Indigo Revolt in Bengal

Mostly revolution is often associated with the colour red but in the Summer of 1859 in Bengal it was coloured in blue. Against the European planters, thousands of peasants refused to cultivate indigo. It was marking a display of unwavering determination. This significant event came to be known as the Indigo Revolt or Neel Bidroha. It stands as one of the most remarkable peasant movements in Indian history.

Indigo Revolt will be helpful for UPSC IAS Exam preparation. GS Paper-1 History.

Table of Content

• What is Indigo Revolt?
• Historic Background
• Causes of Indigo Revolt
• Course of Indigo Revolt
• Significance of Indigo Revolt
• Result of Indigo Revolt
• Conclusion
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is Indigo Revolt?

• Indigo revolt took place in 1859 in the Chaugacha village of Nadia, Bengal.
• It was a peasant movement and uprising of indigo farmers against indigo planters.
• It was the most militant and widespread among the various peasant movements.
• The tenants were compelled to cultivate indigo, which was then processed in factories established by European indigo planters in rural regions.
• Right from the start, the cultivation of indigo operated under a highly oppressive system, leading to substantial losses for the cultivators.

Historic Background

• Indigo cultivation was introduced to Bengal in 1777 by Louis Bonnaud (Frenchman).
  • He became the first indigo planter in Bengal.
  • He started cultivating the crop at Taldanga and Goalpara near Hooghly.
• The demand for blue dye in Europe made indigo planting increasingly profitable under Company rule and the Nawabs of Bengal.
• There were over a thousand indigo factories by 1830 in large parts of Burdwan, Bankura, Birbhum, North 24 Parganas, Nadia Jessore, and Pabna.

Causes of Indigo Revolt

• The indigo planters forced peasants to grow indigo instead of food crops on their own lands,
  • Dadon: Aprovided to indigo farmersat exorbitant interest rates.
• Once a farmer took such loans, they remained in debt for their entire lives, passing it on to their successors.
• The planters paid meagre prices, only 2.5% of the market price, leaving the farmers with no profit from indigo cultivation.
• The planters had unchecked power over the farmers and would resort to mortgages or property destruction if they resisted.
• Government regulations favoured the planters, granting them extensive control over the peasants through an act passed in 1833.
• The zamindars supported the planters because they also benefitted from indigo cultivation.
• The farmers faced these oppressive conditions and resorted to revolt.
• The Bengali middle class stood united in supporting the peasants.
• Harish Chandra Mukherjee (Bengali intellectual) highlighted the plight of poor farmers in his newspaper, The Hindu Patriot.
  • However, Dinabandhu Mitra gained greater attention for his play Nil Darpan, which portrayed the situation vividly.

Course of Indigo Revolt

• The revolt originated in Chougacha village near Krishnanagar, Nadia district,
• It was led by Bishnucharan Biswas and Digambar Biswas in Bengal, 1859.
• It quickly spread to Murshidabad, Birbhum, Burdwan, Pabna, Khulna, and Jessore.
• Shyamal Mondal played a significant role in Kalna, Burdwan, he led the revolt and published a magazine called “Mrittika” to expose the oppression of indigo planters and the plight of peasants.
• Gopal Mandal, a peasant leader, led a group of 150 peasants who successfully resisted the intimidations of the planter Larmour and attacked the lathials.
• Some indigo planters faced public trials and execution, while indigo depots were set on fire.
• Many planters fled to evade capture, and even the zamindars became targets of the rebellious peasants.

Significance of Indigo Revolt

• The revolt primarily targeted European planters and merchants, rather than the British colonial authorities.
• Unlike the First War of Indian Independence, the Indigo revolt focused on the struggle against the planters.
• The revolt disrupted large areas of indigo production in the Bengal and Kathgara regions temporarily.
• The planters hired mercenaries and they engaged in ongoing clashes with the rebellious peasants.
• The planters filed lawsuits against hundreds of peasants who had broken their indigo contracts.
  • This led to significant legal expenses, with over seventeen thousand rupees being spent on defending these lawsuits.

Result of Indigo Revolt

• The techniques of resistance employed by the peasants were not uniform across different regions.
• The revolt initiated by Bishnucharan and Digamber in Chaugacha and Gobindapur involved armed conflict against the planters.
  • However, the nature of resistance varied depending on the time and location.
  • It largely remained passive and non-violent.
• Jogesh Chandra Bagal (Historian) describes the revolt as a successful non-violent revolution, distinguishing it from the Sepoy Revolt.
• According to R.C. Majumdar in “History of Bengal,” the revolt can be seen as a precursor to Gandhi’s later adoption of non-violent passive resistance.
• The impact of the revolt compelled the government to promptly establish the “Indigo Commission” in 1860.
• In the commission’s report, E.W.L. Tower testified that every shipment of indigo reaching England was tainted with human blood.
• In 1860, the British colonial authorities formed the Indigo Commission in response to Nawab Abdul Latif’s initiative.
  • The commission was aiming to end the oppression by indigo planters (through the Indigo Act 1862).

Conclusion

The Indigo Revolt was one of the most important revolts in the history of the struggle for freedom and fairness. It showed the power of unity and unwavering resolve in the face of adversity. It was considered the precursor to Gandhi’s later adoption of non-violent passive resistance. The revolt resulted in the formation of the Indigo Commission in 1860, which paved the way for the Indigo Act of 1862.

Ref:Source-1

FAQs(frequently asked questions)