Peasant & Tribal Movements in UP

Land Revenue Systems in UP

Before understanding peasant revolts, it is essential to know how the British extracted revenue from the land. Three major systems operated in India, with UP under the Mahalwari system.

Under the Mahalwari system, the village headman or lambardar was responsible for collecting revenue from all cultivators and paying the British. Revenue was periodically revised, almost always upward.

---

Taluqdari Exploitation in Awadh

In Awadh, the British retained the taluqdari system after the 1857 Revolt to win taluqdar loyalty. This created a feudal structure where:

• Taluqdars (big landlords) controlled vast estates
• They charged exorbitant rents from peasant tenants
• Peasants had no security of tenure — they could be evicted at will
• Forced labour (begar) was common
• Peasants paid illegal cesses (nazrana, abwab) beyond the official rent

The peasants of Awadh lived in a condition described as “worse than the serfs of medieval Europe” by contemporary observers.

---

Champaran and Its Influence on UP (1917)

Although the Champaran Satyagraha (1917) took place in Bihar, its success inspired peasant mobilization across UP. Gandhi’s method of peaceful resistance against indigo planters demonstrated that organized peasant action could win concessions from the British.

Key lessons that reached UP peasants:

• Collective petition and non-violent protest can be effective
• National leaders (like Gandhi) could champion peasant causes
• The press could publicize peasant grievances nationally

---

Kisan Sabha Movement in Awadh (1920-21)

This was the most significant peasant uprising in UP during the freedom movement.

Demands

• Reduction of exorbitant rents
• Abolition of begar (forced unpaid labour)
• End to illegal cesses and nazrana
• Security of tenure for tenants
• Social boycott of oppressive taluqdars

Methods

• Mass meetings and rallies across villages
• Nai-Dhobi Bandh (social boycott — see next section)
• Peasants refused to pay illegal cesses
• Some instances of looting taluqdar grain stores

Outcome

• The movement initially had Congress support but was later distanced due to violence
• Jawaharlal Nehru personally visited Awadh villages and supported early mobilization
• The Awadh Rent (Amendment) Act of 1921 provided some tenant protections

---

Nai-Dhobi Bandh Movement

A unique form of social protest that emerged alongside the Kisan Sabha:

• Barbers (Nai) and washermen (Dhobi) refused to serve taluqdars and their agents
• This was a devastating social boycott since these services were essential for daily life and rituals
• The movement demonstrated caste solidarity across peasant communities
• It forced taluqdars to negotiate as their households could not function without these services
• Originated in Pratapgarh and spread across Awadh

---

Eka Movement (1921-22)

Key Features

• Primarily a movement of lower-caste peasants (Pasis, Ahirs, Kurmis)
• Peasants swore oaths of unity at mass gatherings around a pit filled with water from the Ganga
• They pledged to pay only the recorded rent (not a paisa more)
• Refused begar and illegal levies
• Would not leave land when evicted without due process

How It Differed from Kisan Sabha

• Kisan Sabha was led by upper-caste leaders and had Congress support
• Eka Movement was autonomous, lower-caste-led, and had no Congress backing
• Eka was more radical in its methods and demands
• British suppressed it harshly; Madari Pasi was arrested

---

All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) — 1936

• AIKS was the first national-level peasant organization in India
• It was founded at Lucknow, linking UP directly to the national peasant movement
• Adopted a red flag as its symbol
• Demanded abolition of zamindari, reduction of rent, and cancellation of peasant debts
• Had strong links with the Congress Socialist Party and later the Communist Party

---

Connection to Broader National Movements

---

Key Takeaways

• The Mahalwari system was the land revenue system in UP, collecting from the village as a unit
• Baba Ramchandra led the Awadh Kisan Sabha (1920-21) against taluqdari exploitation
• The Eka Movement (1921-22) was a lower-caste-led movement under Madari Pasi in Hardoi-Bahraich
• Nai-Dhobi Bandh was a social boycott tactic used against taluqdars
• The All India Kisan Sabha was founded at Lucknow in 1936
• UP’s peasant movements combined economic demands with social justice concerns

---

Summary Cheat Sheet