NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English (Flamingo) Chapter 5: Indigo (NCERT 2026–27)
Complete solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 5 – “Indigo” by Louis Fischer: an original summary, theme and message, word meanings, and every NCERT textbook exercise answered in full – Think as you read, Understanding the text, Talking about the text, Working with words, Thinking about language and Things to do – plus extra questions, MCQs and Assertion–Reason practice. The questions are reproduced exactly as in the NCERT book; the answers are written originally in exam-ready style.
Class: 12Subject: EnglishBook: FlamingoType: Prose (Chapter 5)Author: Louis FischerSession: 2026–27
“Indigo” is an excerpt from Louis Fischer’s biography The Life of Mahatma Gandhi, widely regarded as one of the finest books written on Gandhi. Louis Fischer (1896–1970) was an American journalist born in Philadelphia who served as a volunteer in the British Army between 1918 and 1920. He wrote for The New York Times, The Saturday Review and several European and Asian publications, and later taught at Princeton University. His close, first-hand observation of Gandhi gives the chapter its vivid, factual and admiring tone.
Summary
The chapter narrates how Mahatma Gandhi took up the cause of the poor indigo sharecroppers of Champaran in Bihar in 1917, launching what became his first major experiment with civil disobedience in India. A poor, illiterate but determined peasant named Rajkumar Shukla followed Gandhi everywhere, pleading with him to visit Champaran and witness the injustice suffered by the tenant farmers. His unshakeable persistence finally persuaded Gandhi to go.
Under a long-standing arrangement, English planters forced the peasants to plant fifteen per cent of their land with indigo and hand over the entire harvest as rent. When Germany developed synthetic indigo, the planters tried to extract compensation from the peasants for releasing them from this obligation, deceiving the illiterate farmers into signing agreements. Gandhi reached Champaran, first sought the facts, and was ordered to leave; he refused and was summoned to court. Thousands of peasants gathered in spontaneous support, marking the beginning of their liberation from fear of the British.
Gandhi pleaded guilty, accepting the penalty, and the case was eventually dropped – the first civil-disobedience victory in modern India. A long official inquiry forced the planters to refund money to the peasants; Gandhi shrewdly settled for a token 25 per cent, valuing the planters’ loss of prestige over the sum itself. Within years the planters left and indigo sharecropping ended. Gandhi also opened schools, improved health and sanitation, and taught the lawyers self-reliance – refusing English help to win an Indian battle. Champaran thus became a turning-point that wove together self-reliance, service to the poor, and the struggle for independence.
Theme & message
The central theme of “Indigo” is the leadership Gandhi showed in securing justice for oppressed people through patient fact-finding, reasoned argument and non-violent negotiation. The episode demonstrates that freedom from fear is the real relief for the downtrodden – far more important than legal aid alone. A strong sub-theme is the contribution of ordinary, anonymous Indians (like Rajkumar Shukla and the thousands of demonstrating peasants) to the freedom movement. Champaran also illustrates the Gandhian pattern: politics rooted in the everyday problems of the millions, combined with an insistence on self-reliance.
Word meanings
Word / Expression
Meaning
sharecropper
a tenant farmer who pays rent with a share of the crop
emaciated
abnormally thin and weak from poverty or hunger
resolute
firm, determined, not easily shaken
urge the departure
to strongly press for someone (the British) to leave
tenacity
the quality of holding firmly to a purpose; persistence
yeoman
a farmer who cultivates his own land; here, an ordinary farmer
pestered
kept troubling or bothering repeatedly
harbour a man like me
to shelter or give refuge to a person like me
advent
the arrival of an important person or event
chided
scolded or rebuked mildly
arable
(land) suitable for growing crops
irksome
annoying, tiresome, irritating
thugs
violent hired men; ruffians
conflict of duties
a clash between two opposing moral obligations
multitude
a very large crowd of people
maltreated
treated cruelly or harshly
summons
an official order to appear in court
baffled
confused and unable to decide what to do
deposition
a formal written statement used as legal evidence
adamant
refusing to change one’s mind; unyielding
deadlock
a situation in which no progress can be made
protracted
lasting longer than usual; prolonged
seek a prop
to look for outside support to lean on
Think as you read
1. Strike out what is not true in the following.
a. Rajkumar Shukla was (i) a sharecropper. (ii) a politician. (iii) delegate. (iv) a landlord.
b. Rajkumar Shukla was (i) poor. (ii) physically strong. (iii) illiterate.
