Question

What of the following statements shows the plight of the peasants during the colonial times in India?

• A. The peasants had well-maintained lands and cultivated a good amount of produce.
• B. The peasants were not able to cultivate their own land as they were forced to do vetti on the lands of the landlords.
• C. The peasants were scared to invest in the land because they constantly feared that they would be evicted from their land by the zamindars.
• D. The zamindars did not let the peasants improve the fields fearing they would start claiming their rights on the land.

Answer 1

Answer: (B), (C), (D)

The correct options are
B The peasants were not able to cultivate their own land as they were forced to do vetti on the lands of the landlords.
C The peasants were scared to invest in the land because they constantly feared that they would be evicted from their land by the zamindars.
D The zamindars did not let the peasants improve the fields fearing they would start claiming their rights on the land.

The peasants were exploited by the zamindars during the colonial times in India. The peasants were not able to cultivate their own land as they were forced to do vetti (wageless labour) on the lands of the landlords. The peasants were scared to invest in the land because they constantly feared that they would be evicted from their land by the zamindars. Moreover, the zamindars did not let the peasants improve the fields fearing they would start claiming their rights on the land. The peasants were also forced to regularly supply several items like vegetables, milk, ghee, jaggery, straw, and cow dung cakes free of cost to the zamindars.