Question 53 from UPSC CSE 2020 - MODERN INDIA

Question

Indigo cultivation in India declined by the beginning of the 20th century because of

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. its unprofitability in the world market because of new inventions

Strategy: Notice the timeline and the cause-effect relationship. Indigo cultivation's decline came at the turn of the 20th century, long after the peak of peasant revolts (like Bengal in 1859-60). The critical factor here was global market dynamics -- specifically, the advent of cheaper synthetic indigo in Europe, making natural indigo uncompetitive. Thus, 'new inventions' (synthetic dye) undercut demand. This option uniquely matches the precise economic and technological reasons for decline, not just socio-political resistance or government action.

Key Info: Indigo was a key cash crop in colonial India, especially in Bengal and Bihar. The industry flourished under the British due to high European demand for blue dye. Economic and social pressures on peasants led to resistance, such as the Champaran Satyagraha and Bengal Indigo Revolt (1859-60), but these addressed local agrarian exploitation, not the industry's viability.

The decisive decline occurred with the invention and mass production of synthetic indigo in late 19th-century Germany. Adolf von Baeyer synthesized indigo in 1882, and by the early 20th century, large-scale synthetic indigo (notably by BASF) replaced natural indigo globally.

The synthetic dye was cheaper, more reliable, and quickly captured the world market, rendering natural indigo cultivation unprofitable. Nationalist opposition and tighter government controls were not primary factors in the industry's final decline. Other export crops, such as jute and cotton, sometimes replaced indigo in affected regions.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: peasant resistance to the oppressive conduct of planters

IASCODEX · Answer

Option C: national leaders' opposition to the cultivation of indigo

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: Government control over the planters