THINK AS YOU READ
Q1. Strike out what is not true in the following:
(a)Rajkumar Shukla was:
(i)a sharecropper (ii)a politician
(iii)delegate (iv)a landlord.
(b) Rajkumar Shukla was:
(i) poor (ii)physically strong
(iii) illiterate.
Ans: (a) (ii) a politician
(b) (ii) physically strong
Q2. Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being ‘resolute’?
Ans: He had come all the way from Champaran district in the foothills of Himalayas to Lucknow to speak to Gandhi. Shukla accompanied Gandhi everywhere. Shukla followed him to the ashram near Ahmedabad. For weeks he never left Gandhi’s side till Gandhi asked him to meet at Calcutta.
Q3. Why do you think the servants thought Gandhi to be another peasant?
Ans: Shukla led Gandhi to Rajendra Prasad’s house. The servants knew Shukla as a poor yeoman. Gandhi was also clad in a simple dhoti. He was the companion of a peasant. Hence, the servants thought Gandhi to be another peasant.
THINK AS YOU READ
Q1. List the places that Gandhi visited between his first meeting with Shukla and his arrival at Champaran.
Ans: Gandhi’s first meeting with Shukla was at Lucknow. Then he went to Cawnpore and other parts of India. He returned to his ashram near Ahmedabad. Later he went to Calcutta, Patna and Muzaffarpur before arriving at Champaran.
Q2. 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 the British landlords indigo as rent. Now Germany had developed synthetic indigo. So, the British landlords wanted money as compensation for being released from the 15 per cent arrangement. The prices of natural indigo would go down due to the synthetic Indigo.
THINK AS YOU READ
Q1. 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’s politics was intermingled with the day-to-day problems of the millions of Indians. He opposed unjust laws. He was ready to court arrest for breaking such laws and going to jail. The famous Dandi March to break the ‘salt law’ is another instance. The resistance and disobedience was peaceful and a fight for truth and justice…This was linked directly to his ideas of Satyagraha and non-violence.
THINK AS YOU READ
Q1. Why did Gandhi agree to a settlement of 25 per cent refund to the farmers?
Ans: For Gandhi the amount of the refund was less important than the fact that the landlords had been forced to return part of the money, and with it, part of their prestige too. So, he agreed to settlement of 25 per cent refund to the farmers.
Indigo Understanding the Text
Question 1.
Why do you think Gandhiji considered the Champaran episode to be a turning point in his life? [Delhi 2019. All India 2012. 2014]
Answer:
The Champaran episode was a turning point in Gandhiji’s life because it brought him his first victory of civil disobedience. Gandhiji went to Champaran to help the poor peasants..He got an opportunity to test the basic principle of his movement in India. It proved as a testimony to the success of his non-violent way to get freedom for India.
The peasants of Champaran suffered exploitation, injustice and atrocities at the hands of British landlords. First, they compelled them to grow indigo on 15% of the land and give it to them as rent but later with the invention of synthatic indigo in Germany they obtained agreement from them to pay them compensation. Peasants were badly exploited. Gandhi, first of all, united them and then took out the fear out of their hearts and made them fearless to fight for their right. His victory, at Champaran gave Gandhi strength and courage to fight for the freedom of the nation. The Champaran episode was an example of self-reliance in the fight against the British.
Question 2.
How was Gandhi able to influence the lawyers? Give instances.
Answer:
Gandhi influenced the lawyers through his earnestness and conviction. First, he chided them for charging a heavy fee from peasants to fight their cases. Second, when lawyers thought of returning back to their places in case Gandhi got arrested, Gandhi made them realise that it would be very sad and impudent on their part to not to do anything for their own people when a stranger was ready to . go jail for them. Lawyers realised their moral duty and decided to follow Gandhiji in prison in case he got arrested. Gandhi evoked a sense of belonging and duty in the lawyers for the people of their area. He did this by giving them an example of his own selfless service for them.
Question 3.
What was the attitude of the average Indian in smaller localities towards advocates of ‘home’ rule?
Answer:
Advocates of ‘home rule’ were considered the enemies of the British government. Anyone who snowed sympathy towards them was treated badly by the British. In smaller localities, the average Indian was afraid to show sympathy to the advocates of ‘home’ rule due to the fear of dire consequences. But there was a surprising drastic change that Gandhiji experienced in Muzzafarpur. Here he was welcomed at the station by J.B. Kriplani, who was a British employee, along with a large group of students. Not only this, his host was a government schoolteacher.
No comments:
Post a Comment