ApnaMotihari Website

The district of East Champaran (Headquarter:Motihari) has already registered his indelible remark in historic pages of Indian national movement. Established in year 1866, the Champaran district got bifurcated in two parts. Named as Purbi Champaran (East Champaran) and Paschimi Champaran (West Champaran) on 1st December 1971. In early days the land of East Chamapran was ruled by different kingdoms as Videha,Sunga,Kanvas. But it was “Champaran Satyagrah” which gave a worldwide recognition to this place. Two eminent personality related to motihari are Mahatama Gandhi and George Orwell. One was well renowned for his pretty lethal weapon “AHINSA” (NON Violence) where as other used his pen against social injustice and totalitarianism.

BAPU Father of our nation while his visit to Champaran on request of Raj kumar Shukla (A farmer belonging to land of East Champaran), got impetus to start a movement against the dictatorship of British government. Those days the farmers of East Champaran were coerced to sow AFEEM (opium) and NEEL (indigo)on certain portion of their farms so that British government can make money out of it. These crops make the agricultural land infertile. Also British government was not paying enough money to the farmers and so the plight of farmers became worse with time. Fed up with this system , one of the farmer named Raj Kumar shukla invited Bapu to have a visit to their place and help them in extirpating this law to make their life better. To ameliorate the condition of these indenture farmers of Chamapran, BAPU visited Motihari on 10th April 1917. If we go by the report of AICC (All India congress committee) a huge mass has greeted him in his mission to get INDIPENDENCE and make INDIA free of BRITISH rules. The plight of these farmers made BAPU to start a historic movement named CHAMPARAN SATYAGRAH.

In spite of getting threatening messages from British government BAPU kept this movement alive and accepted the imprisonment. Respecting the summon , he appeared in court of Sub divisional magistrate of Motihari on 8th April 1917. There he avowed not to obey the Rules imposed by BRITISH govt. He also visited West champaran (Bettiah) on 22nd April 1917. It was the people of whole Champaran who participated in this movement to make it successful and that’s how this place got registered in the pages of Indian National movement. Besides non co-operation movement, demonstration against SIMON commission in year 1929, gathering in Motihari against the failure of Round table conference to pledge for Indian Independence are some more historic events related to this place.

1888-1891: Studied law in London 1893: Sailed for South Africa
1906: Began Satyagraha campaign in South Africa to protest the requirement that Indians be fingerprinted and carry identification cards
1915: Returned to India from South Africa
1917: Initiated Champaran Satyagraha to alleviate the condition of indigo planters
1919: Instituted Satyagraha campaign in India to protest the Rowlatt Acts, which deprived all Indians of important civil liberties.
1922: Ended Non-Cooperation movement against British Raj after his followers were involved in a series of riots and disturbances that violated his policy of nonviolence
1930: Led Dandi March to collect salt in protest of the British salt tax.
1931: Signed a pact with Lord Irwin to suspend the Civil Disobedience Movement and went to London to attend Round Table Conference.
1932: Fasted to protest the treatment of people who belonged to no Hindu caste, the Harijans or Untouchables
1942: Launched Quit India Movement against British Raj. January 30, 1948: Assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist.