Colonial Industry

The processing of indigo was a major industry for the British Empire in colonial India. Leaves were fermented in large outdoor vats which then had to be stirred (often done by workers in the vat) in order to introduce oxygen into the water. The plight of the indigo workers was taken up first in literature and then by the independence movements. The development of synthetic indigo dealt a major blow to this colonial source of income.

indigo workers
The processing of indigo was a major industry for the British Empire in colonial India. Leaves were fermented in large outdoor vats which then had to be stirred (often done by workers in the vat) in order to introduce oxygen into the water. The plight of the indigo workers was taken up first in literature and then by the independence movements. The development of synthetic indigo dealt a major blow to this colonial source of income.