NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo - Prose Chapter 5 - Indigo

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Text Book Questions :-

Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.

(a) Urge the departure—insist for leaving.
(b) Conflict of duties—dispute of duties.
(c) Harbour a man like me—give shelter to me.
(d) Seek a prop—look for a support.

Think as you Read :-

1. . Strike out what is not true in the following

Rajkumar Shukla was:
(a) a Sharecropper
(b) a Politician
(c) a Delegate
(d) a Landlord
Ans. (a) a Sharecropper
Rajkumar Shukla was:
(a) poor
(b) physically strong
(c) illiterate
Ans. (c) illiterate

2. Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being ‘resolute’?

Ans. Rajkumar Shukla is described as being ‘resolute’ because even after being told about the prior engagements of Gandhi at Kanpur and other parts across the country, he did not quit, rather he continued to accompany Gandhi everywhere. He persistently asked Gandhi to fix a date for his visit to his native district of Champaran. Gandhi, finally impressed by his resolution and determination, complied with his request.

3. Why do you think the servants thought Gandhi to be another peasant?

Ans.When the servants at Rajendra Prasad’s house saw him, they took him to be a simple and humble man as Gandhi was dressed in a plain ‘dhoti’. He looked like just another poor farmer of this country, to the servants. As he was accompanied by Rajkumar Shukla whom they knew to be a poor indigo sharecropper, they mistook Gandhi to be another peasant.

4. List the places that Gandhi visited between his first meeting with Shukla and his arrival at Champaran

Ans. After his first meeting with Shukla, Gandhi visited Kanpur, his ashram near Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Patna and Muzzaffarpur before he reached Champaran.

5. 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. According to the long-term contract, the peasants used to plant fifteen percent of their holdings with indigo and pay the entire harvest as rent. But, with the development of synthetic indigo in Germany, the British landlords who did not want indigo from these plantations, decided to release the peasants of Champaran from the fifteen percent arrangement on the payment of a huge compensation. Development of synthetic indigo would lead to an increase in the price of natural indigo.

6. 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. There are many instances in the narrative that can be linked to Gandhi’s idea of non-cooperation and Satyagraha. One such instance was Gandhi’s refusal to obey the court order asking him to leave Champaran immediately. Besides that, Gandhi’s protest against the delay of the court proceedings was also an instance of his belief in civil disobedience. Gandhi did not flatter to plead guilty in front of the court. He accepted his guilt and presented a rational case as to what made him disobey the law. For him, truth was above everything and he decided to follow the voice of conscience and obey the ‘higher law of our being’.

7. How did the episode change the plight of the peasants?

Ans. The episode of Champaran changed the plight of the peasants of that district. These peasants gained confidence which was evident in their spontaneous demonstration in the morning of Gandhi’s trial. The successful refund of the compensation, made the peasants realise, for the first time that, they too had their own rights and were liberated from the fear that had plagued them. This episode also brought an end to the fifteen percent arrangement of sharecropping. The most radical change that the episode brought about was in their social and cultural standard. Gandhi opened schools in six villages. His wife took pains to make the peasants aware of the importance of general sanitation and personal hygiene. Gandhiji even appointed a doctor.

Understanding the Text :-

1. Why do you think Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a turning-point in his life?

Ans. Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a turning point in his life because it had made him realise that civil disobedience, which had triumphed for the first time, could go a long way in the freedom struggle. The incident had made him successful in making the peasants aware of their rights and becoming confident. This success proved the effectiveness of Gandhi’s method of non-violence and non-cooperation.

2. How was Gandhi able to influence lawyers? Give instances.

Ans. Gandhi was able to influence the lawyers through his conviction, earnestness and pertinent questioning. Gandhi rebuked the lawyers of Muzzaffarpur for charging a large sum of money as fee from the peasants. Later, when the lawyers from Bihar opined that they would return to their own places in the event of his imprisonment, Gandhi made them realise that it would be impudent for them, being lawyers from a neighbouring place, to return when a stranger was ready to get himself imprisoned for the peasants. So, they agreed to follow him to jail. Gandhi also convinced the lawyers not to seek support from an Englishman and be self-reliant.

3. What was the attitude of the average Indian in smaller localities towards advocates of ‘home rule’?

Ans. The average Indian in smaller localities lived in fear of the British. They were afraid of the dire consequences of helping the advocates of “home-rule”. Hence, though they were supportive of people like Gandhi, they were afraid of showing it in open and only a few could actually dare to come out. In the story, we find people like Professor Malkani, who had the courage to give shelter to Gandhi on the latter’s visit to Muzzaffarpur.

