Indigo Movement During British Rule In India (part:3)

  

    Indigo Movement in India (Bengal) 

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The agitation covered a large area of Bengal, but it has no central leadership, Area-wise leadership was emerged, among them Mr, Bisnu Chandra Biswas and Mr. Digamber Biswas of Chowgacha In Jessore were very much eminent, The peasants of Chowgacha attacked on some indigo Khuties and ransacked them, Most of the indigo Businessmen flew away left their Khuties and properties, Some Businessmen died sudden attack, Thus the Indigo cultivation in Jessore, Khulna, Nadia, 24 Pargana, Pabna and Faridpure was almost collapsed,

  Indigo Tree

In that time, The Lord of Bengal province Mr. Grant went in launch on Kumer and Kaliganga rivers in Jessore and Faripure area as his un-official travel, The Lord saw thousands of peasants on the bank of Kumer river, who asked the captain to land the launch at the bank, The Lard was astonished to see the gathering and felt fear anticipating danger, He ordered captain not to land the launch, Then the agitator peasants jumped in river and caught the launch, Eventually the Lord was bound to lanpeasans asked the Lard to declare stopping indigo cultivation in Bengal, The Lard was compelled to promise to declare stopping indigo cultivation,

The British Govt, made an ‘Indigo Commission’ for reviewing the actual situation, after getting report, the British Govt, made an Act, where an article was “Indigo cultivation is hereby forbidding without will of the peasants” Thus the agitation ended with a great success for that time, after proclamation of this act, most of the factories were declared closed, only some were continuing with the consent of the peasants,

 In 1889, one indigo Businessmen Mr. Dumbell of Bijlia area of Jessore again started oppression on the peasants, the peasants of 48 villages gathered for agitation under the leadership of Zaminder Mr. Bondhu Bihari and his brother Mr. Bashanta Kumer of soshtibir area, the peasants attacked the Khuti and bound to surrender Mr.Dumbell, Then British Govt. formed one ‘Arbitrary Board’ for reviewing the situation of indigo cultivation, getting  information from Bengal, The board considered the situation  of peasants movement logical and suggested for increasing price of raw indigo,

 Indigo Tree

Meanwhile, the synthetic indigo was invented in 1895, So automatically indigo cultivation lost its priority and almost all factories went in lay-out, Eventually indigo cultivation and its Business were closed perpetually in Bengal,

Indigo Movement During British Rule In India (part:2)

   Indigo Movement in India (Bengal)

  To see first part Click Here

In 1833 the British Govt, proclaimed ‘Purchasing of Plantation Land’ Act, This act helped the indigo Businessmen a lot, The British brought the slaves from the West Indian Islands to Bengal and Bihar province, The slaves were engaged mostly in indigo cultivation and in some cases in Tea plantation . Then the Businessmen purchased Taluks and Zamiderry for indigo cultivation and become Zaminder in Bengal, for example : the Bengal Indigo Company bought 594 villages in Jessore and Nadia and become Zaminder,

 Indigo Tree

The sufferer peasants lost their paddy land and price of paddy went up due to indigo cultivation, So they submitted one petition to the British Lord for stopping indigo cultivation, But it could not able to bring any positive result, Then the peasants moves village to village for creating peasant’s opinion for stopping indigo cultivation , It took 15 years to motivate and gather the sufferer peasants, In that 2 large revolts occurred in India, One is Santal Revolt in Bihar in 1855 and other is Sipoy Revolt in all over India in 18857, These tow Revolts made the British govt, a bit afraid, Then the indigo peasants geared their agitation,

The obsessed British took some cautious measures, The Magistrate of Barashat Mr. Eden circulated huge pamphlets in Bengali starting that “The contract signing for indigo cultivation is not mandatory for the peasants, but it is on will of the peasants” after circulation of this paper, a large number of peasants stopped indigo cultivation, The result was, the Kathgora indigo factory of Jessore was declared lay-out getting no indifo raw materials, The British indigo Businessmen were in frustration and anxiety and sent one petition to the British Lord to protect this Business, British lord was in a dilemma,

 Indigo Tree

In 1862, the agitation  of peasants was continuing in full swing, The agitation erupted in all north and south Bengal, The Zaminders and the educated middleclass suppored this agitation for the first time, because they did not get any profit from this business, Besides, the Sipoy Revolt made them aware for keeping Zamindery and status, Mr. Harish Mukharjee wrote many articles in ‘The Hindu Patriot’ paper against indigo cultivation and oppression of the British Businessmen, Moreover, Mr. Din Bondhu Mitra wrote a drama named ‘Nil Darpan’ where the picture of oppression was vividly expressed, This drama was translated on English and sent to British Parliament In Britain, The Members of parliament also condemned that type of oppression,

Indigo Movement During British Rule In India (part:1)

Indigo Movement in India (Bengal)

