The Champaran Satyagraha stands as a monumental milestone in India’s struggle for independence, and journalist Pir Muhammed Munis was a figure whose courage with the pen helped ignite the flames of resistance.
The Champaran Satyagraha stands as a monumental milestone in India’s struggle for independence, and journalist Pir Muhammed Munis was a figure whose courage with the pen helped ignite the flames of resistance. In 1917, under the shadow of British dominance, the colonial administration compiled a list of 32 of Mahatma Gandhi’s closest associates. At number 10 was a name that would become immortal in India’s fight for freedom.
A journalist of formidable influence, Munis was pivotal to the Champaran Satyagraha, widely regarded as India’s first organized act of civil disobedience. Through his writings, he etched a record of heroism into history, chronicling the tribulations of the oppressed with unflinching dedication.
To truly appreciate Munis’ contribution, one must journey back to 1916. The British Raj’s iron grip stifled the lives of millions, and among the most afflicted were the farmers of Champaran, Bihar. Forced to cultivate indigo—a cash crop in high demand abroad—the peasants were denied the land to grow essential food crops, triggering a famine that drove them to revolt. And it was Munis who ensured that their plight did not remain hidden.
A ‘Rouge Journalist’ with a Patriotic Pen
The uprising caught the attention of the nation, largely thanks to Munis, whose writings reflected a fiery patriotism. Chronicling the farmers’ struggles and exposing the illegalities of British practices, Munis wrote primarily in Hindi, despite the elite’s preference for Urdu, Persian, and English. His later advocacy for the propagation of Hindi among the masses was, in part, inspired by these early efforts. Anecdotes even suggest that he taught Gandhi the language, a skill that proved invaluable to the future Mahatma.
The British labeled him “notorious,” “bitter,” and “dangerous,” ultimately branding him a badmash patrakar (rogue journalist). A British police document preserved in the Azadi Ke Deewane Museum at the Red Fort notes, “Pir Muhammed Munis is actually a dangerous and hoodlum journalist who through his questionable literature, brought to light the sufferings of a backward place like Champaran in Bihar.”
The Letter That Ignited a Movement
Munis’ articles appeared frequently in Pratap, as well as in monthly publications such as Gyanshakti and Gorakhpur, and he contributed to the editorial board of Desh, launched by Dr. Rajendra Prasad. Among his most influential works was a letter co-written with local farmer Rajkumar Shukla, addressed to Gandhi on 27 February 1917. Shukla laid bare the farmers’ grievances, “Our sad tale is much worse than what you and your comrades have suffered in South Africa.”
A subsequent letter on 22 March 1917 reinforced the urgency, requesting Gandhi to visit Champaran. Gandhi arrived on 10 April 1917, and Munis’ role as his steadfast ally was lauded, with many calling him Gandhi’s pillar in planning the Satyagraha.
As India’s first Satyagraha, the Champaran movement paved the way for mass protests nationwide. Gandhi established schools, conducted village surveys, organized strikes, and championed farmers’ rights over crop sales—Munis was by his side every step of the way.
The British, unsurprisingly, were perturbed. A letter by W. H. Lewis, sub-division officer to the commissioner of Tirhut, details, “… Mr Gandhi got offers of assistance, the most prominent is Pir Muhammad. I have not (sic) full details of his career, but either Whitty or Marsham could give them. He is, I believe, a convert to Muhammadanism and was a teacher in the Raj School. He was dismissed from his post for virulent attacks on local management published in or about 1915 in the press. He lives in Bettiah and works as a press correspondent for the Pratap of Lucknow, a paper which distinguished itself for its immoderate expressions on Champaran Questions… Pir Muhammad is the link between this Bettiah class of mostly educated and semi-educated men and the next class, i.e. the Raiyats’ own leaders…”
Champaran Satyagraha
The Champaran Satyagraha culminated in the Champaran Agrarian Act of 1918, abolishing forced indigo cultivation and alleviating the farmers’ burden. Yet, British oppression persisted. Undeterred, Munis founded the Raiyati Sabha to safeguard farmers’ rights, a crusade that earned him a six-month jail term.
His activism continued relentlessly. In 1930, he served three months in Patna Camp jail for participating in the Salt Satyagraha. In 1937, he led sugarcane producers protesting exploitation by intermediaries and was elected to the Champaran Zila Parishad, later resigning to join the Individual Civil Disobedience Movement. Munis tirelessly championed rural development, the promotion of Hindi in schools, and the rights of his countrymen until his death on 23 September 1949.
Pratap editor Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi mourned his death, “We have the utmost sorrow that Pir Muhammed Munis of Bettiah, Champaran district has died. We have the privilege to see such souls who are quietly lying aside. The world doesn’t come to know anything about their issues. The lesser these sons of Mother India are renowned, the more profound is their work, the more philanthropic.”
He further added, “You recited the dreadful story of Champaran to Gandhi ji and this was a result of your hard-work only that Mahatma Gandhi visited Champaran which made this land a pious place and the place which is unerasable in the pages of history.”
(This article has been curated with the help of AI)