Question map
Which one of the following is a very significant aspect of the Champaran Satyagraha ?
Explanation
The Champaran Movement was Gandhi's first attempt at mobilizing the Indian masses, made on an invitation by peasants of Champaran.[1] Indigo cultivators of the district Champaran in Bihar were severely exploited by the European planters who had bound the peasants to compulsorily grow indigo on 3/20th of their fields and sell it at the rates[1] dictated by the planters. Mahatma Gandhi spent much of 1917 in Champaran, seeking to obtain for the peasants security of tenure as well as the freedom to cultivate the crops of their choice. These initiatives[2] in Champaran, Ahmedabad and Kheda marked Gandhiji out as a nationalist with a deep sympathy for the poor.[2]
The very significant aspect of the Champaran Satyagraha was that it linked agrarian distress and peasant grievances directly to the broader national movement for independence. This was the first time Gandhi brought peasant issues into the mainstream of India's freedom struggle, establishing a pattern that would continue throughout the nationalist movement. Options A and B are not supported by the sources as defining features of Champaran specifically, while option D is incorrect as the movement resulted in the abolition of the Tinkathiya system[3] rather than a drastic decrease in commercial crop cultivation overall.
Sources- [1] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 4: Advent of Gandhi and Mass Mobilisation > a) Champaran Movement (1917) > p. 42
- [2] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 11: MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT > 2. The Making and Unmaking of Non-cooperation > p. 289
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewThis is a foundational concept question, not a trivia question. It tests if you understand the 'Gandhian Shift' in Indian history—the transition from elite, urban politics to mass-based rural mobilization. It is directly solvable from Spectrum or NCERT by recognizing Champaran as the entry point of the 'Peasant' into the 'Nation'.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Was active all-India participation of lawyers, students, and women in the national movement a significant aspect of the Champaran Satyagraha?
- Statement 2: Was active involvement of Dalit and tribal communities of India in the national movement a significant aspect of the Champaran Satyagraha?
- Statement 3: Did the Champaran Satyagraha mark the joining of peasant unrest to India's national movement?
- Statement 4: Did the Champaran Satyagraha lead to a drastic decrease in the cultivation of plantation crops and other commercial crops?
Describes a recurring pattern in early nationalist agitations: students were active volunteers and faced punishment, and women began to join processions and picketing.
A student could take this general pattern (students and women becoming active in movements of 1905–1918) and check local Champaran records or biographies to see if the same social groups appeared there.
States that the rise of the militant national movement mobilised women into public political roles (picketing, processions) after 1918 and that women played active roles in freedom struggles.
Use the timing and trend (women's wider political entry) against the 1917 Champaran event to assess plausibility of female participation and then look for Champaran-specific accounts or local examples.
Notes students' prominent role in several movements (leaving government institutions for national ones), indicating that student activism was a transferable feature across different agitations.
Apply this transferable role to Champaran by checking whether student groups or national schools active in the region participated in 1917.
Gives an example of lawyers/Barristers (e.g., Abdul Rasul, Liaqat Hussain) participating in nationalist activities, showing legal professionals sometimes engaged in political struggle.
Take this example as a pattern that lawyers joined movements and then examine lists of Champaran leaders (local lawyers, barristers) or trial records to see if lawyers were active there.
Directly mentions the Champaran Satyagraha and lists 'popular leaders associated' with it, indicating leadership presence that can be cross-checked for professions or social background.
Use the named leaders as starting points: check whether those individuals (or other named Champaran participants) were lawyers, students, or women to test the claim.
Describes Champaran movement (1917) as a peasant mobilisation against indigo planters, establishing that Champaran was essentially a rural/peasant struggle.
A student could check demographic composition of Champaran peasants (caste/tribal identities) to see if Dalit/tribal groups were among those mobilised.
States Gandhi organised satyagraha in Champaran to 'inspire the peasants', linking the national movement's outreach to rural communities.
One could infer Gandhi's peasant focus suggests examining whether his outreach included Dalit and tribal peasants in Champaran.
Notes that 20th‑century peasant movements (explicitly citing Champaran) influenced the national freedom struggle, implying peasant participation was an important axis of the movement.
A student could use this rule to investigate which social groups composed peasant movements (including Dalits/tribals) in Champaran.
Lists tribal organisations as active in Bihar and neighbouring regions, showing tribal presence and organised activity in the state where Champaran is located.
This suggests checking local tribal settlement patterns in Champaran district to see if tribal communities could have been participants.
Explains a general pattern: Dalit movements were often apprehensive of the Congress-led national movement, indicating Dalit–Congress relations were variable.
