The Blue Rebellion

The ‘Blue Rebellion’ and after: In March 1859 thousands of ryots in Bengal refused to grow indigo. As the rebellion spread, ryots refused to pay rents to the planters, and attacked indigo factorizes armed with swords and spears bows and arrows. Women turned up to fight with pots, pans and kitchen implements. Those who worked for the planters were socially boycotted, and the gomasthas-agents of planters-who came to collect rent, were beaten up. Ryots swore they would no longer take advances to sow indigo nor be bullied by the planters’ lathiyals-the lathi-wielding strongmen maintained by the planters.

In 1859, the indigo ryots felt that they had the support of the local Zamindars and village headmen in their rebellion against the planters. In many villages, headmen who had been forced to sign indigo contracts, mobilized the indigo peasants and fought pitched battles with the lathiyals. In order places even the Zamindars went around villages urging the ryots to resist the planters. These Zamindars were unhappy with the increasing power of the planters and angry at being forced by the planters to give them land on long leases. When the news spread of a simmering revolt in the indigo districts, the lieutenant governor toured the region in the winter of 1859. The ryots saw the tour as a sign of government sympathy for their plight.

About the Peasants 's Revolt

The first major revolt broke out in Bengal led by sanyasis , soon after the British conquest of Bengal.

This revolt soon spread in many areas of the eastern India.

The peasants formed a very strong army. the troop sent by company to suppress them were met with defeat . It took about 30 years to put an end to this revolt.

The chuar revolt of Bihar and Bengal broke out in 1796 and continued till 1816.

The Moplah peasants of Malabar organised 22 rebellions within the period of 18 yrs (from 1836to1854).

As the rebellion spread, intellectuals from Calcutta rushed to the indigo districts. They wrote of the misery of the ryots, the tyranny of the planters, and the horrors of the indigo system. Worried by the rebellion, the government brought in the military to protect the planters from assault and set up the indigo commission to enquire into the system of indigo production. The commission held the planters guilty, and criticized them for the coercive methods they used with indigo cultivators. It declared that indigo production was not profitable for ryots. The commission asked the ryots to fulfill their existing contracts but also told them that they could refuse to produce indigo in future.

After the revolt, indigo production collapsed in Bengal. But the planters now shifted their operation to Bihar. With the discovery of synthetic dyes in the late nineteenth century their business was severely affected, but yet managed to expand production. When Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa, a peasant from Bihar persuaded him to visit Champaran and see the plight of the indigo cultivators there. Mahatma Gandhi’s visit in 1917 marked the beginning of the Champaran movement against the indigo planters.

Chapters

How When and Where I

How When and Where II

From Trade to Territory I

From Trade to Territory II

Ruling The Country Side I

Ruling The Country Side II

Tribals Dikus and The Vision of a Golden Age I

Tribals Dikus and The Vision of Golden Age II

When People Rebel I

When People Rebel II

Colonialism and the City I