1. Spread of the Non-Cooperation Movement to the Countryside 🌾🏞️

• The Non-Cooperation Movement originally began in the cities, driven by the urban middle class, students, and professionals 🏙️📚.

• Over time, however, the movement spread to rural areas, as it gained widespread support among India’s agrarian population 🌾👥.

• Peasants and tribals, particularly in regions like Awadh, became increasingly involved in the movement. These groups had long suffered under the exploitative practices of landlords and colonial policies 🧑‍🌾🌍.

• The movement resonated with them, especially as economic hardships following World War I exacerbated their struggles 📉🌍.

• Many rural people were already familiar with the feudal systems of exploitation, and the Non-Cooperation Movement offered a potential avenue for change and justice ✊💥.

• As more rural people joined, the movement gained a new, wider dimension—one that was not limited to urban elites, but extended to the masses of peasants and workers 🧑‍🤝‍🧑🌍.

2. Peasant Struggles in Awadh 🌾⚔️

• The Awadh region, now part of Uttar Pradesh, became a hotbed for peasant activism during the Non-Cooperation Movement 🏞️.

• Baba Ramchandra, a sanyasi (ascetic) who had previously worked as an indentured laborer in Fiji, emerged as a central leader of the peasant movement in this area 🌍👳.

• Baba Ramchandra’s leadership brought together a diverse group of peasants who were united by their shared suffering under the oppressive system of landlordism ⚔️✊.

• The peasants in Awadh faced multiple hardships, including the imposition of exorbitant rents and cesses, which left them financially drained 💸.

• These harsh financial demands created an overwhelming burden on the peasants, many of whom were already living in poverty 📉💥.

• Beggar, or forced labor, was another form of exploitation faced by the peasants. Landlords would compel them to work on their farms without offering any compensation 🧑‍🌾⚒️.

• This practice left peasants without sufficient resources to feed or support their families, fueling their anger and resentment toward the landlords 🔥😡.

• Another significant issue was the tenancy system, which offered no security of tenure to the peasants 🏚️.

• Tenants could be evicted at any time by the landlords, and often were, preventing them from gaining any legal claim or ownership of the land they worked on ❌🏠.

• As a result, peasants lived in constant fear of displacement, which further intensified their participation in the movement ✊💥.

3. Demands of the Peasant Movement 📜⚖️

• The peasant movement in Awadh had several clear and direct demands aimed at improving the plight of farmers and laborers who had been exploited by landlords and the colonial system ⚖️.

• One of the central demands was the reduction of revenue and rent charges imposed on the peasants by the landlords 💰📉.

  • These charges were often so high that peasants were unable to sustain themselves, leading to deep poverty and constant debt 💸.
  • The reduction in these levies was seen as essential for the survival of many peasant families, who were struggling to make ends meet under the oppressive system 💥🧑‍🌾.

• Another major demand was the abolition of begar, the practice of forced labor imposed on peasants by landlords and the colonial administration 💪❌.

  • Begar forced peasants to work without any wages, often in harsh conditions, and deprived them of time to care for their own land or families 🧑‍🌾⚒️.
  • The abolition of begar was seen as a way to restore the dignity and rights of the peasants, allowing them to have a fair working relationship with the landlords 🏡🛑.

• Additionally, there was a strong push for the social boycott of oppressive landlords through collective action organized by panchayats (local village councils) 👥✊.

  • This tactic was intended to economically isolate the landlords by depriving them of essential services like barbers, washermen, and other everyday labor provided by the village communities 🧖‍♂️🧺.
  • The panchayats would organize these boycotts, making it clear that they would no longer tolerate the exploitation of peasants, using social pressure as a means of protest 🚫👨‍🌾.

