to my district’!”
(iii) “Speak to Gandhi.”
(iv) “I have to be in Calcutta on such-and-such a date. Come and meet me and take me from there.”
(v) “It was an extraordinary thing… for a government professor to harbour a man like me”.
2. Notice the use or non-use of the comma in the following sentences.
(a) When I first visited Gandhi in 1942 at his ashram in Sevagram, he told me what happened in Champaran.
Ans: In this sentence, the comma is used after a long introductory phrase.
(b) He had not proceeded when the police superintendent’s messenger overtook him.
Ans: Essential clauses do not require commas. In this sentence, the clause ‘when the police superintendent’s messenger overtook him’ is an essential clause because it provides essential information. Hence, a comma is not required in this sentence.
(c) When the court reconvened, the judge said he would not deliver the judgement for several days.
Ans: In this sentence again we have an introductory clause which provides extra information. The second half of the sentence can stand alone and, therefore, is separated from the introductory clause with a comma.
| THINGS TO DO |
1. Choose an issue that has provoked a controversy like the Bhopal Gas Tragedy or the Narmada Dam Project in which the lives of the poor have been affected.
2. Find out the facts of the case.
3. Present your arguments.
4. Suggest a possible settlement.
Ans: Students, do it yourself.
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