What were the reasons for the success of the Indigo Revolution ?
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Answer:
The Indigo Rebellion (Neel Bidroho) took place in Bengal in 1859-60 and was a revolt by the farmers against British planters who had forced them to grow indigo under terms that were greatly unfavourable to the farmers.
Causes of the Indigo Rebellion/Revolt
Indigo cultivation started in Bengal in 1777.
Indigo was in high demand worldwide. Trade in indigo was lucrative due to the demand for blue dye in Europe.
European planters enjoyed a monopoly over indigo and they forced Indian farmers to grow indigo by signing fraudulent deals with them.
The cultivators were forced to grow indigo in place of food crops.
They were advanced loans for this purpose. Once the farmers took loans, they could never repay it due to the high rates of interest.
The tax rates were also exorbitant.
The farmers were brutally oppressed if they could not pay the rent or refused to do as asked by the planters.
They were forced to sell indigo at non-profitable rates so as to maximize the European planters’ profits.
If a farmer refused to grow indigo and planted paddy instead, the planters resorted to illegal means to get the farmer to grow indigo such as looting and burning crops, kidnapping the farmer’s family members, etc.
The government always supported the planters who enjoyed many privileges and judicial immunities.
Indigo Rebellion
The indigo farmers revolted in the Nadia district of Bengal by refusing to grow indigo. They attacked the policemen who intervened. The planters, in response to this, increased the rents and evicted the farmers which led to more agitations.
In April 1860, all the farmers in the Barasat division of the districts Nadia and Pabna went on a strike and refused to grow indigo.
The strike spread to other parts of Bengal.
The farmers were led by the Biswas brothers of Nadia, Rafiq Mondal of Malda and Kader Molla of Pabna. The revolt also received support from many zamindars notably Ramrattan Mullick of Narail.
The revolt was suppressed and many farmers were slaughtered by the government and some of the zamindars.
The revolt was backed by the Bengali intelligentsia, Muslims and the missionaries. The whole of the rural population supported the revolt.
The press also supported the revolt and played its part in portraying the plight of the farmers and fighting for their cause.
The play Nil Darpan (The Mirror of Indigo) by Dinabandhu Mitra written in 1858 – 59 portrayed the farmers’ situation accurately. It showed how farmers were coerced into planting indigo without adequate payment. The play became a talking point and it urged the Bengali intelligentsia to lend support to the indigo revolt. Reverend James Long translated the play into English on the authority by the Secretary to the Governor of Bengal, W S Seton-Karr. The planters who were treated as villains in the play sued Rev. Long for libel. Rev. Long was pronounced guilty and had to pay Rs.1000 as compensation and serve a month in prison.
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