4. How do we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement?

Ans. In the chapter ‘Indigo’, Louis Fischer writes of how a small farmer Rajkumar Shukla, a peasant from a small district, Champaran, helped to bring about a very prominent change. Similarly, many other peasants from the villages fought courageously and contributed in their own way to the movement. Their cumulative effort eventually resulted in their winning the battle of Champaran and they finally freed themselves from the sharecropping arrangement.

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 makes it possible for the sharecroppers of Champaran to shed their fear of the British landlords. According to Gandhi, freedom from fear is the first step towards self-reliance. However, it is unfortunate that the poor people of the country are not free from fear, even decades after the independence. Their actions, work, etc. are still under pressure; they are under the mercy of the bureaucratic system. Furthermore, the poor live in a continual fear of the police, who instead of taking care, often end up maltreating them. The already poor farmers are becoming poorer, because of globalisation and the craze for foreign products. This leaves them in the fear of further destitution.

2. The qualities of a good leader

Ans. A good 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 personality 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 :

Q. 1.

List the words used in the text that are related to legal procedures.
For example: deposition
List other words that you know that fall into this category.

Ans.

Deposition	Notice	Summon	Lawyer
Court	Cases	Fee	Agreement
Opposition	Prosecution	Offense	Crime
Compensation	Order	Courthouse	Judge
Prosecutor	Statement	Guilty	Trial
Bail	Judgment	Inquiry	Evidence
Documents	Imprison	Appeal	Rights
Investigation	Reconvene	Appear	Pleading
Witness	Accused	Proceedings	Adjourn
Verdict	Decree	Accusation	Defense
Impeachment	Charge	Affidavit	Indictment

Talking about Language :

Notice the sentences in the text which are in ‘Direct Speech’. Why does the author use quotations in his narration?

Below are some sentences in the text which are in ‘direct speech’:

“I will tell you how it happened that I decided to urge the departure of the British. It was in 1917.”
“I am Rajkumar Shukla. I am from Champaran, and I want you to come to my district!’’
“Speak to Gandhi.”
“Fix a date,”
‘‘I have to be in Calcutta on such-and-such a date. Come and meet me and take me from there.”
‘‘It was an extraordinary thing ... for a government professor to harbour a man like me”.
‘‘The commissioner ... to bully me and advised me forthwith to leave Tirhut.’’
Witness
“conflict of duties.”
“humanitarian and national service.”
“not for want of respect for lawful authority, but in obedience to the higher law of our being, the voice of conscience.”
“But how much must we pay?”
‘‘Look, there is no box or cupboard here for clothes. The sari I am wearing is the only one I have.”
‘‘What I did,” he explained, “was a very ordinary thing. I declared that the British could not order me about in my own country.”
‘‘He had read our minds correctly,’’ Rajendra Prasad comments, “and we had no reply… Gandhi in this way taught us a lesson in self-reliance’’.

Ans. The author uses quotations to indicate the actual words of a speaker. Usually, a quotation is used when a particular passage or sentence is well-written or memorable, is especially relevant in the context under discussion. In ‘Indigo,’ the author uses quotations when he mentions important commentary or observation, or any pertinent utterance by Gandhi, or for that matter, by any other character.

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.
(b) He had not proceeded far when the police superintendent’s messenger overtook him.
(c) When the court reconvened, the judge said he would not deliver the judgment for several days.

Ans.
(a) In this sentence, the comma is used after a long introductory phrase.
(b) 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) In this sentence again, we have an introductory clause which provides extra information. The secondhalf 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.

Ans. Fukushima I nuclear accidents in Japan are regarded as one of the largest nuclear disasters in recent years.

2. Find out the facts of the case

Ans. On 11th March, 2011, the Tahoka earthquake and tsunami occurred disabling the power supply and cooling of three Fukushima Daiichi reactors. The three cores largely melted in the first three days. This accident, which is rated 7 on the INES scale, led to the release of high radioactive substances, including contaminated water leaking from the three units. Although there were no immediate deaths, over 100000 residents were evacuated from their homes.

3. Present your arguments.

Ans. . The contaminated sea water from such disasters is a potential threat across boundaries. The investigations into the Fukushima disaster have proved some faults in the design of the reactors. Lack of adequate safety measures and response actions in the plant have led to a higher risk.

4. Suggest a possible settlement

Ans. A possible way to avert such disasters is by constructing such plants away from residential areas. It is imperative to improve safety measures and take other possible steps to eliminate the release of harmful materials.

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