ANSWERa. Rajkumar Shukla was (i) a sharecropper. (Strike out: a politician, delegate, a landlord.)b. Rajkumar Shukla was (i) poor and (iii) illiterate. (Strike out: physically strong – he is described as poor and emaciated.)
2. Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being ‘resolute’?
ANSWERHe is called ‘resolute’ because of his firm, unshakeable determination. Though poor and illiterate, he refused to give up: he followed Gandhi from Lucknow to Cawnpore, to the Ahmedabad ashram and finally to Calcutta, never leaving his side for weeks until Gandhi agreed to visit Champaran. This relentless persistence shows his strong resolve.
3. Why do you think the servants thought Gandhi to be another peasant?
ANSWERGandhi arrived at Rajendra Prasad’s house in the company of Rajkumar Shukla, a poor peasant whom the servants already knew. Gandhi dressed and behaved very simply, with no airs of importance, so the servants naturally assumed he was just another poor sharecropper accompanying Shukla. They even refused to let him draw water from the well, fearing he might be an untouchable.
1. List the places that Gandhi visited between his first meeting with Shukla and his arrival at Champaran.
ANSWERAfter first meeting Shukla at the Lucknow Congress session (1916), Gandhi went to Cawnpore and other parts of India, then to his ashram near Ahmedabad, then to Calcutta, from where he travelled with Shukla to Patna, then to Muzaffarpur (to gather fuller information), and finally to Champaran (Motihari).
2. What did the peasants pay the British landlords as rent? What did the British now want instead and why? What would be the impact of synthetic indigo on the prices of natural indigo?
ANSWERThe peasants were forced to plant 15 per cent (three-twentieths) of their land with indigo and to surrender the entire indigo harvest to the British landlords as rent.When Germany developed cheaper synthetic indigo, the landlords no longer needed the natural crop. They therefore wanted the peasants to pay them compensation in cash for being released from the 15 per cent arrangement.Synthetic indigo would sharply reduce demand for natural indigo, so its price would fall. This is why the planters wanted to free themselves from the contract (and extract money) before the loss became obvious to the peasants.
1. The events in this part of the text illustrate Gandhi’s method of working. Can you identify some instances of this method and link them to his ideas of satyagraha and non-violence?
ANSWERSeveral instances reveal Gandhi’s method. He first gathered the facts by visiting officials and recording peasant depositions – truth was his foundation. When ordered to leave Champaran, he disobeyed peacefully, signing the notice but declaring he would not obey, in “obedience to the higher law of our being, the voice of conscience.” In court he pleaded guilty and asked for the penalty, refusing to run away from the law. He stayed polite and cooperative with the officials, even helping them control the crowd. All these reflect satyagraha (the firm pursuit of truth) and non-violence: resistance without hatred or aggression, willingness to suffer for a just cause, and the moral courage to make the rulers’ power seem powerless.
1. Why did Gandhi agree to a settlement of 25 per cent refund to the farmers?
ANSWERFor Gandhi the exact amount mattered less than the principle. He accepted the 25 per cent refund because the landlords had, for the first time, been obliged to surrender part of the money and with it part of their prestige. This broke the planters’ image of being ‘lords above the law’ and showed the peasants that they had rights and defenders. The moral victory – the peasants learning courage – was worth far more than the sum.
2. How did the episode change the plight of the peasants?
ANSWERThe episode freed the peasants from fear and gave them confidence. The planters were forced to refund money and, within a few years, abandoned their estates, which reverted to the peasants; indigo sharecropping disappeared altogether. The peasants realised they had rights and defenders, and they learned courage. Gandhi also worked to improve their lives by opening schools, arranging medical help and teaching cleanliness and sanitation.
Understanding the text
1. Why do you think Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a turning-point in his life?
ANSWERChamparan was a turning-point because it was the first successful experiment with civil disobedience in modern India and proved that the British authority could be challenged peacefully by Indians on their own soil. Gandhi declared, “What I did was a very ordinary thing. I declared that the British could not order me about in my own country.” It did not begin as defiance but grew out of an effort to relieve the distress of poor peasants, showing his characteristic blending of politics with the practical problems of the masses. It also taught the lesson of self-reliance and demonstrated that ordinary people, once free from fear, could win justice.
