Indigo Movement

Farmer’s Movement

We got information about Ramosi Rebellion and Moppila Rebellion in previous article. We will learn about other peasant movements like Indigo Movement , Pabna Rebellion and Deccan Rebellion in British India. These farmer's movements were mainly due to the demand of their rights by the farmer or the middle class, they could not be widely publicized at the national level. These peasant movements were spread over a limited area, due to which they were suppressed successfully.

Indus Valley Civilization or Harappan Civilization

Indigo movement : 1859 – 60

• The indigo movement or rebellion was the first successful rebellion of Indian farmers.
• In Indian history, if the name of any movement comes in the direct and combative fight against the British against the exploitation for their economic demands, then it is the Indigo Rebellion of West Bengal.
• The root cause of this movement was – forced cultivation of indigo by the farmers on their fertile land. While they wanted to cultivate rice on their fertile land.
• Most of the indigo producers were European and had factories in rural areas where they processed indigo.
• European traders used to fraudulently get the farmers to sign agreements by giving meager advance money, which was much less than the market rate. Later, even if the farmer wanted to return the amount of the agreement, he was not allowed to do so.
• In fact, there were many types of court hassles in the agreement, to avoid which the indigo-producers chose the way of terrorizing the farmers. He got the farmers, their wives and children kidnapped by their lathis. Flogged them, set their crops on fire and looted them. In this way he forced the farmers to cultivate indigo on their fertile lands.
• On August 17, 1859, a decree was issued in the name of the police by Hem Chandrakar, the Magistrate of Kalarova, in which it was said that “in the disputes related to the indigo growing ryots, the possession of the ryots on the land would remain intact and they would be able to grow crops of their choice on it. It is the responsibility of the police that no indigo-producer or any other person should interfere with the ryots.
• As a result of Chandrakar's announcement, many applications and complaint letters were sent by the farmers to the officials. When no action was taken on those letters, the anger of the farmers flared up in September 1859.

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• The indigo rebellion started from Govindpur village in the Nadia district of West Bengal.
• Indigo movement started under the leadership of Digambar Vishwas and Vishnu Vishwas and farmers stopped cultivating indigo.
• In this way, this movement spread in the entire Nadia, Pabna, Khulna, Dhaka, Malda, Dinajpur etc. areas.
• Due to the solidarity of the farmers in the indigo rebellion, all the indigo factories in Bengal were closed by 1860.
• The basic reason for the success of the indigo movement was – the ryots fought with complete discipline, solidarity, organization and co-operation. Hindus and Muslims worked shoulder to shoulder at all levels of the movement.
• Another main reason for the success of the indigo movement was the intellectual class there who supported it through their articles in their newspapers and through public meetings.
• Harishchandra Mukherjee supported it through his edict 'Hindu Patriot'. Newspapers described the atrocities committed on indigo farmers. Describing the importance of the indigo movement, Harishchandra Mukherjee wrote in 1860, “Bengal should be proud of its farmers. Despite the lack of power, money, political education and even leadership, the peasants of Bengal have launched a movement that is now no less than any other movement in the social history of the world. The government is against the farmers, the laws are against them, the press is against them and yet this has been their achievement, the benefits of which will go to the future generations of our country at every level.
• Deenbandhu Mitra also openly depicted the atrocities on indigo farmers through his play 'Neel Darpan'.
• Later, in November 1860, a notification was issued, "No ryot will be forced to cultivate indigo and all disputes will be settled only by legal means."

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