Indigo About the author

About the author

Louis Fischer (1896-1970) was an American journalist and writer born in Philadelphia. He served as a volunteer in the British Army from 1918 to 1920. Fischer had a distinguished career as a journalist, contributing to prominent publications such as The New York Times and The Saturday Review, as well as European and Asian journals. He was also a faculty member at Princeton University. Fischer is well-known for his book, The Life of Mahatma Gandhi, which has been acclaimed as one of the best biographies of Gandhi, notably praised by the Times Educational Supplement. The excerpt in this chapter is taken from this book, providing a detailed account of Gandhi's involvement in the Champaran indigo farmers' struggle.

• Louis Fischer was an American journalist and writer born in 1896.
• He served in the British Army between 1918 and 1920.
• Fischer wrote for major publications including The New York Times.
• He was a faculty member at Princeton University.
• His book, The Life of Mahatma Gandhi, is highly regarded.
• The chapter excerpt is from Fischer's biography of Gandhi.
• 📌 Biography: A detailed description of a person's life.
• 📌 Journalist: A person who writes for newspapers or magazines.
• 📌 Ashram: A spiritual hermitage or a community place for religious retreat.

Gandhi's First Meeting with Rajkumar Shukla

In December 1916, during the Indian National Congress annual convention held in Lucknow, Gandhi met Rajkumar Shukla, a poor and emaciated sharecropper from Champaran, Bihar. Shukla was illiterate but determined, and he urged Gandhi to visit Champaran to investigate the exploitation of peasants under the British landlord system. Despite Gandhi's busy schedule and commitments to travel to other parts of India, Shukla persistently followed him, even accompanying him to Cawnpore and back to his ashram near Ahmedabad. This persistence impressed Gandhi, who eventually agreed to visit Champaran. This meeting marked the beginning of Gandhi's active involvement in the peasants' struggle against the oppressive indigo plantation system.

• Gandhi met Rajkumar Shukla at the 1916 Congress session in Lucknow.
• Shukla was a poor, illiterate sharecropper from Champaran.
• He urged Gandhi to visit Champaran to address peasant grievances.
• Shukla persistently followed Gandhi despite his busy schedule.
• Gandhi was impressed by Shukla's determination and agreed to visit.
• This meeting initiated Gandhi's direct involvement in Champaran.
• 📌 Sharecropper: A tenant farmer who gives a part of each crop as rent.
• 📌 Landlord system: A system where landowners lease land to tenants under often exploitative terms.
• 📌 Emaciated: Abnormally thin or weak, especially because of illness or lack of food.