2. How was Gandhi able to influence lawyers? Give instances.
ANSWERGandhi influenced the lawyers by his moral courage and selfless commitment, which shamed them into rising above self-interest. He first chided them for charging the poor peasants heavy fees, saying law courts were useless for the crushed and fear-stricken. Later, when he risked imprisonment, he asked what the lawyers would do if he were jailed. They realised it would be shameful to desert the peasants when a total stranger was ready to go to prison for them, so they agreed to follow him into jail. By his example he transformed their attitude from professional self-interest to dedicated service.
3. What was the attitude of the average Indian in smaller localities towards advocates of ‘home rule’?
ANSWERIn smaller localities, the average Indian was gripped by fear of the British authorities and was afraid to show any sympathy for advocates of home rule. It was considered an “extraordinary thing” even for a government professor like Malkani to shelter a man like Gandhi, because openly supporting the freedom movement could invite the displeasure and punishment of the rulers.
4. How do we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement?
ANSWERThe contribution of ordinary people is clear from the spontaneous mass support Gandhi received. The illiterate peasant Rajkumar Shukla single-handedly persuaded Gandhi to come to Champaran. When Gandhi was summoned to court, thousands of peasants gathered around the courthouse in a spontaneous demonstration – the beginning of their liberation from fear. About ten thousand peasants gave depositions during the inquiry. These anonymous Indians, though not famous, played a vital role in the freedom struggle.
Talking about the text
Discuss the following.
1. “Freedom from fear is more important than legal justice for the poor.” Do you think that the poor of India are free from fear after Independence?
ANSWERGandhi believed that for crushed and fear-stricken peasants, law courts did little good; their real relief lay in becoming free from fear. There is much truth in this, for justice is meaningless to those too frightened to claim it. However, even after Independence, the poor of India are not fully free from fear. Many still face poverty, illiteracy, exploitation by the powerful, social discrimination and ignorance of their rights. While the Constitution guarantees equality and free legal aid, fear of authority, corruption and economic dependence still silences many. True freedom from fear demands not only laws but education, economic security and an awakened sense of dignity among the poor. (Express your own reasoned view in a discussion.)
2. The qualities of a good leader.
ANSWERA good leader, as shown by Gandhi in Champaran, possesses several qualities: commitment to truth and justice; courage to stand up to powerful authority; empathy for the weak and the poor; the patience to gather facts before acting; selflessness, putting the people’s cause above personal comfort; the ability to inspire others by example; practical wisdom in negotiation (settling for 25 per cent to win a moral victory); and a deep belief in self-reliance and non-violence. A good leader leads from the front, shares the people’s suffering, and empowers them to stand on their own feet.
Working with words
List the words used in the text that are related to legal procedures. For example: deposition
ANSWERWords related to legal procedures used in the text: deposition, summons, trial, prosecutor, judge, magistrate, bail, court, sentence, plead guilty, penalty, lawbreaker, lawful authority, civil disobedience, case (dropped), commission of inquiry, evidence, receipt (of notice).
List other words that you know that fall into this category.
1. Notice the sentences in the text which are in ‘direct speech’. Why does the author use quotations in his narration?
ANSWERMany sentences are in direct speech, e.g. Gandhi’s “I will tell you how it happened that I decided to urge the departure of the British”; Shukla’s “Fix a date”; and Gandhi’s “The battle of Champaran is won.”The author uses quotations to make the narration authentic, vivid and reliable. As a biography of factual events, direct speech lends credibility – the reader hears Gandhi and others in their own words. It also adds life and immediacy to the account, reveals the speakers’ character and emotions, and strengthens the effectiveness of the narration by letting the events seem to unfold first-hand.
2. Notice the use or non-use of the comma in the following sentences.
(a) When I first visited Gandhi in 1942 at his ashram in Sevagram, he told me what happened in Champaran.
(b) He had not proceeded far when the police superintendent’s messenger overtook him.
(c) When the court reconvened, the judge said he would not deliver the judgment for several days.
ANSWERIn sentences (a) and (c), the subordinate (‘when’) clause comes first, before the main clause, so a comma is used to separate it from the main clause.In sentence (b), the subordinate (‘when’) clause comes after the main clause, so no comma is needed.Rule: A comma is used when a subordinate clause precedes the main clause; it is generally omitted when the subordinate clause follows the main clause.
Things to do
1. Choose an issue that has provoked a controversy like the Bhopal Gas Tragedy or the Narmada Dam Project in which the lives of the poor have been affected. 2. Find out the facts of the case. 3. Present your arguments. 4. Suggest a possible settlement.