The land o Bengal was very much appropriate and fertile for indigo cultivation, One French man name ‘Lui Bonno’ cultivated indigo in Nadia district in 1777, Seeing this the British Businessmen  stated indigo cultivation in Nadia, Jessor Dhaka, Pabna, Rangpur and in Faridpur district in 1788, Gradually they increased the cultivation areas troughout Bangladesh, At first the British took lease the land and cultivated indigo by the hired Bengalee laborers,

 Indigo Tree

The British businessmen made some houses, farms and factories for raw indigo buying, crashing, processing and packaging, those farms were called ‘Nil Kuthi’ the businessmen has some gunmen guards in the farms, Besides many hired people (Bengalee) was their permanent laborers who resided in factory areas in some tin sheds, Then become full-fledged factories,

The wage of the laborers was very poor according to their labor, so the laborers refused to give their labor in this field, Therefore the British took another technique to continue their indigo business, they gave money to the peasants earlier of cultivation in this condition that the peasants will sell their raw product to the British businessmen, There was a signed contract paper between the peasants and the British businessmen, The peasants could not understand the fraudulent intention of the British Businessmen earlier, According to the contract, the British Businessmen set the Value (rate) of the raw indigo and that was very less value than the market value, The peasants protested on the rate of Businessmen for their raw indigo, But the Businessmen shows them the condition written in contract paper, where they were bound to sell to them, Thus the peasants lost their actual value of indigo, Besides, most of the cases the businessmen used to take interest on their earlier paid money, This type of pre- paid cash called ‘Dadon Money’ , This Business was considered most profitable to the British Businessmen,

Most of the cases the Businessmen imposed fore to take  Dadon Money to the peasants, who were actually unwilling, The Businessmen chose the best ground for cultivating indigo, which also was a cause of anger to the indigo peasants, Moreover, The peasants were bound to bribe to the manager to get rest amount of the indigo price, If any peasant denied taking Dadon Money from the Businessmen, He was made bound by striking hunter (baton) and other punishment like jail or house burning, Besides, the female members of the peasants also were under various kinds of oppression and abusing, Some Eminent writers compared the condition of the indigo peasants of Bengal with the condition of the slaves in USA,

For smooth running of indigo business, The British Businessmen made some ‘Concern’ which was made as a society of some Khuties in a region, In all concern had an indigo manufacturing factory, where indigo processing and packeging machines were present, which were not found in all Khuties, That was a period, when England was famous for textile mills, where demand of indigo as growing fast, It is said that all demand of indigo of England could be fulfilled from Bangladesh,

The Young Bengal Movement ; History of India(part:4)

   

The Young Bengal Movement 

we are discussing  about The Young Bengal Movement of India. for   first part Click Here 

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Anti propaganda Against the Young Bengal Movement

That was a period of education-less society and dominated by the Zaminders, so very soon they started propaaganda against the Young Bengal Movement, Their propaganda were as follows:

1)  The anti- persons said that the Derozio was a son of Christian and he is trying to abolish the most scientific and ancient Hindu religion becouse The Young Bengals were inspired and excited by the spirit of free thought and revolt against the existing social and religious structure of Hindu society. A number of Derozians were attracted to the Brahmo Samaj movement much later in life when they had lost their youthful fire and excitement. As one scholar characterized it:

 "The Young Bengal movement was like a mighty storm that tried to sweep away everything before it. It was a storm that lashed society with violence causing some good, and perhaps naturally, some discomfort and distress."

The Young Bengal Movement peripherally included Christians such as Reverend Alexander Duff (1806–1878), who founded the General Assembly's Institution, and his students like Lal Behari Dey (1824–1892), who went on to renounce Hinduism. Latter-day inheritors of the legacy of the Young Bengal Movement include scholars like Brajendra Nath Seal (1864–1938), who went on to be one of the leading theologians and thinkers of the Brahmo Samaj.

2)  All the students of the Hindu college had diverted into Christian religion, they are no more Hindu, so they are now tainting the Hindu  religion,

3) The scholars of the western world are mostly Christian or infidels, they have no religion at all, Therefore, we can not even discuss the world of infidels, which will direct us in the way of the hell,

4)  The female-folk are created by the God for the service of Male-folk, so their education is not necessary , Besides, the devils are always with the women-folk, so as soon they will be married; the society will be in peace, Thus marriage within 9 years is the best family law of the God, The Christians are in polygamy and polyandry, They have spoiled their society and now ro ruin our society,

Conclusion:

The Zaminders and Brahmeeens are always presented their adverse comments against the Young Bengal Movement, But the history says, The Young Bengal Movement  was the first society in this country who made the people’s habit to rad the philosophy of the eminent personalities,

They learn to think, express, motivate and protest against the superstitions, History more says, the Young Bengal Movement started Renesans in this country in nineteenth century, which made our people more advanced in the context of all kind socio-economic and political development, free thinking and free expressing are their major contribution,

Though they were free thinker But religiously they were in depressed and the people of this sub continent are so religious, so this the main fact of to be the people against them,