A student could compare this general pattern with records from Champaran to judge whether Dalit communities there actively joined Gandhi/Congress efforts or remained aloof.
- Explicitly describes Champaran (1917) as Gandhi's first attempt to mobilise the Indian masses at the peasants' invitation.
- Shows the movement focused on indigo cultivators' exploitation — a local peasant grievance taken up by a national leader.
- States Gandhi travelled to Champaran to inspire peasants and organised a satyagraha there in 1917.
- Links Gandhi's satyagraha practice to rural protest, indicating transfer of peasant unrest into organised national-style struggle.
- Places Champaran alongside other early campaigns (Ahmedabad, Kheda) showing Gandhi's interventions connected peasant/labour issues to nationalist politics.
- Describes these initiatives as marking Gandhi out as a nationalist with deep sympathy for the poor, implying integration of peasant claims with national movement goals.
- States the legal outcome (Champaran Agricultural Act, 1918) that allowed farmers to choose crops, which removed forced cultivation of indigo.
- Removal of forced crop obligations implies a change in cultivation practices away from imposed plantation crops.
- Explicitly names the Champaran Agricultural Act (1918) as an important outcome protecting farmers' interests.
- Links the Act directly to the Champaran Satyagraha, indicating the movement produced statutory change that enabled farmers to alter what they grew.
- States the movement resulted in the abolition of the Tinkathiya system (which enforced indigo cultivation).
- Abolition of Tinkathiya removed the institutional compulsion to grow indigo, facilitating farmers' ability to stop cultivating that plantation crop.
Describes the tinkathia system forcing peasants to grow indigo on portions of land and notes economic pressure when German synthetic dyes replaced indigo.
A student could check timing of synthetic-dye introduction vs. Champaran agitation and examine whether decline in indigo area was driven by market/technology or by the satyagraha.
States Gandhi organised satyagraha in Champaran to oppose an 'oppressive plantation system', linking the movement explicitly to plantation-crop cultivation.
Use this to justify investigating local land-use records or contemporary reports to see if peasant resistance led to changed cropping decisions.
Defines plantations/ commercial farming as large-area, capital-intensive, market-oriented enterprises (tea, coffee, sugarcane, etc.), indicating structural resilience or vulnerability to economic shocks.
Compare characteristics of indigo plantations (smallholder-imposed share vs. large estates) to assess how easily cultivation could be reduced after a agitation.
Explains that plantation agriculture was introduced by Europeans in colonies and relied on managerial capital and labour imports — suggesting non-peasant factors (markets, owners) influence plantation continuity.
Investigate whether planters or market forces (owners, export demand) or peasant refusal primarily determined any drop in commercial-crop cultivation post-satyagraha.
Notes cash/cotton/sugarcane were encouraged by states as revenue crops and that commercial and subsistence production were intertwined; cash crops brought more revenue.
Use this to check fiscal incentives and revenue records for Bihar around 1917 to see if state policy encouraged continuation or reduction of commercial crops after Champaran.
- [THE VERDICT]: Sitter. Directly covered in Spectrum (Chapter: Emergence of Gandhi) and NCERT Class XII (Themes in Indian History).
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Mass Nationalism. The structural shift from the 'Moderate/Extremist' era (urban-focused) to the 'Gandhian' era (rural/peasant-focused).
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize the Gandhian Trilogy chronologically: 1. Champaran (1917, First Civil Disobedience, Indigo); 2. Ahmedabad (1918, First Hunger Strike, Plague Bonus); 3. Kheda (1918, First Non-Cooperation, Revenue). Key Associates: Rajendra Prasad, J.B. Kripalani (Champaran); Anusuya Sarabhai (Ahmedabad); Sardar Patel (Kheda).
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: When studying any movement, tag it with its 'Social Base' (Who joined?) and 'Method' (How did they fight?). Champaran is the definitive answer for 'When did Peasants become a political category in the National Movement?'.
Multiple references describe women leaving seclusion to join picketing and processions in major movements, a theme relevant to assessing whether Champaran also featured similar participation.
High-yield: questions often ask about gendered participation across different phases of the freedom struggle. Mastering this helps compare movements (Swadeshi, Civil Disobedience, Quit India) and identify continuity/change in women's public roles. Useful for comparative-analytical answers and source-based questions.