ANSWER (sample – Bhopal Gas Tragedy)Facts: On the night of 2–3 December 1984, deadly methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal. Thousands of people died and several lakh were injured, many suffering lifelong respiratory, eye and genetic damage. The poor living in nearby settlements were the worst affected. Causes included faulty safety systems, poor maintenance and inadequate warning.Arguments: The company neglected basic safety norms and was slow to take responsibility; compensation paid was widely seen as too little and too delayed; site contamination continued for decades, polluting groundwater.Possible settlement: Adequate and prompt compensation to all victims and their families; free lifelong medical care and rehabilitation; complete clean-up of the contaminated site at the company’s cost; and strict, enforceable industrial safety laws to prevent such disasters. (Research the chosen issue and present your own arguments.)
Extra questions
Short answer
1. Who was Rajkumar Shukla and why did he meet Gandhi?
ANSWERRajkumar Shukla was a poor, illiterate but resolute indigo sharecropper from Champaran. He met Gandhi at the Lucknow Congress session to persuade him to come and see the injustice suffered by the peasants under the landlord system.
2. What was the ‘sharecropping’ arrangement in Champaran?
ANSWERMost arable land was owned by English planters and worked by Indian tenants. The peasants were compelled to plant 15 per cent of their holdings with indigo and surrender the whole harvest to the landlords as rent, under a long-term contract.
3. Why did Gandhi go to Muzaffarpur before Champaran?
ANSWERGandhi went first to Muzaffarpur to obtain more complete and reliable information about the conditions of the sharecroppers than Shukla, being illiterate, could provide. He stayed with Professor Malkani and met lawyers and peasants there.
4. What ‘conflict of duties’ did Gandhi describe in court?
ANSWERGandhi said he faced a conflict of duties: on the one hand, not to set a bad example as a lawbreaker; on the other, to render the humanitarian and national service for which he had come. He chose to obey the higher law of conscience.
5. What lesson in self-reliance did Gandhi teach the lawyers through C. F. Andrews?
ANSWERWhen the lawyers wanted the Englishman C. F. Andrews to stay and help, Gandhi opposed it. He said relying on an Englishman in this unequal fight showed weakness of heart; the cause was just and they must depend on themselves to win. Thus he taught them a lesson in self-reliance.
Long answer
6. Describe how Gandhi tackled the Champaran issue and what it reveals about his character.
ANSWERGandhi tackled Champaran with patience, method and moral firmness. He refused to act on hearsay and instead gathered facts – visiting the planters’ secretary, the commissioner, and recording the depositions of about ten thousand peasants. When ordered to leave, he disobeyed peacefully and pleaded guilty in court, ready to accept any penalty. The spontaneous support of thousands of peasants and his polite cooperation with officials left the government baffled, and the case was dropped – the first civil-disobedience victory in India. He later forced the planters to refund money but shrewdly settled for 25 per cent, prizing the moral victory over the amount. He also opened schools, arranged medical care and taught self-reliance. This reveals Gandhi as truthful, courageous, practical, selfless and deeply committed to the welfare of the common people.
7. How does ‘Indigo’ show that Gandhi’s politics were intertwined with the day-to-day problems of the people?
ANSWER‘Indigo’ shows that for Gandhi, freedom was never an abstraction but a loyalty to living human beings. Champaran did not begin as an act of political defiance; it grew out of an attempt to relieve the distress of poor peasants. Even while fighting the planters, Gandhi attended to the villagers’ everyday needs – he opened primary schools in six villages, brought in teachers and his own family to help, arranged a doctor and basic medicines, and urged cleanliness and sanitation, even down to filling old latrine trenches. He linked self-reliance, service to the poor and the struggle for independence into one. This was the typical Gandhi pattern: his politics were woven into the practical, daily problems of the millions, aimed at moulding a free and self-respecting Indian.
8. “The Champaran episode was a turning-point in Gandhi’s life.” Justify.
ANSWERChamparan was a turning-point because it marked the first successful use of civil disobedience in modern India and proved that British authority could be challenged peacefully. Gandhi himself called it an ordinary thing – merely declaring that the British could not order him about in his own country – yet its effects were far-reaching. The peasants, once gripped by fear, gained courage and confidence; thousands demonstrated spontaneously; the planters were forced to refund money and eventually abandoned their estates. It also confirmed Gandhi’s faith in truth, non-violence and self-reliance, and showed the world his unique method of leadership rooted in the problems of the common people. The episode shaped the course of India’s freedom struggle.
