The Santhals led their revolt against 'Dikus'. The term dikus was used for which of the following people?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Money lenders
The Santhals called the moneylenders dikus; these moneylenders charged them high rates of interest and took over their land when debts remained unpaid.
NCERT (2026-27): “2.2 The Santhals: Pioneer settlers … The Santhals, however, soon found that the land they had brought under cultivation was slipping away from their hands. The state was levying heavy taxes on the land that the Santhals had cleared, moneylenders (dikus) were charging them high rates of interest and taking over the land when debts remained unpaid, and zamindars were asserting control over the Damin area. By the 1850s, the Santhals felt that the time had come to rebel against zamindars, moneylenders and the colonial state, in order to create an ideal world for themselves where they would rule.…” |