Explain Indigo Movement (1859-60).

The Indigo Movement, also known as the Indigo Revolt, was a peasant uprising that took place in Bengal, India, from 1859 to 1860. It was a protest against the oppressive indigo cultivation system imposed by British indigo planters and landlords on tenant farmers.

Under the indigo cultivation system, tenant farmers were forced to grow indigo, a cash crop used for dye production, instead of food crops on their land. They were subjected to exploitative contracts, high rents, and coercive practices, including the tinkathia system, which compelled them to grow indigo on a portion of their land without adequate compensation.

Led by indigenous leaders such as Digambar Biswas and Bishnu Biswas, the Indigo Movement mobilized tenant farmers to resist the indigo planters' tyranny. Peasants boycotted indigo cultivation, refused to fulfill their indigo contracts, and engaged in acts of civil disobedience and protest.

The Indigo Movement garnered widespread support and attracted attention from Indian and British reformers, journalists, and officials. Eventually, the British government intervened, enacting the Indigo Commission in 1860 to investigate the grievances of the tenant farmers and abolish the oppressive aspects of the indigo cultivation system. The Indigo Movement symbolized peasant resistance against colonial exploitation and contributed to the emergence of agrarian reform movements in colonial India.