Colours are more than aesthetics – they are intrinsically woven into our garments, enmesh our lives in food and occupy a place of significance in our history. Neel (in Hindi or Bengali) or the indigo blue is one such colour! The colour is associated with iconic events of Indian history known as neel bidroho (the blue revolt) in Bengal and years later with the Champaran movement that shaped India's independence movement.
Indigo was traded as a highly valuable commodity in the colonial trade system in the 18th-19th century. The cultivation of indigo fera tinctoria plant, the process of extraction of indigo, the production of the indigo cakes, the use of indigo as a dyeing technique and its popularity as a trade item converted this colour into what was known as ‘blue gold’ – a commodity more valuable than gold!
Indian indigo was valued as a premium dye and the colonial trade system mandated that farmers grow the crop on borrowed land and were paid much less than the market value for their produce. In Bengal, the enforcement of indigo cultivation was implemented through a loan system which trapped farmers into a debt cycle. Brutal force was also used against farmers to coerce them into growing indigo that could be traded to England. The oppression of the farmers led to the neel bidroho or the blue revolt in Bengal. The revolt led to the formation of the Indigo Commission in 1860 to enquire into the oppressive system of indigo cultivation and trade. Detailed information with archival pictures, on the oppression, the revolt, the findings of the Indigo Commission are available here
Indigo became a mass mobiliser again when Mahatma Gandhi visited Champaran, Bihar in 1917 to address the grievances of the indigo cultivators. The Champaran events of April 1917 against Gandhi and the peasants led to the emergence of the satyagraha or civil disobedience movement. When the Government charged Gandhi for causing civil unrest, Gandhi argued that his intention was not to invoke any agitation but to stand in support of the suffering of the indigo cultivators of Champaran. He declared his willingness to go to jail as an act of solidarity with the peasants and an act of outrage against the oppressive indigo production practices of the colonial state. The civil disobedience movement became a hallmark strategy of the struggle for India’s independence…& it all started with the colour indigo!
Further interesting blogs on Indigo
Mark Cartwright (2022) Indigo Revolt World History Encyclopaedia
Catherine Gilon (2020) Indigo the Story of India’s Blue Gold Aljazeera
Rosie Lesso, Indigo in India: The colour of desire, The Thread
Indigo Revolt in Bengal , Indian Culture, National Virtual Library of India
Gandhi’s Satyagraha in Champaran, Indian Culture, National Virtual Library of India
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