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When the crop was delivered to the planter after the harvest, a new loan was given to the ryot, and the cycle started all over again. Peasants who were initially tempted by the loans soon realised how harsh the system was. The price they got for the indigo they produced was very low and the cycle of loans never ended. There were other problems too. The planters usually insisted that indigo be cultivated on the best soils in which peasants preferred to cultivate rice. Indigo, moreover, had deep roots and it exhausted the soil rapidly. After an indigo harvest the land could not be Source 2 sown with rice. The “Blue Rebellion” and After A song from an In March 1859, thousands of ryots in Bengal refused indigo-producing to grow indigo. As the rebellion spread, ryots refused village to pay rents to the planters, and attacked indigo factories armed with swords and spears, bows and In the moments of arrows. Women turned up to fight with pots, pans struggle, people often and kitchen implements. Those who worked for the sing songs to inspire each planters were socially boycotted, and the gomasthas – other and to build a sense agents of planters – who came to collect rent were of collective unity. Such beaten up. Ryots swore they would no longer take songs give us a glimpse advances to sow indigo nor be bullied by the planters’ of their feelings. During lathiyals – the lathi-wielding strongmen maintained by the indigo rebellion, the planters. many such songs could Why did the indigo peasants decide that they would no be heard in the villages longer remain silent? What gave them the power to rebel? of lower Bengal. Here is Clearly, the indigo system was intensely oppressive. But one such song: those who are oppressed do not always rise up in rebellion. The long lathis They do so only at times. wielded by the In 1859, the indigo ryots felt that they had the support planter of Mollahati / of the local zamindars and village headmen in their now lie in a cluster rebellion against the planters. In many villages, headmen The babus of Kolkata who had been forced to sign indigo contracts, mobilised have sailed down /to the indigo peasants and fought pitched battles with the see the great fight lathiyals. In other places even the zamindars went around villages urging the ryots to resist the planters. These This time the raiyats zamindars were unhappy with the increasing power of the are all ready, / they will no longer be planters and angry at being forced by the planters to give beaten in silence them land on long leases. The indigo peasants also imagined that the British They will no longer give up their life / government would support them in their struggle without fighting the against the planters. After the Revolt of 1857, the lathiyals. British government was particularly worried about the possibility of another popular rebellion. When the news spread of a simmering revolt in the indigo districts, RULING THE COUNTRYSIDE 35 Reprint 2024-25