NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 3 Ruling the countryside

Class 8 History Chapter 3 Ruling the countryside InText Questions and Answers

Activity (Page 28)

Question 1.
Why do you think Colebrook is concerned with the conditions of the under-ryots in Bengal? Read the preceding pages and suggest possible reasons.
Answer:

After the Company was given ‘Diwani’ of Bengal, the Company got an opportunity to obtain huge land revenues.
But, the policy of the Company was not appropriate. It followed a policy which left the tenants helpless.
Tenants were not in a condition to pay the rents increased by zamindars.
If they did not pay the rent, they had to loose the piece of land they had been tilling for generations. On the other hand, if they wanted to pay rent, they had to take loans.
They were not in a position to pay back their loans because after paying rent, they had not enough money even to run their household.
So, the tenants were being trapped in a cycle of indebtedness.
The Company or zamindars did not care about the improvement of land. This further worsened the situation.
So, Colebrook’s concerns about the under-ryots are right. He could see that Company’s policy was in favour of none. All the parties, i.e., the Company, zamindars and tenants were going to be adversely affected by this policy.

Activity (Page 30)

Question 1.
Imagine that you are a Company representative sending a report back to England about the conditions in rural areas under Company rule. What would you write?
Answer:
To
The Board of Directors,
EIC, London.
Sir,
In the light of the Company’s policy in India, especially in the rural areas, I have to say the following :

(1) The Company has made a policy of permanent settlement with the zamindars. This will provide a definite and regular supply of revenue to the Company.

(2) The zamindars are asked to take care of their tenants. They have been directed to do enough for the improvement of land.

(3) People in the rural areas are leading a peaceful life. They are slowly becoming law-abiding people. The law and order situation is satisfactory.

(4) Farmers have been provided with the required irrigation facilities. They have been asked to focus on some crops which the Company needs for its trade.

(5) The farmers are being given payment in advance for the crops they grow for the Company. They are satisfied with their returns.

(6) Small scale industries have been amply supported by the Company. The weavers are being provided loans, both for machines and tools and for raw materials.

(7) The Company has made contracts with them that they will sell their clothes only to the Company at the price mentioned in the contract.

(8) The overall situation in the Company ruled areas is satisfactory. The conditions seem satisfactory and promising to me both for the common people and the Company.
R. Hudson
Company Representative in India

Activity (Page 36)

Question 1.
Imagine you are a witness giving evidence before the Indigo Commission. W.S, Seton Karr asks you “On what condition will ryots grow indigo?” What will your answer be ?
Answer:
Mr. Karr: On what conditions will ryots grow indigo?
My Answer : Sir, however, under the existing policy, I do not think that farmers would be willing to grow indigo, but if following terms are satisfied, they may grow indigo.

They are given loans at lower rate for raw materials and tools.
Once the crop is harvested, they are given reasonable price for their crops.
They are not compelled to grow indigo on the whole piece of land they have. They should be permitted to grow food crops as well.
If crop fails, they should be given relief loans and also the previous loan should be waived off.

Let’s imagine (Page 38)

Question 1.
Imagine a conversation between a planter and a peasant who is being forced to grow indigo. What reasons would the planter give to persuade the peasant? What problems would the peasant point out? Enact their conversation.
Answer:
Planter: Look, you are in trouble. We want to help you. We will give you loan in advance. You just grow indigo for us.
Peasant: No, sorry. I cannot do this. It leaves nothing for me to meet my family’s needs.
Planter: We can provide you seed and drill. It costs you nothing.
Peasant: Why? I have to spend a long time in the field. You people do not allow me to grow some food crops for my family. Also, almost all my family members had to take care of Indigo plants. When it comes to the time of selling, you give us a low price.
Planter: No, the same is given every¬where. We give you what actually your crops deserve.
Peasant: So, what? This is not enough to meet my needs. Also land becomes infertile. If I try to grow rice on such piece of land, I cannot. Sorry, in no way it is profitable for us.
Planter: O.K. This time we shall increase the price of your crops.
Peasant: No, sir. Even then we have to pay a large amount towards the loan. Also, we have to buy rice, wheat, etc. from the rest amount. This much you can’t give.
Planter: We assure you a fair price of your crop.
Peasant: What about the next year? What if the crop fails? Sorry, in fact, indigo farming is not profitable for us. We can’t do this.

Class 8 History Chapter 3 Ruling the Countryside Exercise Questions and Answers

Let’s recall

Question 1.
Match the following :

Ryot	Village
Mahal	Peasant
Nij	Cultivation on ryot’s lands
ryot’s	Cultivation on planter’s own land

Answer:

Ryot	Peasant
Mahal	Village
Nij	Cultivation on planter’s own land
ryot’s	Cultivation on ryot’s lands

Question 1.
Fill in the blanks :
(a) Growers of woad in Europe saw ______ as a crop which would provide competition to their earnings.
Answer:
Indigo

(b) The demand for indigo increased in late-eighteenth-century Britain because of ______
Answer:
Industrialization

(d) The Champaran movement was against ______.
Answer:
Indigo planters.

Let’s discuss

Question 3.
Describe the main features of the Permanent Settlement.
Answer:
Following were the main features of the Permanent Settlement :

The rajas and taluqdars were recognized as zamindars.
They were responsible for collecting revenue from peasants and paying to the Company.
Revenue demand was permanently fixed.

Question 4.
How was the mahalwari system different from the Permanent Settlement?
Answer:

On the one hand, under the Permanent Settlement, the revenue was determined as per the landholdings of the individual peasant, on the other hand, in the Mahalwari system revenue was to be paid by a village called mahal.
In Permanent Settlement, the revenue was fixed and there was no provision of any revision in future, whereas in the Mahalwari system, the revenue was to be revised periodically.
In Permanent Settlement, the responsibility of revenue collection was in the hands of zamindars, whereas in the Mahalwari system, this responsibility was given to the village headman.

