Previous Year Question

Under the Tinkathia System, the peasants of Champaran were required to cultivate indigo on 3/20 of their land.

Under this system prevalent in Bihar, 3 kathas out of 20 kathas in one bigha of land were reserved for indigo cultivation. Therefore, it was called the Tinkathia System. In other words, a cultivator had to grow indigo on 3/20 of his holding.

The system was imposed upon the peasants of Champaran by European indigo planters. Peasants were generally compelled to cultivate indigo on this portion of their land instead of growing food crops of their choice and received comparatively low compensation for it.

Mahatma Gandhi reached Champaran in 1917 and investigated the grievances of the peasants. Raj Kumar Shukla had played an important role in drawing Gandhiji's attention to the problems of the indigo cultivators of Champaran. Gandhiji collected statements from a large number of peasants and studied their conditions.

The government subsequently constituted the Champaran Agrarian Committee, of which Gandhiji was also made a member. The committee investigated the relations between the peasants and indigo planters as well as the Tinkathia arrangement.

One of the principal recommendations of the committee was the complete abolition of the Tinkathia System. The government accepted its recommendations, and the coercive indigo arrangement was subsequently ended through the Champaran Agrarian Act, 1918.

Thus, compulsory indigo cultivation on 3 kathas out of every 20 kathas = 3/20 of the land was the essential meaning of the Tinkathia System.