What was contact between the sharecroppers …

Most of the arable land in Champaran was divided into large estates owned by Englishmen and worked by Indian tenants. The chief commercial crop was indigo. The landlords compelled all the tenants to plant three-twentieths or 15 per cent of their holdings with indigo and surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent. This was done by long-term contract. Also, the landlords upon having learned that Germany had developed synthetic indigo, obtained agreements from the sharecroppers to pay them compensation for being released from the 15 per cent arrangement. The sharecropping arrangement was irksome to the peasants and many signed willingly. Those who resisted, engaged lawyers while the landlords hired thugs. In the meantime, the information about synthetic indigo reached the illiterate peasants who had signed and now they wanted their money back.