4. Role of Jawaharlal Nehru in the Peasant Struggle 🗣️👨‍🌾

• In June 1920, Jawaharlal Nehru, a key leader in the Indian National Congress, visited the villages in Awadh to meet with peasants and understand their concerns directly 📅🚶‍♂️.
  • Nehru’s visit was part of a broader effort to mobilize rural India and align their struggles with the Non-Cooperation Movement initiated by Gandhi ✊🇮🇳.
  • He listened to their grievances and helped amplify their voices, which were often ignored by the British authorities 📢💬.
• By October 1920, Nehru, along with Baba Ramchandra and other local leaders, helped establish the Oudh Kisan Sabha (Awadh Peasant Union), a dedicated organization aimed at representing and advocating for peasant rights 🏛️.
  • This union was formed to channel the demands of the peasants and provide them with a structured means of organizing protests, boycotts, and collective actions 📝⚖️.
  • Nehru’s leadership in the formation of the union ensured that it would have strong ties with the broader Congress movement and the national struggle for independence 🇮🇳📊.
• The Oudh Kisan Sabha rapidly gained momentum and by November 1920, it had established over 300 branches in the villages across the region 📈🏘️.
  • This expansion demonstrated the wide support for the peasant movement, as peasants across Awadh joined the Sabha to demand their rights and stand against the oppressive system 💪🌾.
  • Nehru and other leaders continued to visit villages and held regular meetings to inspire and guide the peasants in their ongoing struggle ✊📣.

5. Integration of Peasant Struggles into the Wider Non-Cooperation Movement 🤝🌍

• In 1921, as the Non-Cooperation Movement gained momentum across India, the Indian National Congress sought to integrate the Awadh peasant struggle into the broader national struggle for independence 📅✊.

  • The Congress recognized the growing unrest in rural India, especially among the peasants, and saw the need to bring their issues into the national movement 🌾🔗.
  • It was understood that the support of peasants was vital for the success of the freedom struggle, as they made up the majority of the population 🧑‍🌾🌍.
  • Congress aimed to create a unified movement that would challenge British colonialism not only in urban centers but also in the rural areas, which were often neglected by the national discourse 🏙️💡.

• However, the peasant movement in Awadh began to evolve in ways that were challenging for the Congress leadership:

  • Local leaders, being more in touch with the realities of the peasants, began articulating demands and visions that went beyond the official Congress agenda 🧑‍🌾💬.
  • These leaders began spreading the message that Gandhiji had declared that no taxes should be paid to the British and that land should be redistributed among the poor 🌾💬.
  • Such proclamations were intended to offer hope and a sense of justice to the peasants, but they created expectations that could not easily be fulfilled under the British colonial system 🏛️❌.

• The use of Gandhi’s name became widespread, as peasants invoked it to justify their actions and aspirations:

  • Many peasants began to believe that Gandhi’s call for non-cooperation extended to all forms of resistance, including aggressive actions against the British and their allies 🔥🇮🇳.
  • This led to a divergence between the peaceful principles of non-violence promoted by the Congress and the more radical actions being taken by the peasants 🧑‍🌾💥.
  • The gap between the Congress leadership’s non-violent strategy and the peasants’ radical approach created tension and confusion in the movement ⚖️💬.

6. Violence and Discontent in the Peasant Movement 🔥💥

• As the Non-Cooperation Movement gained strength in 1921, violence and discontent surged among the peasants:

  • Peasants, frustrated with their treatment by the landlords, began attacking the houses of talukdars (landlords) 🏚️💥.
    • These attacks were fueled by anger over the exploitation peasants had endured for generations and their desire for justice 🧑‍🌾⚔️.
  • The attacks on landlords’ homes were not isolated but part of a broader resistance to the entrenched power structures that perpetuated inequality in rural areas 🏠💥.

• Along with attacks on landlords, merchants’ properties also became targets of the peasants’ ire 🏪🔨:

  • Merchants, particularly those who hoarded grain or charged high prices, were seen as complicit in the suffering of peasants and were thus subject to looting 🌾💸.
  • The looting of merchants’ properties was also a form of retaliation against economic exploitation, with peasants demanding fairer prices and better access to goods 🛒💥.

• In some areas, grain hoards were seized by the peasants, who took control of stockpiled food supplies 🏚️🌾:

  • The seizure of grain was not only a symbolic act of resistance but also a practical move, as peasants believed that taking control of food resources would help them survive during the struggle 💪🍞.
  • This act of grain hoarding seizure was also linked to the hope that land redistribution would soon follow, as promised by local leaders in the movement 🌾💰.

• The radicalization of the peasant movement became more apparent as the violence escalated:

  • As peasants engaged in more direct action, their movement took on a more aggressive tone, with little regard for the principles of non-violence promoted by Gandhi ✊🔥.
  • The movement began to shift from peaceful non-cooperation to a struggle that at times resembled an uprising, as the peasants sought to directly challenge the authority of landlords and the British government ⚔️🏛️.

