Question

Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow:

A ryot petition This is an example of a petition from a ryot of the village of Mirajgaon, Taluka Karjat, to the Collector, Ahmednagar, Deccan Riots Commission: The sowkars (sahukars)... have of late begun to oppress us. As we cannot earn enough to defray our household expenses, we are actually forced to beg of them to provide us with money, clothes and grain, which we obtain from them not without great difficulty, nor without their compelling us to enter into hard conditions in the bond. Moreover the necessary clothes and grain are not sold to us at cash rates. The prices asked from us are generally twenty-five or fifty per cent more than demanded from customers making ready money payments... The produce of our fields is also taken by the sowkars, who at the time of removing it assure us that it will be credited to our account, but they do not actually make any mention of it in the accounts. They also refuse to pass us any receipts for the produce so removed by them.

1. In what ways the money-lenders oppressed the ryots?
2. Why was the harvest taken away by the money-lenders?
3. Explain any two features of the Ryotwari system.

Answer 1

1. The Ryots were subjugated by the moneylenders, who took advantage of their financial weakness to demand grain, clothing, and cash. The moneylenders charged the Ryots exorbitant fees for necessities like clothing and grain, usually 25–50% more than what was charged to clients who paid with cash.
2. The moneylenders took away the harvest for a number of reasons, including the possibility that they may manipulate the accounts and fail to recognize the full extent of the ryots' contributions if they refused to give receipts for the harvested products. By seizing the harvest, the moneylenders were able to keep the Ryots enslaved and exploited by trapping them in a vicious cycle of debt and dependency.
3. Two features of the Ryotwari system are:
   Individual peasant farmers, known as ryots, were acknowledged as the owners of the land they farmed under the Ryotwari system. They were in charge of sending land tax straight to the colonial government and had legal ownership to the land. The quality and production of the land were used to calculate the land revenue that the Ryots were required to pay. Periodically (resurveyed every 30 years), revenue assessments were carried out to determine the associated tax liabilities and analyze the land's prospective production.