Question 5.
Give two problems which arose with the new Munro system of fixing revenue.
Answer:
Problems caused by the New Munro System of fixing Revenue:

Within a few years, after the Munro system was imposed, it was felt that all was not well with them.
The revenue officials fixed too high a revenue demand.
Peasants were not able to pay.
Ryots fled the countryside.
Villages became deserted in many regions.
It was felt that the new systems would transform the peasants into rich farmers, but it failed to happen.

Question 6.
Why were ryots reluctant to grow indigo?
Answer:
Following were the reasons for the ryots were reluctant to grow indigo :

They were given loans to grow crops but when crops were harvested, they were compelled to sell them at lower prices. With this price they were unable to pay loans, thus, fell into a cycle of indebtedness.
They had to grow indigo on a fixed part of their land. So, for other crops, they had small pieces of land left. Hence, their food grain needs were not met with.
Also, the cultivation of indigo required the most fertile land. The lands left were not suitable for growing other crops.
Indigo cultivation required extra labour and time. So, they did not have enough time and labour spared for food crops.

Question 7.
What were the circumstances which led to the eventual collapse of indigo production in Bengal?
Answer:
Circumstances leading to Eventual Collapse of Indigo production in Bengal:

In March 1859, Ryots in Bengal refused to grow indigo and also refused to pay rents to the planters.
Local zamindars and village headmen began to favour them and attacked factories and the gomasthas.
The British government was worried about another revolt after 1857 so the Lieutenant Governor toured the region.
This along with magistrate Ashley Eden’s notice, that ryot could not be compelled to grow indigo, was seen as sympathy.
The government brought in the military and set up the Indigo Commission to inquire into the system of indigo production.
The commission held the planters guilty of coercive methods.
It declared indigo production was not profitable for ryots.
It asked ryots to fulfill present contracts and that they can refuse future production.
After this revolt indigo production in Bengal collapsed.

Let’s do

Question 8.
Find out more about the Champaran movement and Mahatma Gandhi’s role in it.
Answer:
Champaran is a district in the present-day state of Bihar. Here, during the colonial period, tens of thousands of landless labourers and poor farmers were forced to grow indigo and other cash crops. These crops were grown at the cost of food crops necessary for their survival. Their produce was bought from them at a very low price. Merely, they were given any compensation.

The people in Champaran were living in extreme poverty. Their villages were kept extremely dirty and unhygienic. Alcoholism, untouchability, purdah, etc. were prevailing there. Most of the landlords were British. They never cared of the life the farmers were leading. On the one hand, when farmers and general public were facing the famine, the British landlords levied an oppressive tax. They insisted this tax should be increased. The situation was desperate. In this situation, a local farmer Raj Kumar Shukla invited Gandhiji to Champaran.

Gandhi visited Champaran. He had a detailed study and survey of the villages. He accounted for the atrocities of the landlords and the terrible sufferings of the people. He ran drives to clean-up villages, building schools and hospitals. He encouraged the village leadership to abolish ill social and individual practices. With the help of many leaders like Brajkishore Prasad, Rajendra Prasad, Anugrah Narayan Singh, J.L. Nehru and many others, he fought against the atrocities of the indigo- landlords. It was the first Satyagrah he ever staged in India.

Gandhiji was arrested on the charge of creating unrest. He was ordered to leave the province. His arrest was protested by hundreds of thousands of people. They rallied outside the jail and police stations. Till now people had identified file power of Satyagraha. They demanded the release of Gandhiji from the courts.

People under the leadership of Gandhi staged protests and strikes against the landlords. Finally, the landlords, under the pressure of the British Government, had to sign an agreement granting more compensation and control over farming for the poor farmers of the region. They had to cancel the revenue hike and collection until the famine ends.

The poor farmers ultimately emerged victoriously. Gandhi’s experiment of Satyagraha was successful, which he repeated at later stage to win freedom for us.

Question 9.
Look into the history of either tea or coffee plantations in India. See how the life of workers in these plantations was similar to or different from that of workers in indigo plantations.
Answer:
(1) Accounts of earlier Indian history do not mention the use of tea or its cultivation . We get a mention by a Dutch sea-traveller in 1598 that tea is being eaten as well as druck in India.

(2) In 1824, tea plants were discovered in the hills of the Indian state of Assam. The British introduced tea culture into India in 1836. India had been the top producer of tea for nearly a century.

(3) The workers in the tea plantations were oppressed. They were given low wages. There were poor housing and a lack of social mobility. For- making more profits, the tea planters reclaimed wastelands where the, workers had to labour hard to develop , plantation. For this, the planters introduced an indentured labour system. The local, as well as outside labourers, were employed under contracts. There were two types of indentured labour system – Arkatti and Sardari.

(4) Under Arkatti system, unlicensed 1recruitment was carried from Chhotanagpur and other tribal areas of the sub-continent. Under the Sardari system new labourers were employed by those who were already employed in the plantation gardens.

(5) The labourers had to work hard. The outside labourers had to stay in the garden for a longer period. They were not permitted to meet their family, even on occasions. They were exploited in many ways. They were not allowed to leave the plantation garden during the contract period.

(6) The labourers in the tea plantations and indigo farming were similar in the way that they were exploited heavily. The profit was made by the owners and the labourers got almost nothing. They were different in the way that, however, there was a contract with the planters, but indigo workers were not under indentured labour system.