The Movement in the Towns

The Non-Cooperation–Khilafat Movement began in January 1921. Various social groups joined, each with its own aspiration; all responded to the call of swaraj, but the term meant different things to different people.

The movement started with middle-class participation in the cities. Thousands of students left government schools and colleges, teachers and headmasters resigned, and lawyers gave up their practices. The council elections were boycotted in most provinces except Madras, where the Justice Party (the party of the non-Brahmans) felt that entering the council was a way of gaining power. On the economic front, foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops picketed, and foreign cloth burnt in bonfires. The import of foreign cloth halved between 1921 and 1922 (its value dropping from Rs 102 crore to Rs 57 crore).

Why the Town Movement Slowed Down

The movement in the cities gradually slowed down for several reasons:

  • Khadi cloth was often more expensive than mass-produced mill cloth, and poor people could not afford to boycott mill cloth for long.
  • The boycott of British institutions posed a problem: alternative Indian institutions (schools, courts) were slow to come up.

So students and teachers began trickling back to government schools, and lawyers rejoined the government courts.

Rebellion in the Countryside: Awadh

From the cities, the movement spread to the countryside, drawing in the struggles of peasants and tribals. In Awadh, peasants were led by Baba Ramchandra — a sanyasi who had earlier been an indentured labourer in Fiji. The movement was against talukdars and landlords who demanded exorbitant rents and other cesses, and forced peasants to do begar (labour without payment) with no security of tenure.

The peasant movement demanded a reduction of revenue, the abolition of begar, and the social boycott of oppressive landlords — in many places nai–dhobi bandhs (denying landlords the services of barbers and washermen) were organised by panchayats. In June 1920, Jawaharlal Nehru began visiting the villages, and by October the Oudh Kisan Sabha was set up (headed by Nehru, Baba Ramchandra and others), with over 300 branches within a month. As the movement spread in 1921, however, it took forms the Congress leadership was unhappy with — the houses of talukdars were attacked and bazaars looted, often in the name of the Mahatma.

Questions and Answers

Q1. How did the Non-Cooperation Movement unfold in the towns? Ans. It began with middle-class participation: students left schools and colleges, teachers and lawyers resigned, and councils were boycotted (except in Madras). Foreign goods were boycotted, liquor shops picketed and foreign cloth burnt, so that the import of foreign cloth halved between 1921 and 1922.

Q2. Why did the Non-Cooperation Movement slow down in the cities? Ans. Khadi was costlier than mill cloth, so poor people could not sustain the boycott; and alternative Indian schools and courts were slow to come up, so students, teachers and lawyers drifted back to government institutions.

Questions and Answers (continued)

Q3. Describe the peasant movement in Awadh. Ans. In Awadh, peasants led by Baba Ramchandra struggled against talukdars and landlords who charged exorbitant rents and forced begar. They demanded a reduction of revenue, the abolition of begar and the social boycott of oppressive landlords. The Oudh Kisan Sabha was formed in 1920 with Jawaharlal Nehru and Baba Ramchandra.

Q4. What were nai–dhobi bandhs? Ans. They were a form of social boycott organised by panchayats in Awadh to deprive oppressive landlords of the services of even barbers (nai) and washermen (dhobi).