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Religion, Practice and Science of Non-Violence
Having stated the principles and practice of satyagraha, we shall now discuss some specific instances of satyagraha. Here again we will see the outcome of such struggles and the factors that influenced them. Champaran Satyagraha 1917: Champaran is a district of the Tirhut division in Bihar, India. The peasants there were compelled by law to allot 15 per cent of their total land for indigo cultivation.
One of these oppressed peasants invited Gandhi to investigate the conditions of the workers on the indigo plantations. After he arrived there, Gandhi began his inquiry without much publicity, but the planters resented his activities. there and persuaded the District Magistrate that the presence of Gandhi was dangerous to the peace of the district. The Magistrate served an eviction notice on Gandhi. Gandhi replied that he had come there from a sense of duty, and was doing nothing but carefully and quietly ascertaining facts. He further stated that he intended to stay and would gladly submit to any penalty for disobedience.
Gandhi was summoned to the court and tried. The brief statement that he made on that historic occasion has since become a classical summation of satyagraha. He said, “With the permission of the court, I would like to make a brief statement showing why I have taken the very serious step of seemingly disobeying the order passed under Section 144 of Cr. P.C. In my humble opinion it is a question of difference of opinion between the local administration and myself. I have entered the country with motives of rendering humanitarian and national service. I have done so in response to a pressing invitation to come and help the ryots, who urge they are not being fairly treated by the indigo planters. I could not render any help without studying the problem. I have, therefore, come to study it with the assistance, if possible, of the Administration and the planters. I have no other motive, and cannot believe that my coming can in any way disturb public peace and cause loss of life. I claim to have considerable experience in such matters. The Administration, however, have thought differently. I fully appreciate their difficulty, and I admit too that they can proceed upon information they received. As a law-abiding citizen my first instinct would be,
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