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 23: Quit India Movement, Demand for Pakistan, and the INA > Extent of Mass Participation > p. 451
- Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 14: Nationalist Movement 1905—1918 > The Role of Students, Women, Muslims, and the Masses > p. 243
- Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 13: Growth of New India Religious and Social Reform After 1858 > Emancipation of Women > p. 230
Several references emphasise students and youth being at the forefront of boycotts, strikes and demonstrations — a necessary concept when checking if Champaran attracted similar youth participation.
High-yield: student participation recurs across syllabus topics (Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, Quit India). Knowing patterns helps answer cause–effect and extent-of-participation questions and to evaluate local vs national scale of movements.
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 16: Non-Cooperation Movement and Khilafat Aandolan > Students > p. 335
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 23: Quit India Movement, Demand for Pakistan, and the INA > Extent of Mass Participation > p. 451
- Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 14: Nationalist Movement 1905—1918 > The Role of Students, Women, Muslims, and the Masses > p. 243
Champaran is presented as Gandhi's early/first civil disobedience success (local leaders named), while other references show later movements had explicit all‑India participation by women, students and workers — a contrast students must grasp.
High-yield: framing Champaran as an early, localized success vs later nationwide mobilisations helps in comparative essays and source-based evaluation of scale and participants. It trains candidates to distinguish movement scale, leadership and types of participation when answering questions about continuity and change.
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 15: Emergence of Gandhi > Champaran Satyagraha (1917)—First Civil Disobedience > p. 317
- India and the Contemporary World – II. History-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Nationalism in India > Quit India Movement > p. 49
References explicitly describe Champaran as Gandhi's mobilization of indigo cultivator peasants against oppressive planters.
High-yield for UPSC: identifies Champaran primarily as a rural/peasant agitation led by Gandhi, useful for differentiating types of early movements (peasant vs. caste/tribal). Connects to questions on agrarian issues, colonial plantation systems and early Gandhian methods; master by comparing textbook summaries and primary motives.
- History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 4: Advent of Gandhi and Mass Mobilisation > a) Champaran Movement (1917) > p. 42
- India and the Contemporary World – II. History-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Nationalism in India > New words > p. 31
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 31: Peasant Movements 1857-1947 > Later Movements > p. 578
Evidence notes the Dalit movement's apprehension toward the Congress-led national movement rather than enthusiastic participation.
Important for answering questions on social-group participation in the freedom struggle: shows that Dalit politics did not always align with Congress. Helps frame questions on inclusiveness of national movements and later Dalit political assertions; study by tracing continuity from pre-independence attitudes to post-independence Dalit politics.
- India and the Contemporary World – II. History-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Nationalism in India > Discuss > p. 44
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 39: After Nehru... > Rise of the Dalit Voice > p. 750
References state 20th-century peasant movements were deeply influenced by and impacted the national freedom struggle (Champaran cited as example).
Useful for framing the broader role of agrarian movements within nationalist history — a common UPSC theme. Helps link local agitations to national outcomes and compare with other movements (Kheda, Bardoli); prepare by mapping case-studies and cause-effect relationships.
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 31: Peasant Movements 1857-1947 > Later Movements > p. 578
- History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 4: Advent of Gandhi and Mass Mobilisation > a) Champaran Movement (1917) > p. 42
References show Gandhi used non‑violent satyagraha (Champaran, Ahmedabad, Kheda) to organise peasants and workers, linking local protests to national politics.
High-yield for UPSC because it explains method (non‑violent mass action) through which regional grievances entered the national movement; connects to questions on leadership, methods of mobilisation, and social base of nationalism. Study by comparing instances (Champaran, Kheda, Bardoli) to answer 'how' and 'why' type questions.
- India and the Contemporary World – II. History-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Nationalism in India > New words > p. 31
- History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 4: Advent of Gandhi and Mass Mobilisation > a) Champaran Movement (1917) > p. 42
- THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 11: MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT > 2. The Making and Unmaking of Non-cooperation > p. 289
The 'Tinkathia System' (3/20th of land) is the famous grievance, but the 'Champaran Agrarian Enquiry Committee' is the administrative body. Gandhi was a member; F.G. Sly was the Chairman. Next logical Q: Who invited Gandhi to Champaran? (Rajkumar Shukla).
Timeline Logic. Option A mentions 'All-India participation'. In 1917, Gandhi had just arrived, and the Congress was still largely an urban club. 'All-India' mass movements only began with Rowlatt/Non-Cooperation (1919-20). Therefore, A is anachronistic. Eliminate.
Mains GS1 (History) & GS3 (Agriculture): Champaran is the historical genesis of 'Agrarian Distress' as a central political theme in India. Use this to introduce answers on modern Farmers' Movements, showing a 100-year continuity of peasant mobilization.