Module 4: Rajkumar Shukla & Background to Champaran
Concept
Subtopic 4.1: The Tinkathia System & The Call to Gandhi
The stage for India's first Satyagraha was set by the extreme exploitation of peasant farmers in the Champaran district of Bihar:
- The Tinkathia System: European planters forced local peasants to cultivate indigo (नील) on 3/20th (Tinkathia) of their landholdings. This system was highly exploitative, impoverishing the farmers and destroying the fertility of the soil.
- The Role of Rajkumar Shukla: Determined to end this systemic abuse, a courageous local peasant leader emerged. Rajkumar Shukla, a resident of the village Murli Bharahwa (मुरली भरहवा), took it upon himself to highlight the plight of the indigo farmers.
- The Lucknow Pact (1916): During the 1916 Lucknow session of the Indian National Congress, Rajkumar Shukla approached Mahatma Gandhi. He persistently detailed the miseries of the Champaran farmers and invited Gandhi to visit Bihar to witness the exploitation firsthand, setting the wheels of the Satyagraha in motion.
⭐ Key Points
- European planters forced Champaran farmers to grow indigo under the Tinkathia system.
- Rajkumar Shukla was the key figure who brought the farmers' plight to light.
- Rajkumar Shukla was a resident of the village Murli Bharahwa.
- He invited Mahatma Gandhi to Champaran during the 1916 Lucknow session of the Congress.
📌 One-line Q&A
- Question: Rajkumar Shukla was a resident of which village? Answer: Murli Bharahwa.
- Question: Who invited Mahatma Gandhi to Champaran? Answer: Rajkumar Shukla.
Topic
MCQs
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Question 1: Rajkumar Shukla was a resident of which village?
The prominent peasant leader Rajkumar Shukla, who invited Gandhi to Bihar, hailed from the village of Murli Bharahwa in West Champaran.
Question 1 of 1
One-liners
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Rajkumar Shukla was a resident of which village?
Murli Bharahwa.Who invited Mahatma Gandhi to Champaran?
Rajkumar Shukla.
Question 1 of 2