• The invocation of Gandhi’s name continued to play a significant role in justifying the actions of the peasants, even as those actions increasingly contradicted Gandhi’s vision of peaceful resistance:

  • Local leaders invoked Gandhi’s name as a way to lend legitimacy to their calls for land redistribution and tax refusal, even though these actions were not aligned with the original non-violent framework 🧑‍🌾📢.
  • As a result, the movement became fragmented, with some peasants continuing to adhere to Gandhi’s call for non-violence, while others chose a more militant path in their fight for justice 💥✊.

7. Bardoli Satyagraha and Vallabhbhai Patel’s Leadership 🏞️💪

• In 1928, Vallabhbhai Patel led the peasant movement in Bardoli, a taluka in Gujarat, against the enhancement of land revenue imposed by the British colonial government 📅🔴.
  • The movement, known as the Bardoli Satyagraha, was a direct response to the increased tax burden on the peasants, which had made life even more difficult for them 💰📉.
  • Under Patel’s leadership, the peasants in Bardoli united and launched a peaceful protest demanding a reversal of the increased taxes 🌾✊.
  • The Satyagraha was a significant success and became a milestone in the Indian independence movement, showcasing the effectiveness of non-violent resistance 💪🏅.
• The movement was widely publicized and generated immense sympathy across India, bringing attention to the grievances of the rural population 🌍❤️.
  • It was an important event in the larger context of the Non-Cooperation Movement, as it demonstrated the power of collective action against unjust colonial policies 🏛️📢.

8. Jawaharlal Nehru’s Experience at Rae Bareli 📅🔥

• On 6 January 1921, the police in the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) opened fire on peasants near Rae Bareli, killing and injuring several protesters ⚖️🔫.
  • Jawaharlal Nehru, who was a key figure in the Congress leadership, wanted to visit the site of the firing to stand in solidarity with the peasants 📅🚶‍♂️.
  • However, he was stopped by the police from proceeding to the scene, which added to his frustration and anger at the injustice being carried out against the peasants 🛑😡.
• When Nehru addressed the peasants gathered around him, he described the scene as one where the peasants exhibited remarkable courage and composure despite the police violence 📢💬.
  • Nehru was deeply moved by their calm demeanor, which contrasted with his own initial emotional reaction 🔥.
  • Nehru recounted how, in a moment of anger, he almost forgot the principles of non-violence, but quickly regained his composure when he thought of Gandhi’s teachings 📜💡.
  • The peasants, who were more peaceful than Nehru in that moment, heeded his call to adhere to non-violence, and the crowd dispersed peacefully 🧑‍🌾✌️.

9. Tribal Peasants and Their Interpretation of Swaraj 🌳🇮🇳

• Tribal peasants in different parts of India, such as the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh, interpreted Mahatma Gandhi’s message of swaraj (self-rule) in a unique way 🌳⚡.

  • In the early 1920s, a militant guerrilla movement emerged in the Gudem Hills, which was far from the non-violent resistance advocated by the Congress leadership 🔥🛡️.
  • The colonial government had closed large forest areas, which restricted the tribal people’s access to essential resources such as grazing land for cattle and firewood 🌲🚫.
  • This restriction on resources and livelihoods enraged the tribal communities, who felt that their traditional rights were being denied by the British administration 👥⚖️.

• The government also began forcing the tribal people to perform begar (forced labor) for the construction of roads, which further fueled the resentment among the people 🛠️❌.

  • In response to these oppressive policies, the tribal people led by Alluri Sitaram Raju began to revolt against the government 🏹💥.
  • Raju, a charismatic leader, claimed to possess special powers such as the ability to predict the future and heal people, which made him even more revered by the tribespeople 🔮🧙‍♂️.
  • The rebels, who considered Raju an incarnation of God, were inspired by his leadership and launched a series of guerrilla attacks against British officials and police stations in the region 🔫💣.

• Raju’s leadership was influenced by Gandhi’s ideas, but he believed that India could only achieve swaraj through the use of force, rather than the path of non-violence 📜⚔️.

  • Under Raju’s leadership, the Gudem rebels engaged in armed conflict, aiming to overthrow British control and reclaim their rights to the land and resources 🌳⚡.
  • Raju’s movement continued for several years until he was captured and executed by the British in 1924, but he became a folk hero among the tribal communities and remains a symbol of resistance to this day 🌟👑.