The lesson Indigo describes the leadership qualities of Gandhi. It describes how he used tact, negotiation and tacit argumentation to secure justice for the oppressed people of Champaran.
Gandhi was a man of few words and he used them with tact and skill. Take for example the manner in which he convinced the lawyers to stay back and go to prison with him in Motihari. When the Lawyers felt that Gandhi might be arraigned or arrested for contravening the Police Superintendant's order to quit Champaran, "They conferred with Gandhi. What would they do if he was sentenced to prison, Gandhi asked." They replied that if he went to jail, there would be nobody to advise and they would go back home. To this Gandhi, asked them "What about the injustice to the sharecroppers"? This was enough to make the lawyers feel ashamed of abandoning the cause of the sharecroppers and Gandhi. They realised that if they left Gandhi, it would be tantamount to "shameful desertion". After all, Gandhi who did not belong to Champaran was ready to go to jail for the peasants whom he did not know while they, the lawyers who belonged to Champaran were not even ready to do so though they belonged to the district.
Gandhi was ever the negotiator. His skills in convincing others come to the fore especially when we are told that he had four protracted interviews with Edward Gait, the Lieutenant Governor of the province. It was a result of his persistence and his ability to convince the other that the Lieutenant Governor agreed to the constitution of an inquiry commission into the plight of the sharecroppers. One remarkable evidence of Gandhi's skill as a leader is the fact that in the official commission, Gandhi was the sole representative of the peasants and yet he could take matters towards their final conclusion.
Gandhi's acumen as a leader is yet again reflected in the incident where the landlords try to enter into a deadlock with him about the percentage of the amount to be paid back to the peasants. They, the landlords had believed that Gandhi would demand the full amount. He asked only 50 %. To this they tried to bargain further, they offered 25 %. Surprisingly, Gandhi agreed, thus pre-empting the landlords' tactics.
In yet another example from the lesson, Gandhi's lawyer friends thought it would a good idea to get Charles Freer Andrews, an English Pacifist to join their movement. Gandhi "vehemently opposed' the idea. He said, 'This shows the weakness of your heart. The cause is just and you must not seek a prop in Mr Andrews because he happens to be an Englishman." It is clear that Gandhi had through this incident attempted, like a true leader to teach his followers, the lawyers "a lesson in self-reliance."
Gandhi, therefore, was a leader who led through example ( he was ready to go to jail for the peasants), he was tactful, mature, he was a teacher who taught his followers important lessons (lessons in self-reliance), he chided the lawyers and convinced them that taking the peasants to court and charging fees would only confuse them further.
Important extract-based questions
2. Why did Gandhi oppose the idea put forth by his lawyer friends?
Answer: he believed it would make them seem weak and helpless. He would appear as a ‘prop’ in their struggle for independence for the country.
3. What lesson was Gandhi able to teach his lawyer friends through this episode?
Answer: Gandhi had been able to teach his lawyer friends a lesson in self-reliance. He taught them to be self-confident and to have faith in their cause which was according to him a ‘just’ cause.
4. How does this anecdote shed light on Gandhi’s qualities as a leader?
Answer: This anecdote shows how Gandhi chose to lead by setting examples and his uncanny ability to “read” the minds of his followers. He never imposed his ideas on others but made others see logic and reason in his ideas.
You might also like to read:
1.https://rodrickwrites.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-relevance-of-gandhis-experiment.html
2.https://rodrickwrites.blogspot.com/2014/02/why-was-champaran-episode-turning-point.html
Important extract-based questions
Gandhi’s lawyer friends thought it would be a good idea for Andrews to stay in Champaran and help them. Andrews was willing if Gandhi agreed. But Gandhi was vehemently opposed. He said, “You have an Englishman on our side. This shows the weakness of your heart. The cause is just and you must rely upon yourselves to win the battle. You should not seek a prop in Mr Andrews because he happens to be an Englishman”.
“He had read our minds correctly,” Rajendra Prasad comments, “and we had no reply…”
1. Who was Andrews?
Answer: Charles Freer Andrews (also known as Deen Bandhu) was an English Pacifist and a devoted follower of Gandhi.2. Why did Gandhi oppose the idea put forth by his lawyer friends?
Answer: he believed it would make them seem weak and helpless. He would appear as a ‘prop’ in their struggle for independence for the country.
3. What lesson was Gandhi able to teach his lawyer friends through this episode?
Answer: Gandhi had been able to teach his lawyer friends a lesson in self-reliance. He taught them to be self-confident and to have faith in their cause which was according to him a ‘just’ cause.
4. How does this anecdote shed light on Gandhi’s qualities as a leader?
Answer: This anecdote shows how Gandhi chose to lead by setting examples and his uncanny ability to “read” the minds of his followers. He never imposed his ideas on others but made others see logic and reason in his ideas.
You might also like to read:
1.https://rodrickwrites.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-relevance-of-gandhis-experiment.html
2.https://rodrickwrites.blogspot.com/2014/02/why-was-champaran-episode-turning-point.html
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