Champaran

Champaran is identified with the Champāraṇya mentioned in the Bheraghat inscription as a place claimed to be "devastated" by the Kalachuri king Yashaḥkarṇa (11th/12th century). And people of every community have been worshipping Mehsi Mazar since (Mirja Halim Shah Dargah) 1200 AD, which had shown the people here the right way to live life. In 1917, Mahatma Gandhi led a satyagraha movement in the Champaran district against the policies enforced by European landowners and the colonial government. These policies coerced local farmers into cultivating indigo at unfairly low prices. In response to Gandhi's leadership, the British authorities initially arrested him but later released him, subsequently amending the laws to alleviate the plight of the peasants. This marked Gandhi's first campaign in India and a significant triumph for the principles of civil disobedience. == People ==

• Batak Mian - A cook who saved the life of Mahatma Gandhi • Manoj Bajpai – • Dinesh Bhramar – poet and noted figure in Hindi and Bhojpuri literature • Anuranjan Jha – Indian journalist • Prakash Jha – Indian filmmaker • Ramesh Chandra Jha – Indian poet, novelist and freedom fighter • Abdullah Khan – novelist and screenwriter • Ravish Kumar – Indian journalist • Gopal Singh Nepali – Indian poet of Hindi literature, Bollywood lyricist • George Orwell – English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic • Kedar Pandey – Congress leader and ex-Chief Minister of Bihar • Afroz Alam Sahil – Indian journalist • Raj Kumar Shukla – indigo cultivator, activist • Radha Mohan Singh – Indian politician • Sanjeev K Jha – Indian script writer, filmmaker == The Literary History of Champaran ==

Freedom Fighter and author Ramesh Chandra Jha was the first person who penned down the rich literary history of Champaran. His research based books including Champaran Ki Sahitya Sadhana (चम्पारन की साहित्य साधना) (1958), Champaran:Literature & Literary Writers (चम्पारन: साहित्य और साहित्यकार) (1967) and Apne Aur Sapne:A Literary Journey Of Champaran (अपने और सपने: चम्पारन की साहित्य यात्रा) (1988) meticulously document the rich literary heritage and history of Champaran, Bihar. These seminal books continue to serve as foundational reference points for researchers, scholars, Ph.D. students, and journalists alike. Jha's insightful exploration and preservation of Champaran's historical and literary legacy have solidified his place as a cornerstone in the field of literary research. == References ==