The Story of Bardoli

Documents libres.

The Story of Bordoli ~ автор Mahadev Desai

1929. Being a History of the Bardoli Satyagraha of 1928 and Its Sequel.

• Glossary
• Part I. The Satyagraha
• Part II. The Enquiry

Contents 1 Preface 2 Glossary 2.1 Revenue Facts and Revenue Terms 2.2 Indian Words 3 Part II - The Enquiry 3.1 Chapter I: The First Days 3.2 Chapter II: General Considerations 3.3 Chapter III: The Rental Data 3.4 Chapter IV: "Profits of Agriculture" 3.5 Chapter V: Constructive Proposals 3.6 Chapter VI: The Fruits 4 Appendices 4.1 I: Government Threats 4.2 II: The Settlement Documents 4.3 III: Conclusion of the Munshi Committee 4.4 IV: The Enquiry and After

Preface

I never had the priviledge of taking part as "a combatant" in the Bardoli Satyagraha, which, whilst it was on, "paralysed the revenue administration" in the taluka, which made the taluka the cynosure of all eyes as much by its intensity as by its essential peaceful character, and which in its result proved to be "a blow to the regime of the Indian Civil Service." But I had certainly enough work as a "non-combatant" in the Satyagraha army, and because of my close association with the Sardar of the campaign had the pleasure and the priviledge of witnessing some of the moving scenes described in the following pages. The narrative therefore in an authentic and somewhat intimate record. As such it is likely to be of some value to all those who are interested in the method of Satyagraha as a weapon to secure justice and freedom.

I have purposely omotted so far as possible the names of all the subordinate officials who played their part in tha campaign. The wrting in these may not perhaps reveal a pen dipped in the ink of love – a positive and a most difficult virtue – but I hope there is nothing in the book which has the slightest trace of rancour or malice. The very battle was fought by a people utterly lacking in the spirit of hostility as the Broomfield Committee was agreeably surprised to testify.

Part I brings the narrative down to the close of the Satyagraha. Part II deals with the Enquiry and its result.

Mahadev Desai, 1929.

Glossary

Revenue Facts and Revenue Terms

1. Bombay is a Ryotwari Province, i.e., a Province made up a numerous peasant proprietors holding land directly under Government and paying a fixed revenue levied on every survey number.
2. Section 107 of the Bombay Land Revenue Code often referred to in the book:

In revising assessments of land revenue regard shall be had to the value of land and, in case of land used for the purpose of agriculture, to the profits of agriculture:

Provided that if any improvement has been effected in any land during the currency of any previous settlement made under this act, or under Bombay Act I of 1865, by or at the cost of the holder thereof, the increase in the value of such land or in the profit of cultivating the same due to the said improvement, shall not be taken into account in fixing the revised assessment thereof.

Assessment 

Amount payable under the law by a substantive holder of the land.

Collector 

Officer in charge of the revenue administration of a district.

Commissioner 

Revenue head of one of the three divisions of the presidency.

Holding 

Total land held or cultivated by an agriculturist.

Leased area 

Area not cultivated by the substantive holders themselves but leased out to tenant cultivators.

Rent 

Amount paid by a lessee for the right of cultivating the latter's land.

Revision 

Revision of settlement of land revenue occuring every thirty years.

Survey numbers 

Portion of land of which area and assessment are separately recorded.

Tenant 

A lessee holding kand, under an instrument or oral agreement, from a substantive holder. 'Tenant' never means a lessee holding directly under Government.

Indian Words

Anavla 

A clas of Brahmans.

Bania (or Vania) 

Class doing trading and money lending.

Chothai 

Fine amounting to 25 per cent. of assessment on default.

Japti 

Attachment.

Japti Officer 

Officer entrusted with attachment processes.

Kaliparaj 

A backward community referred to as such in Government Reports, 'kali' meaning dark, 'paraj', people, as distinguished from 'ujali paraj', fair people.

Khalsa 

Forfeiture.

Khata 

Holding.

Khatedar 

Occupant of land holding directly under Government on payment of a fixed revenue.

Mahal 

Defined portion of a taluka placed in charge of an officer, slightly lower in grade than a Mamlatdar.

Mahalkari 

Officer in charge of a mahal.

Mamlatdar 

Chief officer entrusted with the local revenue administration of a taluka.

Patel 

Village headman.

Raniparaj 

Same as Kaliparaj, meaning 'Forest People'. Name given to the people by the reformers as free from the inferiority and contempt attaching to the term 'Kaliparaj'.

Satyagraha 

World invented by Gandhi. Non-violent struggle. Literaly "attachment to truth".

Savkar 

Moneylender (corresponding to the Russian kulak).

Talati 

Subordinate officer in charge of the collection of revenue of a village.

Taluka 

Administration division of a district.

Vania 

See Bania.

Vethia 

Village peon.

Part II - The Enquiry

Chapter I: The First Days

Chapter II: General Considerations

Chapter III: The Rental Data

Chapter IV: "Profits of Agriculture"

Chapter V: Constructive Proposals

Chapter VI: The Fruits

Appendices

I: Government Threats

II: The Settlement Documents

III: Conclusion of the Munshi Committee

IV: The Enquiry and After

This work is now in the public domain because it originates from India and its term of copyright has expired. According to The Indian Copyright Act, 1957, all documents enter the public domain after sixty years counted from the beginning of the following calendar year (ie. as of 2008, prior to 1 January 1948) after the death of the author.