The Little Known Story Of How Bihar’s ChamparanFAMOUS PERSONALITIES HISTORY , , Transformed Gandhi & India by Sanchari PalOctober 2, 2016, 12:37 pm “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” – Mahatma Gandhi On the afternoon of April 15, 1917, thousands had gathered at Motihari railway station in Bihar’s East Champaran, waiting for a man who was destined to lift their lives out of misery. It was 3 pm when Gandhi alighted at the station from a train coming from Muzaffarpur. Little did the crowd welcoming him know that Gandhi’s visit would snowball into the first satyagraha (policy of passive political resistance) that he would lead in the country. It was at Champaran that the transformation from Mohandas into the Mahatma began. This is the little known story of Gandhi’s first satyagraha, the movement that began a new chapter in India’s independence struggle. The original Motihari railway junction (where Gandhi embarked on his arrival in Champaran) PHOTO SOURCE After his return from South Africa in 1915, Gandhi established the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat. Then, on his mentor Gopal Krishna Gokhale’s advice, he embarked on a journey to discover India. He travelled all over the country, from Calcutta and Shantiniketan in Bengal to Cawnpore, Rangoon and Rishikesh. During the 31st session of the Congress in Lucknow in 1916, Gandhi met Raj Kumar Shukla, a representative of farmers from Champaran, who requested him to go and see for himself the miseries of the indigo ryots (tenant farmers) there. Gandhi later wrote in his autobiography: “I must confess that I did not then know even the name, much less the geographical position, of Champaran, and I had hardly any notion of indigo plantations.” In the Champaran district of Bihar, the Britishers had imposed a system called tinkathia. Under this system, the tenant farmers were forced to grow indigo (a blue dye) in three kathas of every bigha (three out of twenty parts of their land). He was on his way to the village when he was served a notice from the British district magistrate. He was produced before a court on April 18 where the magistrate proposed a deal. WB Heycock. “If you leave the district now and promise not to return. the case against you will be withdrawn. Gandhi left for the village of Jasaulipatti – he had heard about a tenant there who had been beaten and whose property had been destroyed by the landlords. who executed the terms brutally. including a famine-like situation. A day after reaching Motihari. The landlords (mostly British) would enforce this system through their agents. As a result.” . when the news of Gandhi’s arrival reached Champaran. Mahatma Gandhi being arrested PHOTO SOURCE Gandhi refused to comply and the police arrested him.Farmers harvesting the indigo crop PHOTO SOURCE The farmers were poorly compensated for their indigo crops and if they refused to plant indigo. called gumasta. they had to face heavy taxation. So. it spread in the region like wildfire and he was greeted by large crowds of peasants at railway stations all along the way from Muzaffarpur to Motihari. with orders to leave Champaran by the next available train. the reduced production of much-needed food crops and exclusive indigo farming (they were not allowed to grow any other crop even during the indigo off-season) had led to untold sufferings for the ryot farmers. the British government.” With the kind of support Gandhi was already receiving from the people of Champaran. ‘I came here to render humanitarian services to the people of this region. fearing unrest. . Gandhi addressing peasants PHOTO SOURCE He laid the foundations for three schools in 1917 – the first near Motihari. He then visited many villages in the region to study the grievances of the peasants. Soon realizing that ignorance and illiteracy among the farmers had made it easy for the Britishers to exploit and repress them. I shall make Champaran my home and not leave till I have helped these suffering people. He recorded the statements and testimonies of 8. Gandhi took up residence at Hazarimal Dharmashala in Bettiah village. he also set up several self-sustaining ‘Buniyadi’ schools where training in spinning. the second in Bhitiharwa and the third in Madhuban. Two days later the case was withdrawn and Gandhi was allowed to remain in the district. The government also instructed its officers to look into the indigo farmers’ sufferings. farming and weaving were imparted as a part of school education.’ replied Gandhi. Gandhi decided to set up voluntary organizations to improve the economic and educational conditions of the people. carpentry.“This cannot be. released him. To bridge the gap between education and work.000 indigo cultivators to understand their issues and the causes underlying them. PHOTO SOURCE During his stay in Champaran. the exploitative tinkathiasystem had finally been abolished. The Bhitiharwa Ashram. Almost a year after Gandhi’s arrival. with the formal signature of the Governor General. also erected four engraved stone pillars at different locations here. are a reminder of the Buddha’s travels in this region. displaying stories and photographs of his life. In October. Champaran also held much importance during the rule of the ancient dynasties of the Lichchavis and the Guptas. On March 4. was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in November 1917. the Ashram’s walls have hundreds of framed archival photos of Gandhi’s visit. originally known as the Kasturba Sewa Kendra. Bhitiharwa Gandhi Ashram PHOTO SOURCE Renovated in 2012. there is a Gandhi museum in Champaran. the author of Ramayana.Realizing Gandhi’s strength and devotion to the cause. is believed to have spent some time in an ashram here. It once served as a refuge for saints – Valmiki. the committee submitted its report to the government and on November 29. The ruins of a stupa at Kesaria. Ashoka. Kesaria Stupa PHOTO SOURCE Mauryan king. the government made Gandhi a member of an enquiry committee constituted to look into the excesses committed by landlords and planters. this bill turned into a law. Believed to be the land of King Janak. a school bell from those days and Kasturba Gandhi’s chakki (hand mill). . Champaran (which literally translates to the Forest of Magnolia) has been long associated with great historic events. revered by Buddhist pilgrims. Today. 1919. the Champaran Agrarian bill was submitted in the Bihar Legislative Council. . but what makes Gandhi’s Champaran satyagraha significant is the fact that it was the the first time that bridges had been built between the peasants and the other sections. while the final resolution addressed the peasants’ grievances only partially. In this sense. the idea that the mighty Britishers could be forced to bend caught the imagination of the thousands of Indians fighting for freedom. the symbolic significance of the this satyagraha was much greater than what actually happened in Champaran. Also. the Champaran Satyagraha was the movement responsible for putting Gandhi on the front seat of the Indian nationalist movement and making satyagraha a powerful tool of civilian resistance. Along with the Kheda Satyagraha of 1917-1918. especially the middle class intelligentsia.There have been peasant movements before and after the Champaran movement of 1917.