The Demand for Indian Indigo during British period

Indigo Movement During British Rule In India. Conditions of indigo peasants. Revolt for stopping indigo cultivation.

1. Indigo Movement During British Rule In India Prepared by– Aryamaan Thakur, Class-VIII-B, The Tribhuvan School-Patna

2. About Indian Indigo A flowering plant which grows in the tropics. By the thirteenth century it was used for dying clothes in Italy, France and Britain. Supply of indigo was very small and hence its price was very high. It produces a rich blue colour .

3. A plant of temperate zone and easily available in Europe. Grown in Northern Italy, Southern France and in parts of Germany and Britain. Woads producers in Europe pressurized their governments to ban import of indigo. Indigo’s Substitute – “ Woad ”

4. Beginning of cultivation in India (Bengal) The British Businessmen started indigo cultivation in Nadia, Jessor Dhaka, Pabna , Rangpurand in Faridpur district in 1788. They gradually increased the cultivation areas throughout Bangladesh. In the beginning they started cultivation with Bengali labourers (in Bangladesh).

5. Nil – Kuthi The British businessmen made some houses, farms and factories for raw indigo buying, crushing , processing and packaging, those farms were called ‘Nil Kuthi ’.

6. Contract between peasants and British businessmen There was a signed contract paper between the peasants and the British businessmen. According to that, the Businessmen set the Value of the raw indigo and that was very less value than the market value. Peasants could not protest as they had already signed the contract.

7. Punishment for farmers If someone rebel the businessmen he/she was made to bound by striking hunter (baton) and other punishment like jail or house burning. Female members of the peasants were also under various kinds of oppression and abusing. Some Eminent writers compared the condition of the indigo peasants of Bengal with the condition of the slaves in USA.

8. “Purchasing of plantation land” act This act helped the indigo Businessmen a lot , n ow they can buy land. The British brought the slaves from the West Indian Islands to Bengal and Bihar and engaged them in cultivation of indigo. Many slaves were also engaged in cultivation of tea.

9. Businessmen became Zamindars British businessmen wanted to increase their cultivation. The British businessmen purchased taluks and zamindari for indigo cultivation and became zamindars . for example : the Bengal Indigo Company bought 594 villages in Jessore and Nadia and become zamindar .

10. Concerns For smooth running of indigo business, The British Businessmen made some ‘ Concern’ which was made as a society. In these concerns processing and packaging of indigo was done. When England was famous for textile mills the demand of indigo was growing fast, it is said that all demand of indigo of England could be fulfilled from Bangladesh.

11. Appeal from farmer’s side The sufferer peasants lost their paddy land and price of paddy went up due to indigo cultivation. They submitted one petition to the British Lord for stopping indigo cultivation but British lord rejected the petition.

12. Peasants rebelled The peasants were in huge loss. They moved village to village for creating peasant’s opinion for stopping indigo cultivation. It took 15 years to motivate and gather the sufferer peasants.

13. Revolt Two large revolts occurred in India. One is Santal Revolt in Bihar in 1855 Other is Sipoy Revolt in all over India in 1857, These two Revolts made the British govt, a bit afraid. Then the indigo peasants geared their agitation.

14. Result of revolt The Magistrate of Barashat Mr. Eden circulated huge pamphlets in Bengali stating that “The contract signing for indigo cultivation is not mandatory for the peasants, but it is on will of the peasants ” . After this a large number of peasants stopped indigo cultivation.

15. Articles & Drama Mr. Harish Mukharjee wrote many articles in ‘The Hindu Patriot’ paper against indigo cultivation and oppression of the British Businessmen. And Mr. Din Bondhu Mitra wrote a drama named ‘Nil Darpan ’ where the picture of oppression was vividly expressed. Nil Darpan was also translated in english and sent to British parliament, the Members of parliament also condemned that type of oppression.

16. Raid on concerns of chowgacha The peasants of Chowgacha attacked on some indigo concerns and ransacked them. Most of the indigo Businessmen flew away left their concerns and properties. Some Businessmen died sudden attack. Thus the Indigo cultivation in Jessore , Khulna, Nadia, Pabna and Faridpure was almost collapsed.

17. Attack on lord One day lord of Bengal Mr. Grant was traveling through Kumer and Kaliganga rivers in Jessore and Faripure areas. Peasants attacked on him and asked him to declare stopping indigo cultivation in Bengal. The lord promised to declare stopping indigo cultivation in Bengal.

18. Peasants succeeded The British Govt. made an ‘Indigo Commission’ for reviewing the actual situation, after getting report. British govt. said “Indigo cultivation is hereby forbidding without will of the peasants” Thus the agitation ended with a great success for that time, after proclamation of this act, most of the factories were declared closed, only some were continuing with the consent of the peasants.

19. One more Try In 1889, one indigo Businessmen Mr.Dumbell of Bijlia area of Jessore again started oppression on the peasants The peasants of 48 villages gathered for agitation, the peasants attacked the concern and bound to surrender Mr.Dumbell . The British Govt. considered the situation of peasants movement logical and suggested for increasing price of raw indigo.

20. Synthetic Indigo and end of indigo cultivation Meanwhile, the synthetic indigo was invented in 1895, So automatically indigo cultivation lost its priority and almost all factories went in lay-out, Eventually indigo cultivation and its Business were closed perpetually in Bengal.

21. The End