Question

Explain the method ‘Bigha’ for indigo cultivation.

Answer 1

Answer:

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Explanation:

Tinkathia was the system under which the native peasants of Champaran (Bihar) were forced to cultivate three kathaa Indigo out of every 20 kathaa (Bigha) of land. A Bigha is a popular land holding in Bihar and it is little less than an Acre. Champaran is a district which comes under the state Bihar.

Answer 2

Bigha – A unit of land measurement. Before the British rule, the size of this area differed. In Bengal the British standardised it to about 1/3rd of an acre.

Explanation:

• 2 key indigo cultivation systems were present – "nij and ryoti". The planter produced indigo directly in the method of nij cultivation in land which he had control of. Either he purchased the land or leased it from other zamindars and produced indigo by hiring hired workers directly.
• Only on fertile land could Indigo be cultivated, and most of the fertile lands were were densely populated. There could only be small plots that were scattered throughout the landscape. In order to grow indigo in plantations, planters needed a wide area in compact blocks.
• They tried to rent the land in the indigo factory and expel farmers from the countryside. But this always resulted in tension and conflict. It was not easy to mobilize labour. A large plantation required the operation of a large number of hands. And work was exactly needed at a time when farmers were, often busy cultivating their rice.
• Several bullocks & ploughs were necessary  for Nij cultivate Nij on a large scale. Two ploughs were required for "one bigha" of "indigo cultivation". That meant a a "planter" with One thousand bighas would need two thousand ploughs. An enormous problem was investment in the procurement and maintenance of ploughs. Furthermore supplies could  not be very easily obtained from peasants   because their bullocks & ploughs were occupied on their rice fields, just at the time they were required by the indigo planters.
• Thus, planters refused to expand the field under nij cultivation until the late nineteenth century. Under this system there were less than 25% of the land that was producing indigo.