MCQs & Assertion–Reason
1. The chapter ‘Indigo’ is an excerpt from which book?
(a) My Experiments with Truth (b) The Life of Mahatma Gandhi (c) Discovery of India (d) Hind Swaraj
2. Rajkumar Shukla was a:
(a) lawyer (b) landlord (c) sharecropper (d) government official
3. Champaran is located in which present-day state?
(a) Uttar Pradesh (b) Bihar (c) West Bengal (d) Gujarat
4. The peasants were forced to plant indigo on what part of their holdings?
(a) 5 per cent (b) 10 per cent (c) 15 per cent (d) 25 per cent
5. Why did the landlords want compensation from the peasants?
(a) The peasants damaged the crop (b) Germany had developed synthetic indigo (c) The land had become barren (d) The peasants refused to work
6. Who later became the President of the Congress and of India?
(a) J. B. Kripalani (b) Brij Kishor Babu (c) Rajendra Prasad (d) Mahadev Desai
7. What refund did Gandhi finally agree to from the planters?
(a) 100 per cent (b) 50 per cent (c) 25 per cent (d) 15 per cent
8. In court, Gandhi said he was caught in a:
(a) conflict of duties (b) clash of interests (c) crisis of faith (d) war of words
9. Why did Gandhi oppose C. F. Andrews staying to help in Champaran?
(a) Andrews was unwell (b) It would weaken the lawyers’ self-reliance (c) Andrews was a planter (d) The court forbade it
10. The dropping of the case against Gandhi is described as the first instance in modern India of:
(a) a fair trial (b) civil disobedience triumphing (c) a peasant revolt (d) a labour strike
Assertion–Reason – choose: (a) A and R true, R explains A; (b) A and R true, R does not explain A; (c) A true, R false; (d) A false, R true.
1. Assertion (A): Gandhi agreed to go to Champaran.
Reason (R): Rajkumar Shukla followed him persistently for weeks and refused to give up.
2. Assertion (A): The servants did not allow Gandhi to draw water from the well.
Reason (R): They feared his bucket might pollute the source as he could be an untouchable.
3. Assertion (A): Gandhi demanded a full refund of the money extorted from the peasants.
Reason (R): For Gandhi the amount of refund mattered more than the principle involved.
4. Assertion (A): The spontaneous demonstration of peasants around the courthouse was significant.
Reason (R): It marked the beginning of the peasants’ liberation from fear of the British.
5. Assertion (A): Gandhi opposed taking the sharecroppers’ cases to the law courts.
Reason (R): He felt that for crushed and fear-stricken peasants the real relief was freedom from fear.
Answer key: 1-(a) Both true, R explains A. 2-(a) Both true, R explains A. 3-(d) A is false (he asked only 50 per cent, then accepted 25 per cent); R is also false in its reasoning – correctly, the principle mattered more than the amount, so the best fit is (d) A false. 4-(a) Both true, R explains A. 5-(a) Both true, R explains A.
Exam tips
Score full marks in ‘Indigo’
Remember the key facts: year 1917, place Champaran (Bihar), the 15 per cent indigo arrangement, and the 25 per cent final refund.
For value-based questions, link Gandhi’s actions to satyagraha, non-violence, self-reliance and freedom from fear.
Always mention the role of ordinary Indians (Shukla, the demonstrating peasants) when asked about contributions to the freedom movement.
In long answers, support points with brief incidents from the text rather than retelling the whole story.
Use short, relevant quotations like “The battle of Champaran is won” to add weight to your answer.
FAQs
Who wrote the chapter ‘Indigo’?
‘Indigo’ was written by Louis Fischer. It is an excerpt from his biography The Life of Mahatma Gandhi.
What is the main idea of ‘Indigo’?
It describes how Gandhi secured justice for the indigo sharecroppers of Champaran in 1917 through non-violent civil disobedience, making it a turning-point in India’s freedom struggle.
Why is Rajkumar Shukla important in the chapter?
Rajkumar Shukla, a poor and resolute sharecropper, persistently persuaded Gandhi to visit Champaran, thus setting the whole episode in motion and showing the contribution of ordinary Indians.
Questions are taken verbatim from the NCERT Flamingo textbook; summaries and answers are written originally by ClearStudy.
